Mario Theissen probably won’t forget his induction at the head of BMW Motorsport in a hurry. He was 47 years of age when he joined forces with ex-Formula One star Gerhard Berger and Team Manager Charly Lamm in 1999. By the time he retired in 2011, he had spent 38 years with BMW.

The marque’s involvement in prototypes owed a lot to Formula 1. The 1998 BMW V12 LM and the 1999 V12 LMR were designed by Williams F1 around the V12 engine that powered the McLaren F1 production car that appeared in 1992, and won the 24 Hours of Le Mans three years later. “This engine became a highlight for the following five years,” Theissen confirmed. “It proved very competitive in 1995, and then in 1996 and 1997, and so we built a prototype based on it.”

The V12 LM’s first appearance at the 1998 24 Hours ended prematurely with both cars forced to retire. It returned the following year, substantially revised and renamed V12 LMR, for one of the most promising races of the nineties. Audi marked its Le Mans début by fielding four cars while Toyota, Mercedes and Nissan all entered works teams. Theissen discovered an ultra-competitive atmosphere at his first 24 Hours: “I remember our pre-race press conference when I said: ‘We are here to win the race!’,” he laughed. “Gerhard and Charly were a bit shocked because BMW definitely was not the favourite! I was a bit naive but we were very well prepared, and in the end, it turned out to be true.”

With the Mercedes becoming airborne and the Toyotas succumbing to punctures, the V12 LMR driven by Tom Kristensen, JJ Lehto and Jörg Müller maintained a fast pace to top the hourly standings for seventeen hours. Unfortunately, the car suffered a stuck throttle and crashed out less than three hours from the end of the race. The second-placed BMW driven by Dalmas, Winkelhock and Martini immediately grabbed the lead. As Martini took the chequered flag, Winkelhock leapt onto the track in joy.

Dalmas joined Henri Pescarolo as the most successful French driver at Le Mans with four wins, achieving the feat with four different cars – a unique accomplishment in the history of Le Mans. Meanwhile, Kristensen’s record career haul could well have stood at ten wins. “I met Tom recently when he was honoured for his lifetime achievements,” Theissen concluded. “I said: ‘Tom, I am very sorry because you should have had one more Le Mans win.’ He replied: ‘Yes, you are right, this was the biggest disappointment in my career.’ But for me, winning the 24 Hours of Le Mans was the most exciting achievement and experience I've ever lived in motor racing.”

Parts one and two of this series covered key dates from 1939 to 1982 and from 1992 to 2011.
For more on BMW at Le Mans, see Issue N°2 of Spirit of Le Mans, the magazine published by the Automobile Club de l’Ouest.

Photo: After their joint success at Le Mans in 1999, BMW and Williams (who designed the V12 LMR, pictured) continued to work together in Formula One from 2000 to 2005.