The cooling ducts, a major problem on the V12 LM, were moved to the top of the car instead of from the bottom where it had suffered from ambient track heat.

This took advantage of a loophole in the ACO's Le Mans prototype regulations, and reduced drag and obstruction for the air to the rear wing.

During the race the V12 LMRs ran strong, outlasting a large number of closed cockpit competitors which suffered woes, including Mercedes-Benz, Nissan, Toyota, and Audi.

In the closing hours of the race, the #17 BMW V12 LMR driven by JJ Lehto crashed heavily in the Porsche Curves section of the track due to a stuck throttle.

The driving team of Joachim Winkelhock, Pierluigi Martini, and Yannick Dalmas were successful in bringing the V12 LMR home for the victory, a single lap ahead of the GT-One.

The BMW V12 LMR is estimated to put out about 580 hp, which in the 1999 24 Hours of Le Mans allowed the German prototype to hit 342 km/h (214 mph) on the Mulsanne Straight.

It was therefore decided by BMW that the company would concentrate on the worldwide exposure of Formula One for the future and that they would not return to Le Mans to attempt to follow up on their victory.

However, in order to not see the V12 LMRs go to waste, it was decided that BMW would run the full American Le Mans Series season before the cars were retired.

Starting the season at Sebring, the BMWs suddenly found themselves facing new competition, with Audi debuting their second-generation R8 Le Mans prototype.

Returning to America, with Audi having taken victory at Le Mans, the V12 LMR was now forced to finish the rest of the season fighting the dominant R8.