years of sedan racing established him as one of the foremost drivers and builders.  

He is one of the series top all-time race winners with seven victories.  In 1986 

he won every other race of the year.  The Korman BMW 325e won both the Driver and 

Manufacturers Championships, and won first overall in the Watkins Glen 24 Hour Race.  

The Director of BMW Motorsport GmbH, Munich, Wolfgang Peter Flohr, wired a message 

of congratulations saying "The headline,'Korman's BMW Wins 24 Hour Race is for BMW 

Motorsports GmbH a highlight which we tried to achieve in the United States for 

years and which goes without saying to your account only."  

In 1987, under contract with BMW North America, Korman raced a pair of BMW M3 Sport 

Sedans, chassis numbers 001 and 002.  In their first season the "M-Team" scored a 

historic victory in the IMSA Watkins Glen 500 Mile Race, the first time in the four 

year history of the Series that a team finished one-two, also setting a new 

qualifying lap record and fastest race lap record.  

Korman Autoworks prepared BMW's have scored 26 top three finishes in the IMSA 

Firehawk Endurance Series, including two 24 hour race victories.

Korman's success on the race track has grown along with the success and expansion of 

Korman Autoworks, Inc.  Specializing in BMW cars, the firm has three divisions, Mail 

Order Parts, Service and Competition, all housed in an impressive facility.  The 

Competition Division has built many successful race cars for customers around the 

world (see RACERS ONLY!), as well as engines, suspension systems, etc.  Many BMW 

race cars seen with other team/shop names on them were actually prepared by Korman 

Autoworks.  Korman prepared race cars have also won overseas national championships 

in Puerto Rico, Bolivia, Argentina, Australia, Columbia, and New Zealand.  Following training at 

Heidegger AG in Liechtenstein,the competition department also builds BMW F2 and M1 

engines. Competition research is supported by Korman's in-house engine dyno facility 

and flow bench test equipment.

The Mail Order Division ships high performance BMW parts and Accessories throughout the 

world from their large, fully computerized

warehouse.   

The Service Department is a Bosch Authorized Service Center, providing access to 

Bosch factory training, test equipment, service information, and Bosch National 

Warranty Services.  Customers drive or have their cars shipped in from all over 

the U.S. for maintenance, repairs, performance upgrades, mechanical restorations

and complete restorations. (see CONTACT INFO for a list of car transport companies) 

Ray Korman's long association with the BMW marque has made him popular within the 

BMW Car Club of America.  He instructs often in both local and national BMW driving 

schools, is a frequent speaker at BMW Club Dinners throughout the U.S., and was 

named "Mister BMW" in the BMW CCA national monthly Roundel magazine that featured a 

color front page photo and a six page article. Ray Korman and Korman Autoworks have 

also received national publicity in Sports Car Illustrated, Import Car Magazine, the 

New York Times, as well as in various automobile racing publications, BMW Club 

Magazines, and various track race programs. BMW NA produced full color posters of 

the Korman 325 and M3 wins which were distributed to BMW Dealers throughout North 

America.

In 1991 Korman's competition efforts focused on preparation of an E30 M3 for racing in 

South America,, sponsored by Esso and Autogermana S.A.  Racing against entries 

prepared in the U.S., South America and Europe, the Korman prepared M3 won four out 

of five regular season races and astonished all with an overwhelming victory in the 

6 Horas de Bogota, El Mans Suramericano.  In 1992 the Korman prepared Autogermana M3 

again won the Six Hour race making history as the only car to win this event twice, 

much less in two years consecutively. This series demonstrated that Korman was not 

only the dominant BMW Tuner in North and South America, but that they could win 

against European factory prepared entries as well.

The primary competition R&D program for Korman Autoworks in 1993 was to develop the 

BMW 325iS for the SCCA IT series.  The new model was an immediate front runner, 

overturning the previous dominance of the Nissan Z cars.  The BMW won all but one 

race of the season,breaking lap records everywhere, and ran away with the Mid 

Atlantic SCCA ITS Championship!

In 1994-1996 Korman focused on research and development of the new BMW E36 series 

cars, the M3, 325, 328, and 318Ti.  They built cars and motors for several teams.  

Customers broke lap records and gained podium positions with Korman products.  In 

the hotly contested IMSA Endurance Series, it was a Korman engine and suspension in 

the Team Purple M3 that broke the lap record and won the pole in the July 1996 

Sears Point race.  In the Ford and Pontiac V8 dominated Grand Sports class, this was 

the first pole position for an E36 M3. 

In December 1996, Ray was appointed to the Professional SportsCar Racing Endurance 

Championship Entrant Advisory Board (formerly IMSA). This appointment was made based 

on his years of successful experience in this race series. 

In 1997, Korman's Racing efforts focused on the IMSA Sports Class Endurance 

Championship with the Korman built TWC Motorsports 2 car BMW 328iS team.  

After breaking lap records at Watkins Glen and putting the car in the lead, 

the team withdrew as the series dissolved in the sale and reorganization of 

SportsCar.