V8-powered M3 makes its debut

Road racing returned for the 2001 season this past weekend with the completion of the Rolex 24 Hours at Daytona. This year was particularly special for race fans as Speedvision carried the race with live, 24-hour flag to flag coverage.

BMW was well represented this year in the Porsche-dominated GT category. Four teams ran an M3, most notably the JET Motorsports V8-powered version featuring the 5-liter motor usually found in the M5.

The #54 JET Motorsports M3 was very competitive, leading the GT class for much of the race before retiring after about 18 hours due to engine troubles. The #54 car was driven by Tony Jennings, Terry Borcheller, Hans Stuck and Boris Said. BMW road racing fans undoubtedly know Stuck and Said from team PTG in the American LeMans (ALMS) series.

The best finish for the M3, an impressive 9th overall was the #10 Genesis Racing BMW M3, driven by Rick Fairbanks, Bill Auberlen, Chris Gleason and Chris Miller.

The Corvette Racing #2 Chevrolet Corvette C5-R took the victory this year. The 'Vette went the distance, despite the poor weather conditions and a cooked gearbox in the final laps of the race.

NASCAR father/son duo Dale Earnhardt and Dale Jr. drew much attention to the race this year. They drove the #3 Corvette to a very impressive fourth overall finish. What a strange site it was to see those guys driving a sports car on a road course!

Overall, the Rolex 24 was very entertaining to watch. The racing was very competitive in each class, and the coverage on Speedvision was excellent. Seeing the V8-powered M3 in action for the first time was great. BMW is getting serious about the M3's success, particularly in the ALMS series, where they will be running a factory team this year. Stay tuned!