5/7 BMW V12 LM98 Presensation

// This is a direct reupload of the post I made for Instagram and Facebook

BMW V12LM98 Presentation Part 5/7

Back in Black! Rebuilt after its race-ending crash at Sebring, 001/98 returned to action at Le Mans sporting a brand-new livery, making any confusion with the Team Goh car impossible. Pre-qualification was a formality, with the car securing 18th place, a position it would reiterate on the real qualifying, three spots behind its sister car.

From the outset, the race unfolded in a straightforward manner. The car steadily gained positions through other’s misfortune, even briefly running in 4th on Sunday morning before settling back into 5th. In a remarkable feat that we aren’t gonna see soon in modern Le Mans, @steve_soperracing boxed from 5th to have the clutch replaced, a process that took 47 minutes and joined the track without losing a single posi

In the final hour, Thomas Bscher entered the infamous Le Mans Toyota curse legend. The #3 Toyota GT-ONE, driven by Ukyo Katayama, was chasing down the leading V12 LMR when it encountered Bscher’s BMW. Approaching the first chicane on the Hunnaudière, Katayama dove inside to pass, but Bscher decided to fight back, forcing the Toyota onto the kerbs. 1min20s later, the Toyota suffered a puncture, a blow that Toyota team boss Ove Andersson harshly blamed that on Bscher.
Bscher ultimately crossed the finish line in 5th place, fist raised, trailing only the surviving factory cars. The car seem to have died just few meter after at the end of the pit liane and had to be helped in by the marshall.

A month later, the car returned to action at the ALMS round in Sears Point, qualifying and finishing 7th. The following week, it competed in Portland, qualifying 8th and finishing 5th, albeit with a larger gap to the winner than at Sears Point. This marked the end of Bscher very brief US campaign.

In September, the car participated in the SportRacing World Cup at the Nürburgring, a strong outing with a 4th finish.
Its final race of the year was the Vallelunga 6 Hours in late November, held in wet conditions. Unfortunately, the race ended prematurely after 2h21 due to a driveshaft issue.

🎨 ALMS livery by Sylphide