BMW returns to the Nurburgring, but not with the M2 CS.
The regular M2 with an M Performance Track Kit improved the record by half a second.
The upgrade costs €23,500 and goes on sale this month.

Just over a year ago the M2 CS took the crown from the Audi RS3 as the quickest production compact car on the Nurburgring. That Competition Sport version completed the Green Hell circuit in 7 minutes 25.5 seconds and became the first car in its class to break the 7:30 barrier. BMW nevertheless saw scope for further gains to increase the margin over the Audi RS3 time of 7:33.

On 22 May this year the manufacturer returned to the Nordschleife with a revised approach. Rather than reusing the M2 CS it deployed the standard M2 equipped with the fresh M Performance Track Kit. Even with an added 35 kilograms and 50 horsepower less than the CS the regular model still beat the previous mark by half a second finishing in 7 minutes 25 seconds.

Jörg Weidinger again piloted the car to the new compact-car lap record just as he did last year. The coupe with the Track Kit is also quicker than the M3 CS Sedan at 7:28 and the M3 CS Touring at 7:29 yet remains behind the M4 CS at 7:21. The M4 CSL stays the quickest series-production BMW on the full 20.8-kilometer layout with a 7:18 lap.

Surpassing its more extreme sibling is impressive yet the M Performance Track Kit carries a high price. Available from this month it costs €23,500 in Germany where a new Mini Cooper One can be purchased for only €3,000 more. The package supplies numerous track-oriented parts including a manually adjustable swan-neck carbon-fiber rear wing taken from the M4 GT4 Evo and GT3 Evo race cars.

BMW supplies an adjustable front splitter together with a sophisticated coilover suspension offering four-way adjustable rebound and compression damping. Ride height can be reduced by as much as 20 millimeters and the kit adds adjustable support bearings. Wheel-arch diffusers aero flicks and an extra scoop under the front engine oil cooler are also included to aid heat extraction.

For the record attempt BMW M combined the Track Kit with optional ultra-sticky road-legal Pirelli P Zero Trofeo RS tires the same semi-slick compound used on the M2 CS during last year’s run.

The new components are offered both on new M2s and as a retrofit for existing rear-wheel-drive examples. Although the package preserves road legality the front splitter and rear wing cannot be set to their most aggressive positions on public roads. Those settings are reserved for track use where the aerodynamic upgrades produce an extra 200 kilograms of downforce at 200 km/h across both axles.

Motor1's Take: The M Performance Track Kit shows that raw power is not the only route to quicker lap times. BMW trimmed half a second from the Nurburgring effort without altering the engine. Using the lower-output version of the twin-turbo 3.0-liter inline-six the aerodynamic and suspension changes more than offset the power difference versus the M2 CS.

BMW notes that even faster times might have been possible without high temperatures and an oil spill in the T13 section. It remains to be seen whether Audi will respond with a more extreme RS3 Competition. Unless it can better the M2 time the Ingolstadt firm may choose to stay silent.