BMW M2 breaks Nürburgring record thanks to track package

The BMW M2 of the G87 generation has improved its own Nürburgring record in the compact car class with the help of the recently introduced M Performance Track Kit parts package: the new best time on the Nordschleife is 7 minutes 25.068 seconds.

The previous Nürburgring record in the compact car class belonged to the lightweight BMW M2 CS coupé with the 530-horsepower version of the 3.0-litre inline six-cylinder twin-turbo S58 engine, set in April last year with a result of 7 minutes 25.534 seconds. This and all of BMW's latest records on the Nürburgring Nordschleife were set by factory test driver Jörg Weidinger, who also had a hand in developing the M Performance Track Kit package for the BMW M2, unveiled in March this year.

So it turns out that a standard rear-wheel-drive BMW M2 with the 480-horsepower S58 engine and the M Performance Track Kit package is faster on the Nordschleife than the top-spec BMW M2 CS, albeit only by a small margin. The new record was set on 22 May this year in less-than-ideal conditions: the air and asphalt temperatures were too high, and there were oil patches on the T13 section, where the start-finish straight is located. In short, the lap could have been quicker, but BMW was keen to emphasise that the M Performance Track Kit package works even in less-than-ideal conditions.

The M Performance Track Kit package is also available for the BMW M2 CS, but production of that version was limited and the model can no longer be purchased, so the new record was set in a standard BMW M2 with rear-wheel drive and an 8-speed automatic gearbox.

For the record, the M Performance Track Kit package includes adjustable racing dampers, a front carbon splitter with adjustable offset, an air intake beneath the upper engine oil cooler, side canards on the front bumper, and a suspended adjustable rear wing with an integrated brake light, borrowed from the BMW M4 GT4 and BMW M4 GT3 racing coupés. Not only can the wing's angle of attack be adjusted, but also its offset beyond the rear perimeter, which can reach 50 mm. In road mode, however, the upper side canards must be removed, and the front splitter and rear wing must be brought within the car's dimensions to comply with type-approval regulations.

In June, the BMW M2 with M xDrive all-wheel drive was unveiled, but it remains unclear whether all-wheel drive offers any advantage at the Nürburgring. All-wheel drive increased the BMW M2's kerb weight by 60 kg to 1,790 kg, but it also reduced the 0-100 km/h sprint time from 4.0 to 3.7 seconds. The top speed remains limited to 250 km/h, and with the M Driver's Package it is raised to 285 km/h.

We believe that, in one form or another, the BMW M2 will update the Nürburgring record at least once more, as the full potential of this model has yet to be unlocked.