Wesbank Modified BMW 535i
The Wesbank Modified Saloon series was launched in 1986 and was based on the FIA Group 5 regulations. The series took over from Group 1 as South Africa's premier saloon car championship, and ran until the end of 1994, when it was superseded by the South African Touring Car (SATCAR) championship.
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From the start, the Wesbank Modified Series had factory backing by all the local car manufacturers and saw some of the most incredible cars hit the South African race tracks to take on the competition. The series was frequently televised and the spectator turnout at the tracks was unprecedented for a national race series, only Grand Prix and international endurance events drew bigger crowds.
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BMW was represented in the series by Tony Viana Racing, who built, developed and raced various BMWs with backing from BMW South Africa. The Winfield sponsored cars would be be seen in various iterations: 1986 saw Tony Viana behind the wheel of the South-African-only E23 745i, the E28 M5 appeared in 1987 and 1988, followed by the low E30 M35 in 1989. There was no BMW entrant for most of 1990 with new cars being built, and BMW rather focusing on the Group N Series.
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1986 Wesbank Modified E23 745i
1987 Wesbank Modified E28 M5
1989 Wesbank Modified E30 M35
In 1990, BMW Motorsport South Africa decided that there should be some sort of representation in the Wesbank Modified Saloon Championship, but Class A had become stratospherically expensive. Local manufacturers were throwing big money at Class A, which featured, among others, the big budget Audi 200 TransAms (known locally as the Audi 500 Turbo) freshly imported from the USA by Volkswagen SA, and the Ford Sapphire Cosworth from Ford SA.
Class B looked like a better option where regulations banned turbo charging and fuel injection, making the class more affordable. BMW management made the decision to enter two BMW 535is, based on the new E34 shape that had been launched the previous year. The designated drivers were BMW stalwart, Tony Viana, and rising star Deon Joubert. At the same time, BMW SA Motorsport had transitioned from a relatively informal race team to a more professional motorsport division with new headquarters in Midrand. In line with this new professional approach, management took the decision to have the cars built by Owen Ashley Racing in Cape Town., and not by Tony Viana Racing in Odendaalsrus.
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Viana's 535i, numbered B16, was the first car to hit the track at Killarney late in 1990, sporting the traditional Winfield colours. Joubert’s car, numbered B17, joined Viana at the next race at Kyalami in BMW Motorsport colours, which was the last race of the 1990 season. Both cars clearly needed development, but Viana couldn't come to terms with the Owen Ashley designed suspension and converted his front suspension back to conventional struts at the end of the season. Both cars were absent from the first race in 1991, but Joubert made it to the second round, and was then joined by Viana at round 3 at Killarney. Both cars were now in BMW Motorsport colours. The new BMWs were up against the regular Class B entrants:
B13 Paddy Driver (IGI Mazda RX7), B15 Larry Wilford (Sabat Nissan Skyline), B16 Tony Viana (BMW Motorsport 535i), B17 Deon Joubert (BMW Motorsport 535i), B18 Gary Dunkerley (Sabat Porsche 911 Carrera) and B19 Johann Coetzee (Gearmax Nissan Skyline)
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Both cars proved to be competitive during the season, but because of the late start to the season, the Class B championship that year would go to Johan Coetzee in the Gearmax Nissan Skyline.
The 1992 season was very successful and saw the two BMW drivers making their way up the leader board during the course of the year. Towards the end of the season, Viana would be lying 1st and Joubert 2nd overall. Viana was then absent from the last three races due to his battle with cancer, and Deon Joubert would take the Class B and overall Championships for that year.
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For 1993, BMW focused on the new Satcar series, and both 535is were retired from the Wesbank Modified Series. An arrangement was made between BMW Motorsport SA and Cohen Cars in Windhoek, where the B16 car of Tony Viana would be raced in Namibia by local ace Llewellyn Anthony. The car had a short outing: it arrived in the middle of 1993, but was returned to BMW by March the following year.
From 1995, the cars found their way to Zimbabwe, where they would remain for almost twenty years. They were raced by Gary Kirk (B17 Joubert car) and Richard Robinson (B16 Viana car), but proved to be uncompetitive against some of the old Wesbank Class A V8 race cars that had also made their way to Zimbabwe. Both cars were then turbo-charged, but were unreliable and eventually retired, although still raced on the odd occasion.
In 2014, the Joubert car was brought back to South Africa, and then sold onto Nick Sheward after a suitable deal was reached. Nick then traced the Viana car in Zimbabwe and ended up owning both cars. Nick, a very competent restorer, spent the following seven years restoring both cars simultaneously back to their original specification, and their present condition is testament to his restoration skills.
These two cars play another significant role in the rich history of BMW’s participation in South African motor racing and remain the only factory entered E34 535i modified racing cars in the world.
If you have any further information about these cars, additional photographs, programmes of races not featured, anecdotes or feel you need to set the record straight, I would love to hear from you. Please send me a mail via the contact page.
Grant Viljoen, Pretoria, South Africa
Disclaimer: This is an independent website and has no affiliation whatsoever to BMW A.G or any of its subsidiaries.