There is great sadness following the death of Herbert Schnitzer. The last of the four Schnitzer brothers, who owned the legendary BMW racing outfit, passed away peacefully at home in Freilassing on Friday - on his 85th birthday - surrounded by his family.
"Now all three are together, Dieter and Charly, gone from us far too soon," writes former racing driver Christian Menzel, who shared a photo of Herbert Schnitzer with his two half-brothers Charly and Dieter Lamm on Instagram. "To me, Schnitzer was BMW; they lived the brand's values and communicated them authentically to all fans. One of the most successful motorsport teams ever and an unreachable team spirit - role models."
The name Schnitzer has shaped BMW’s motorsport history like no other. For over half a century, Schnitzer Motorsport and BMW traveled the world's race tracks together, celebrating grand successes across a wide range of categories.
Herbert Schnitzer: How the success story began
It all began in the 1950s in Freilassing: Like his brother Josef, who was two years older, Herbert Schnitzer was trained as a car mechanic by his stepfather, Karl Lamm. In 1963, he and Josef Schnitzer purchased an accident-damaged Fiat, which they repaired themselves and entered into races.
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This marked the beginning of the Schnitzer family’s motorsports activities. While Josef pursued his racing career, his brother Herbert focused on sales: in 1964, Schnitzer became a dealer for new and used BMW vehicles. He ensured that the team, and the dealership ran smoothly.
Two years later, Josef Schnitzer becomes German Touring Car Champion in a BMW 2000ti he tuned himself, bringing the first title to Freilassing. After that, the team is unstoppable, and the success story takes its course.
Charly Lamm joins, drama surrounding brother Josef
In 1971, Charly Lamm - Herbert Schnitzer’s half-brother - joined the team. Initially, the then 16-year-old supported the outfit with menial tasks, but he eventually became the team manager and primary decision-maker. Lamm’s twin brother Dieter also played a vital role: until his death in 2014, he was responsible for technical processes and logistics.
The team even built Toyota engines for rally outings and helped Jacques Laffite win the 1975 Formula 2 European Championship with a dedicated Schnitzer engine based on a BMW power unit. However, in 1978, tragedy struck the family: Herbert's brother Josef died in a road accident, through no fault of his own, while traveling to Zolder.
In the 1980s, Schnitzer became the European Touring Car Champion three times. This era also marked the beginning of a streak of nine total victories in touring car races at the "Guia Circuit" in Macau.
Overall victory at Le Mans as the absolute highlight
Between 1989 and 2010, Schnitzer triumphed five times at the 24 Hours of Nurburgring, playing a major role in BMW remaining the record winner of this endurance classic to this day. The same applies to the 24 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps, which Schnitzer also won five times starting in 1985.
Added to this were titles with Italian Roberto Ravaglia in the 1987 World Touring Car Championship and the 1989 DTM, as well as with German Joachim Winkelhock in 1995 and Venezuelan Johnny Cecotto in 1998 in the German Super Touring Car Championship (STW).
Among the greatest highlights of the partnership was the overall victory at the 1999 24 Hours of Le Mans with the legendary BMW V12 LMR. With this prototype designed by Williams, Schnitzer also won the 12 Hours of Sebring in the same year.
DTM title, then the withdrawal by BMW
In 2001, the team secured the GT title in the American Le Mans Series (ALMS). From 2005 to 2009, Schnitzer competed as a BMW works team in the World Touring Car Championship (WTCC), celebrating a sensational 25 victories and a total of 57 podium finishes.
In 2012, Schnitzer returned to the DTM as a works team with BMW. Together, they celebrated a triumphant comeback year, winning the drivers' title with Bruno Spengler, the teams' title for Schnitzer, and the manufacturers' title for BMW. Schnitzer remained active in the DTM until 2016, boasting a successful record of 25 wins and 88 podiums, before being withdrawn from the series by then BMW Motorsport Director Jens Marquardt.
Death of Charly Lamm and dissolution
Following this setback, Schnitzer continued its activities in GT racing, competing in series such as the International GT Challenge (IGTC). The victory with Augusto Farfus in November 2018 at the GT World Cup in Macau remains unforgettable. It was Charly Lamm's final race as team principal before handing over the reins to Herbert Schnitzer Junior. A few weeks later, Lamm passed away unexpectedly.
In 2020, under new leadership, Schnitzer returned to the podium at the 24 Hours of Nurburgring, taking third place with the BMW M6 GT3. A few months later came the bombshell: as BMW realigned its motorsport strategy, the partnership with Schnitzer would not be continued. Despite intensive efforts to find an investor, the team was dissolved - a move that caused outrage among fans worldwide.
Nevertheless, the legendary team lives on, not just in memory but also in the classic racing scene. Team Schnitzer Classic, owned by Stefan and his son Yannik Trautwein - who acquired large parts of the inventory after the team's closure - continues to run the historic racing cars, something that deeply moved Herbert Schnitzer.
"You loved telling stories and sharing gems"
"When you and Herbert Jr. visited our workshop for the first time and saw all the vehicles and trophies, tears flowed. On both sides," the Schwarzwald-based team from Germany wrote on Instagram.
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"You loved telling stories and sharing gems from your rich life - and how much we loved listening to you. Every anecdote, every memory of the wild years was a gift." Just last year, they spent a "wonderful evening" in Freilassing with Schnitzer’s regular group, a memory they say they will now carry in their hearts forever.
"The large picture of you, Josef, Charly, and Dieter hangs centrally in our workshop - and it will be there forever," writes the team, which intends to keep the engines roaring in Herbert Schnitzer’s honor.
