Whether in the DTM, the FIA World Endurance Championship, the
IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship, or countless other
championships: Week after week BMW teams and drivers around the
world do battle for points, victories and titles. Away from the
track too, members of the large BMW Motorsport family around the
world are also creating headlines. The “BMW Motorsport News” allows
us to regularly summarise all the action for you in a compact and
informative manner. This way, you are always up to speed.
BTCC: Colin Turkington, BMW and WSR win the Driver,
Manufacturer and Team titles.
Colin Turkington (GBR) is the new British Touring Car Champion. The
36-year-old wrapped up the British Touring Car Championship (BTCC)
title in the penultimate race of the season on Sunday at Brands Hatch
(GBR). He became the seventh driver in the history of the BTCC to win
the championship three times. West Surrey Racing team had even more
cause for celebration at the season finale by winning the Teams’
title, while BMW was victorious in the Manufacturers’ Championship. As
such, all three titles available in the 2018 BTCC went to the BMW 125i
M Sport.
Andrew Jordan (GBR) also impressed in the Brands Hatch finale.
After finishing eighth in race one, he came home in third place in the
second race of the day having climbed five positions to earn his spot
on the podium. Jordan then finished ninth in the final race of the
season.BMW Motorsport Junior Ricky Collard (GBR) was again standing in
for his father Rob Collard (GBR). He finished 16th,
22ndand 13thin the last three races of the 2018 season.
Blancpain GT Series Endurance Cup: Two BMW M6 GT3s in the top-ten.
Philipp Eng (AUT) and Tom Blomqvist (GBR) were hopeful of winning the
Drivers’ title ahead of the final round of the Blancpain GT Series
Endurance Cup in Barcelona (ESP). Eng shared the cockpit of the ROWE
Racing team #99 BMW M6 GT3 with Alexander Sims (GBR) and Jesse Krohn
(FIN). Blomqvist (GBR) raced with Nick Catsburg (NED) and Jens
Klingmann (GER) in the #98 BMW M6 GT3. While Eng and his fellow
drivers crossed the “Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya” (ESP) finish line
in eighth place after three hours of racing, Blomqvist had to settle
for ninth place at the 4.655-kilometre circuit. Eng eventually ended
the season in fourth place in the Drivers’ Championship with 47
points. Blomqvist followed in fifth place with 45 points to his name.
In the Am-Cup category of the Barcelona race, Henry Walkenhorst, Ralf
Oeverhaus and Immanuel Vinke (all GER) finished fourth in the #36
Walkenhorst Motorsport BMW M6 GT3.
GT4 France: Top-ten result for Beitske Visser.
BMW Motorsport Junior Beitske Visser (NED) was in action in Barcelona
(ESP) this weekend. She contested both races in the French GT4
Championship for the 3Y Technology team. On Sunday, she and team-mate
Akhil Rabindra (IND) were the best-placed BMW drivers in eighth place
– followed by Laurent Hurgon and Julien Piguet (both FRA) in a BMW M4
GT4 run by BMW Team France. An incident meant that Visser and Rabindra
had to settle for 20th place in Saturday’s opening race.
Hurgon and Piguet finished eighth, making them the only BMW drivers in
the top ten. In total, six BMW M4 GT4s competed in both races.
Blancpain GT Sports Club: Finale to season in Barcelona.
Karim Ojjeh (KSA) suffered misfortune in the Blancpain GT Sports Club
when after 18 laps of the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya (ESP), the
main race came to a premature end for the Saudi driver. The weekend
had started promisingly for the Boutsen Ginion Racing driver with the
#2 BMW M6 GT3 finishing second in both qualifying and the qualifying
race on Saturday. While the retirement in the final race of the season
was disappointing, Ojjeh had already wrapped up the title in the
Blancpain GT Sports Club at the start of September, courtesy of
victory at the Hungaroring (HUN). Jean-Paul Buffin (FRA), in the 3Y
Technology BMW M6 GT3, finished 15th in the main race.