ADAC GT Masters: podium success for the BMW Team Schnitzer.
After victory at the season-opener in Oschersleben (GER), the BMW
Team Schnitzer once again reached the podium at the third race weekend
in the ADAC GT Masters. Local favourite Philipp Eng (AUT) and BMW
Motorsport Junior Ricky Collard (GBR) celebrated a third-place finish
in the first race at the Red Bull Ring (AUT). Collard had driven in
qualifying and also started the fifth race of the season with the BMW
M6 GT3 in Spielberg (AUT). The BMW Motorsport Junior showed his class
to improve by one position in the early phase of the race. He was one
of the first from the leading group to make a pit stop. Collard handed
the car over to his team-mate Eng in fourth place. The BMW Team
Schnitzer briefly fell back to eighth place after all the drivers had
completed their pit stops. However, Eng battled back and moved up
several positions with some impressive manoeuvres. The race was
interrupted eleven minutes before the end as a car had come to a halt
in the middle of the start-finish straight after an accident. Eng made
his decisive overtaking move just a few minutes after the restart and
claimed third place after another outstanding display of driving
skill. After an incident just before the end of the race, the Safety
Car made another appearance. The race was not restarted again,
confirming the second podium success of the current season for the BMW
Team Schnitzer. The duo Eng/Collard claimed fifth position in the
second race of the weekend to defend their second place in the overall
standings. For the first time this season, a second BMW M6 GT3
competed in the ADAC GT Masters. Jakub Knoll (CZE) and Michael Fischer
(AUT) finished in 17th position on Saturday. The Šenkýř Motorsport
Motorsport drivers finished 22nd in Sunday’s race.
International GT Open: first win of the season for the BMW M6 GT3.
The BMW Team Teo Martín celebrated the first win of the season in the
International GT Open at the weekend. The third event of the year took
place at the “Circuit Paul Ricard” (FRA). Victor Bouveng (SWE) and
Fran Rueda (ESP) started Sunday’s race in the BMW M6 GT3 from fourth
place and completed the win in the #65 car after an outstanding
display of driving and team tactics. The duo Bouveng/Rueda had already
celebrated the first podium finish for the BMW Team Teo Martin two
weeks ago at the race in Spa-Francorchamps (BEL), finishing in second
place. Bouveng and Rueda mounted a superb chase in Saturday’s first
race at Paul Ricard, crossing the line in fifth place after starting
from 14th. BMW works driver Augusto Farfus (BRA) was very unlucky on
his debut in the International GT Open with the DTM driver and his
team-mate Lourenço Beirão (POR) retiring early in both races. Farfus
had taken the lead right from the start in the first race and defended
his position until the pit stop and subsequent retirement.
BTCC: win for Turkington and a milestone for West Surrey Racing.
An historic triumph for the West Surrey Racing team in the British
Touring Car Championship (BTCC): Colin Turkington (GBR) claimed first
place in Sunday’s second race at Croft (GBR) to celebrate the 75th
BTCC win for the Sunbury-on-Thames (GBR) team. It was also the 50th
win for West Surrey Racing with BMW. Turkington had already reached
the podium by finishing second in the first race. He claimed sixth
place in the third race. His team-mate Rob Collard (GBR) can also look
back on an impressive sequence of results; his third place in the
second race at Croft means that Collard is the only driver in the BTCC
to have reached the podium at least once on each race weekend of the
2017 season. He finished the other races in fourth and eighth places
in the BMW 125i M Sport. Andrew Jordan (GBR), who celebrated his
first-ever BTCC win at Croft in 2010, finished the races in sixth,
fifth and seventh.
GT4 European Series: double win for Ekris Motorsport.
The Northern Cup in the GT4 European Series also took place in
Spielberg (AUT) this weekend, as part of the ADAC GT Masters. Ricardo
van der Ende (NED) and Max Koebolt (NED) from Ekris Motorsport were
unbeatable in both races at the Red Bull Ring (AUT). They topped the
podium twice after winning the races on Saturday and Sunday. The two
drivers now have 119 points and a commanding lead in the Silver Cup.
Ekris Motorsport has the same number of points in the team
championship after this weekend’s results.