Categories: Cars

BMW i4 Racing “Elsa” Grabs First Podium Finish

Seemingly out of nowhere, we first heard about a track-ready BMW i4 Racing in late August. The M division’s best-selling car in the last two years put on a racing suit in Romania. During its inaugural, albeit short season, the purpose-built machine took part in five races in three local championships. It’s safe to say Engage Racing, the team behind this wicked project, has been keeping busy.

In all races, the one-off i4 Racing was driven by Horia Platona. He also happens to be the chief engineer of the project. His best performance was recorded on October 19 during the Mangalia Super Rally. Nicknamed “Elsa,” the electric race car crossed the finish line in third place in the “2B” class. That category is dedicated to vehicles equipped with four-wheel drive.

Truth be told, there were only five cars at the start of the race, including gas models such as the Skoda Fabia Rally 2 and Mitsubishi Lancer Evo IX. In the Open class, the car finished in 11^th place out of a total of 22 vehicles, with a best time of 2:42.397.

Before its competitional season ended, the i4 Racing participated in the Romanian Time Attack Championship. The event took place at the Transilvania Motor Ring in Târgu Mureş. Horia Platona finished sixth from a total of nearly 30 drivers. More importantly, it was the first time a dedicated electric race car entered a race organized on an actual track in Romania.

The i4 Racing was developed over several months by the same team behind the world’s first electric MINI race car. Despite gaining an aero body kit, Drexler limited-slip differentials at both axles, and a full roll cage, it’s a whopping 450 pounds (204 kilograms) lighter than the stock i4 M50. The weight loss was achieved by deleting the sound-deadening material and stripping down the interior. In addition, Plexiglas was used to replace the glass windows.

Source: BMW Romania