BMW Motorsport News

Whether in the DTM, 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: West Surrey Racing and BMW win the Team and Manufacturer titles.

The grand finale at the tenth race weekend of the British Touring Car
Championship (BTCC) at Brands Hatch (GBR) was a day of triumph for BMW
and the West Surrey Racing team. The WSR team wrapped up the Teams’
Championship in the first of the weekend’s three races. Colin
Turkington (GBR) was the star man in race two, fighting back from
15th on the grid to win in his BMW 125i M Sport. In doing
so, he secured the title in the Manufacturers’ Championship for BMW
and kept the race for the Drivers’ title alive right down to the
30th and final race of the season. Turkington was unable to
make the most of his opportunity however. From tenth place on the
grid, he managed to fight his way into fifth place before having to
retire following a collision.

 

GT4 European Series Southern Cup: BMW Motorsport Juniors win
in the new BMW M4 GT4.

BMW Motorsport Juniors Beitske Visser (NED) and Dennis Marschall
(GER) were in action this weekend in the GT4 European Series Southern
Cup at the “Circuit de Catalunya” in Barcelona (ESP). The two shared
the driving duties in the new Schubert Motorsport BMW M4 GT4 for the
two races on Saturday and Sunday – and with great success. Marschall
and Visser won the opening race. Marschall, who had taken over from
Visser at around the halfway point of the race, crossed the finish
line 0.941 seconds ahead of the second-placed car. The duo then
finished 15th in a rain-dominated second race. “Even we did
not really expect to win our first real competitive race with the new
BMW M4 GT4,” said Marschall. “However, the advantage of this car is
that you can very quickly get up to speed and start clocking good lap
times, even with little experience. Beitske and I both managed to do
that in the two qualifying sessions and in the opening race. In the
rain on Sunday, we simply did not have enough experience compared to
the opposition. That by no means takes the shine off what has been a
successful weekend. We are very happy.” As of next season, customer
teams will be able to contest races around the world with the BMW M4
GT4. Max Koebolt and Ricardo van der Ende (both NED) also claimed a
podium in Barcelona, finishing third in the Ekris M4 GT4 in Saturday’s race.

 

International GT Open: One-two for BMW Team Teo Martín.

BMW DTM driver Augusto Farfus (BRA) enjoyed a successful guest
appearance in the International GT Open. At the wheel of the number 51
BMW M6 GT3, he first secured pole position for BMW Team Teo Martín on
Sunday at Monza (ITA), before winning the race alongside Lourenço
Beirão da Veiga (POR). Victor Bouveng (SWE) and Fran Rueda (ESP)
followed them over the finish line in the team’s second car to make it
a one-two for BMW Team Teo Martín. In Saturday’s race, the duo in the
number 65 car had come home fourth to narrowly miss out on a podium
spot. Farfus and Beirão da Veiga failed to finish the opening race.
Both the team, and drivers Bouveng and Rueda, go into the Barcelona
(ESP) season finale in second place in the overall standings, and
still have a good chance of winning titles.

 

Blancpain GT Series Endurance Cup: Season finale in Barcelona.

This season’s Blancpain GT Series drew to a close for BMW teams ROWE
Racing and Walkenhorst Motorsport with the Endurance Cup race in
Barcelona (ESP). ROWE Racing competed with two BMW M6 GT3s in both the
Sprint and the Endurance Cup. Walkenhorst Motorsport ran one BMW M6
GT3 in the Endurance Cup. Among the drivers in action for Walkenhorst
were BMW Motorsport Juniors Nico Menzel (GER) and Mikkel Jensen (DEN),
who gained their first experience of this high-class GT series. The
team also fielded a second car in the amateur class. The ROWE Racing
trio of Philipp Eng (AUT), Alexander Sims (GBR) and Maxime Martin
(BEL) ended the final race of the season as the best-placed BMW M6 GT3
in 12th place.

 

DTM: Japanese manufacturers set for outing at Hockenheim
season finale at.

BMW, Audi and Mercedes will receive a visit from Japanese
manufacturers Lexus and Nissan at the final round of the DTM season at
Hockenheim (GER) from 13th to 15th October. The
Japanese Super GT Championship is sending one car from each
manufacturer to the Hockenheimring, where they will appear alongside
Honda in the GT500 class. In return, plans are afoot for the German
manufacturers each to send one of their cars to the Super GT finale at
Motegi, Japan, in November.