The BMW M2 just set a Nurburgring record, thanks to a new track kit
The baby M car punches well above its weight around the Ring
The BMW M2 might be the baby of the M car range, but it just pulled off something seriously impressive. Wearing BMW's new M Performance Track Kit, it has lapped the fearsome Nurburgring Nordschleife in 7:25.068, quick enough to beat even the more powerful M2 CS. For a compact coupe, that is a properly rapid time.
A record set the hard way
What makes the 7:25.068 lap so impressive is how it was achieved. The time, officially verified by TUV Rheinland, was set on 22 May 2026 by BMW M test engineer Jorg Weidinger, and not in perfect conditions. He had to contend with high ambient and asphalt temperatures and even oil traces in the tricky T13 section, both of which cost grip. To go half a second quicker than the hardcore M2 CS despite that suggests there is more still to come on a cool, clean day.
What the Track Kit adds
The star of the show is the M Performance Track Kit itself. It brings an adjustable front splitter, aero flicks and a manually adjustable swan-neck rear wing with a Race Mode, all developed in BMW's own wind tunnel, plus a bespoke coilover suspension. Crucially, that damper set-up is described as BMW's first motorsport damper system to gain road approval, so this is genuine race-derived hardware you can still legally drive on the street. BMW says it sharpens turn-in, boosts stability and gives more confidence through fast corners. The M2's turbocharged straight-six was already one of our favourite performance engines, and this makes the package even more potent.
Aimed at the trackday crowd
This is all about serving hardcore drivers. As Jonas Krauss, Head of Product Management for BMW M Performance Parts, put it, the aim is to offer the trackday community uncompromising performance perfectly tailored to the M2. It caps a strong run of form for BMW lately, which also topped the J.D. Power 2026 quality awards and just fully revealed the new X5 and electric iX5.
AutoNext Take
We have a real soft spot for the M2, and this only deepens it. A sub-7:26 Nordschleife lap from the smallest M car, set in hot, greasy, imperfect conditions, is a brilliant demonstration of just how much ability is baked into it. What we like most is that the Track Kit is not a stripped-out, road-illegal special: it is genuine motorsport hardware you can still register and drive home. In an era chasing ever bigger numbers, a compact, six-cylinder coupe embarrassing the clock around the world's toughest circuit is deeply satisfying. Nurburgring records can feel like marketing, but this one is properly earned.
