iRacers have certainly been spoiled for choice with the wealth of new content arriving as part of the 2025 Season 1 Build. Perhaps the most striking of them is a brand-new free car added to all iRacing accounts. Straight out of Bavaria and ready to cause tin-topped mayhem, welcome to the all-new BMW M2 CS!
Introducing The BMW M2 CSR
With a very traditional inline-6 engine capable of producing up to 450 horsepower, the BMW M2 CSR is the next step on the journey of many drivers from production cars to GT racers. It’s probably little surprise that names such as Fabian Kreim, a class-winner in the WRC, or Maxime Oosten, a GT3 driver in ADAC GT Masters as well as the 24 Hours of Spa, are race winners and title challengers in the series.
The BMW M2 CSR is a car that is bespoke for a one-make series. Whilst it can be adjusted to fit in with Balance of Performance (BoP), it is designed to be raced hard against its rivals as well as a pack of its peers on the track. Expect plenty of beating and banging and sliding as you battle your way to the finish line!
The Basic Car Characteristics
One of the first things that you’ll notice when you get behind the wheel of the BMW M2 CSR is the raw power. With 365 horsepower on tap in the sim, you’re driving a car with more grunt than a lot of the other sportscars available on the service. With all of this power going to the rear wheels, and less additional downforce than the Toyota GR86 that’s also available on the platform, expect to be going sideways fast.
However, as it is a new car that is available to everyone on the iRacing service, it has also been designed with accessibility in mind. It features the BMW M Motorsport stability system that can provide you with stability control in case the car starts to get a little bit too loose for your liking. And, whilst you aren’t likely to use all 7 gears, it is nice to have a car that you can properly stretch the legs of in the tighter and twistier tracks that it’s used to, as well as the massive expanses of tracks such as Le Mans.
Steering and Cornering
The BMW M2 CSR handles as you would expect the step below a GT4 to handle. It’s rear-wheel-drive, meaning that you have to balance good turn-in with managing any potential oversteer through the corner, but as it is also largely production-derived and not as specialist as a GT4. You also have to bear in mind that trying to fling the car into the corner without smooth movements can also induce sudden understeer in the car.
Throughout the phases of a corner, the M2 CSR behaves as you would expect the BMW M4 GT4s and GT3 to behave. Having the heavy engine at the front of the car means that you need to slow down before turning in for the corner, making use of a strong front-end on the car to get to full power earlier in the corner and maximise the use of the kerbs to find the straightest and fastest line to the corner exit.
This is where the more production-derived nature of the CSR is even more helpful, as a higher general ride height with little in the way of tricks on the underbody allowing you to take more out of the kerbing without risking damage to your car.
Fixed Data Packs By Coach Dave Delta
Here at Coach Dave, we have dedicated professionals creating fixed data content for the brand new BMW M2 CSR so you can get on top of the fixed series faster. With telemetry data you can study to understand how to be fast each and every week of the new BMW M2 Cup Rookie Series.
Gain seconds in lap time with our incredible iRacing setups that include professionally developed setups and referance laps for every car available in the official weekly racing series that you can find on iRacing.
Aerodynamics and Bodywork
Just because the M2 CSR isn’t a born-and-bred GT racer with carbon fibre this and that, doesn’t mean this section isn’t important! In fact it’s quite the opposite, as understanding how the M2 CSR works when it comes to aerodynamics and bodywork can help you learn a great transferable skill that you can apply to almost any tin-top car!
The first thing to consider is how limited the BMW M2 CSR is in terms of downforce. The only adjustable element is the small rear wing, which offers a few different options depending on the track that you are on. The same isn’t true of the front aerodynamics however, as the splitter is taken from the road-going BMW M2 CS.
This means that you will learn the limits of aerodynamic grip rather quickly behind the wheel of the M2 CSR, as you will find a delicate window where the aerodynamics are at their most effective as well as the difference between low-speed understeer and high-speed understeer.
Power Delivery and Braking
The engine inside the BMW M2 CSR is the same engine that you’ll find powering the BMW M4 GT4s: The S55 inline-6 that uses BMW’s M TwinPower Turbo technology which maximises consistency in turbo performance throughout the rev range. In short, it’s a bit like a twin turbo with minimal lag and fuel consumption as well as having a less aggressive power and torque curve.
It means that you should have more horses available for longer when you stamp on the loud pedal, which can be a blessing as well as a curse. If your wheel is straightened up, it allows for a fast exit before the next piece of track. If it isn’t, you need to be prepared to manage the kick of on-power oversteer that’s heading your way.
Fortunately, if you need to get stopped quickly, the BMW M2 CSR comes with specialist brakes instead of road-going brakes. A 6-piston fixed caliper at the front and a 4-piston fixed caliper at the rear means that braking is typically done more by the front end of the car.
This can be very helpful when learning how to drive a GT-style car as it makes the car more forgiving at first, with drivers less likely to lose control from a sudden rear-end lock up as a front-end lockup is more predictable and more manageable. It also rewards a driving style where you brake earlier and before turning in for the corner, something that is typical of driving front-engined GT racers.
Final thoughts
The BMW M2 CSR provides the perfect entry point for new and experiences iRacers on the platform. Now with its own dedicated Rookie series for the brand new season and its inclusion in the 24 Hours of Nordschleife special event, it will offer different challenges for all that try to tame it.
Gain seconds in lap time with our incredible iRacing setups that include professionally developed setups and referance laps for every car available in the official weekly racing series that you can find on iRacing.
