China GT Championship: Nick Yelloly crowned champion.
Nick Yelloly and FIST-Team AAI capitalised on their first match point
in the finale of the China GT Championship in Shanghai (CHN). BMW
works driver Yelloly and his team-mate Lin Yu (CHN) won the first of
the two final races on Saturday with their #90 BMW M6 GT3. This fifth
win of the season clinched the titles. Yelloly was crowned driver’s
champion, and FIST-Team AAI topped the team standings. “We’re
delighted with the championship win,” said Yelloly after winning the
title. “I would like to thank my driver colleagues Lin Yu and Junsan
Chen, who did a great job and without whom I wouldn’t have won the
title, and naturally, the entire FIST-Team AAI, who did a fantastic
job with the BMW M6 GT3 throughout the whole year.” An accident forced
Yelloly/Yu to retire from the second race on Sunday just minutes
before the end. A BMW works driver was also in action in Shanghai at
the final weekend, in the #91 BMW M6 GT3 of FIST-Team AAI: DTM driver
Joel Eriksson (SWE). Alongside Betty Chen (TWN), Eriksson finished the
two races in seventh and fifth place. The team’s #92 BMW M6 GT3 of
Ivan Lee and Kevin Chen (both TWN) finished in fifth and sixth place
in the two races.
In the GT4 category, the Master Champ team had reason to celebrate
when Wang Hao (CHN) clinched the title in the AM/AM class with the
#999 BMW M4 GT4 by finishing in ninth place in the race on Saturday.
VLN: Final spurt of the season in the ‘Green Hell’.
The eighth and penultimate race of the VLN Endurance Championship
Nürburgring (GER) season was held at the 51st ADAC
Barbarossapreis on Saturday. The best-placed BMW car in the final
standings was the Walkenhorst Motorsport #35 BMW M6 GT3 in seventh
place. The driver trio of Rudi Adams (GER), Jörn Schmidt-Staade (GER)
and Jordan Tresson (FRA) also celebrated victory in the SP9 Pro-Am
class. Ninth place in the overall standings went to the #3 BMW M6 GT3
of Falken Motorsport, with Peter Dumbreck (GBR), Alexandre Imperatori
(SUI) and BMW DTM driver Sheldon van der Linde (RSA) at the wheel. BMW
teams secured a total of six class wins. Michael Schrey and Marc Ehret
(both GER) won the SP10 class in the #193 BMW M4 GT4 of Hofor Racing
by Bonk Motorsport. Their team-mates Michael Fischer and Thomas Jäger
(both AUT) also made it onto the podium with third place in the class.
In the CUP5 class, Yannick Fübrich (GER) and David Griessner (AUT) won
in the Team Pixum Adrenalin Motorsport #650 BMW M240i Racing. The team
also topped the V4 class, in which the reigning VLN champions Danny
Brink, Christopher Rink and Philipp Leisen (all GER) were victorious
in the #1 BMW 325i. There were further wins in the SP4 class for the
#252 BMW 318iS, in the SP8T class for the #772 BMW M4 GT4 and in the
V2 class for the #549 BMW 318iS.
BMW M240i Racing Cup: Fübrich/Griessner win team title for
Pixum Team Adrenalin Motorsport.
Reigning champions Yannick Fübrich (GER) and David Griessner (AUT)
celebrated their sixth win of the season at the eighth race of the BMW
M240i Racing Cup season at the Nürburgring-Nordschleife (GER). This
victory in the #650 BMW M240i Racing saw the duo clinch the title in
the team standings for Pixum Team Adrenalin Motorsport.
Fübrich/Griessner extended their lead in the driver’s standings.
Second place in the penultimate race of the season went to Nico Otto,
Lars Peucker and Florian Naumann (all GER) in the #666 BMW M240i
Racing of Team Scheid-Honert Motorsport. Juha Hannonen (FIN) and
Christian Konnerth (GER) in the #679 BMW M240i Racing of Team FK
Performance Motorsport finished third to make it onto the podium. A
total of 14 cars contested the class.
BTCC: Turkington crowned champion again.
In a dramatic British Touring Car Championship (BTCC) season finale
at Brands Hatch (GBR), defending champion Colin Turkington (GBR) was
crowned champion once again. Things didn’t appear to be going too well
for the West Surrey Racing driver at one stage however, but with a
sensational recovery race in the final of Sunday’s three
races, Turkington secured his second championship title in a row.
Turkington qualified in pole position with his BMW 330i M Sport on
Saturday. In race one on Sunday, he crossed the finish line in fifth
place, which saw him maintain a narrow lead in the championship. Race
two was a dramatic one however, in which Turkington was sent into a
spin by a rival, kept himself in the race and crossed the finish line
in 25th place, seeing him drop down into second place in
the championship standings. That meant that it was all or nothing in
the third race. Turkington started from 25th on the grid –
and rapidly worked his way up the field. He finished the race in sixth
place, which was enough to win the title. “I feel great, I feel so
amazing. Those who work the hardest win,” said Turkington at
the finish line. “This is the one I had to work the hardest for. After
race two I thought I was down and out. Big thanks to my team – my car
was fantastic! And I was good as well.” Andrew Jordan (GBR) rounded
off the success, securing second place in the driver’s championship in
the final race. Jordan finished the races at Brands Hatch in his BMW
330i M Sport in eighth, second and fourth place. The BTCC
manufacturer’s title was won by BMW for the fourth time in a row.
GT4 France: BMW Team France win at season finale.
BMW teams enjoyed a successful weekend at the GT4 France season
finale at the ‘Circuit Paul Ricard’ in Le Castellet (FRA), with one
win and another podium. In the first of the two races, Ricardo van der
Ende (NED) and Christopher Campbell (FRA) in the #17 BMW M4 GT4 of
Team L’Espace Bienvenue finished in second place on the podium.
Laurent Hurgon and Julien Piquet (both FRA), who started from pole
position in the BMW Team France #3 BMW M4 GT4 finished in seventh
place. Then in race two on Sunday, the Hurgon/Piquet duo were
unbeatable with the two BMW Team France drivers celebrating a dominant
win. Van der Ende/Campbell retired from that second race.