Finally, a BMW where the indicators are intended to be optional. The German automaker has revealed its newest track car, the M2 Racing.
Rather than allowing its owners to nip through traffic with reckless abandon, the M2 Racing allows the same behaviour where it belongs. On a track with other people who can afford their doubtless high insurance premiums. The tricky bit? You’ll have to wait for BMW’s 2026 season to use one, since that’s when this vehicle “will offer private customer teams around the world a new entry point into racing.”
M2 Racing for the front
The awesome bit? If you’re a South African with a spot of spare cash lying around, you’ll get a shot at some track time of your very own. Of course, you’ll need a R2 million+ (€98,000, before tax) BMW M2 Racing to take part, but that shouldn’t bother folks with the money to throw at that ‘private customer team’ the manufacturer wants them to field.
Dropping one on the tarmac should prove exciting, at least. The “entry-level customer racing model” sports a 2.0l four-cylinder 230kW engine with a top speed of 270km/h. So definitely not for South African roads, then, but seeing it zoom around Kyalami or Zwartkops from behind the wheel should be an experience.
A range of BMW’s M-spec racing fittings are included. A seven-speed ZF 8HP gearbox facilitates forward motion, BMW’s M Motorsport software and electronics live in various spaces, and the exhaust is motorsport-grade, as is the catalytic converter. Ditto for the braking system, from the front discs, rear drums, and brake cooling layout.
The indicators really are an afterthought, with LED headlights and rear fog lights being the only ones mentioned on the M2 Racing’s website. The chassis and fittings are also designed with tracks in mind. The DMSB-certified welded safety roll cage is FIA-rated, the bonnet, roof, and windows are each their own form of lightweight material, and the seat and safety harness are similarly tailored for high-speed track excursions.
The BMW M2 Racing sits atop a set of Goodyear 265/660 R18 rubber, while driver assistance is created with performance driving in mind. The vehicle features BMW M Motorsport-specific drive modes and ten-stage M Traction Control, an adjustable pit-lane speed limiter, and logging connections fitted to the M2 Racing as standard.
BMW’s new entry-level racer also has a range of options, including better safety harnesses, passenger seat installations (perhaps you want to enter rallies?), integrated logging gear, and ballast boxes, but the starting price of R2.1(ish) million means we’ll only see these on the track. Still, come 2026, more than a few should be zipping around South Africa. Just… hopefully only on an approved race track.
1 Comment
Correction: This car has front and rear disc-brakes, not rear drums as mentioned