GT4 European Series: Strong BMW line-up at season-opener in Zolder.
The GT4 European Series season started at the weekend with a total of
ten BMW M4 GT4s at Circuit Zolder (BEL) and with BMW Motorsport
Juniors Beitske Visser (NED) and Nico Menzel (GER) in action. The duo
will be spending the whole season in the RN Vision STS team #110 BMW
M4 GT4 and scored points in both races at the season-opener. The car
crossed the line in seventh place on Saturday and again on Sunday. On
Sunday, Visser and Menzel put in a great chasing performance after
starting from 17th position. The best-placed BMW M4 GT4 in
both races was the MDM Motorsport team #1 car. Simon Knap and 2017 BMW
Sports Trophy winner, Max Koebolt (both NED), secured fifth place on
Saturday and finished sixth on Sunday.
3 questions for … Beitske Visser and Nico Menzel.
What conclusions did you draw from the first race weekend in
the GT4 European Series?
Beitske Visser: “I am quite happy with the season-opener. Recording
two seventh-place finishes in a field of 40, on a circuit that perhaps
is not ideally suited to the BMW M4 GT4 is a good result. And if all
the framework and conditions being perfect, we might have even
achieved more.”
Nico Menzel: “It was fair to middling, in my opinion. With such a
strong field, qualifying is crucial. It did not go so well for us on
Saturday and we had to make do with starting from eighth and
17th. It’s really difficult to make it to the front from
there, although our race speed was great, especially on Sunday.”
What is it like to be working together, and with the new RN
Vision STS team?
Visser: “We are working together really well. I get on great with
Nico. I think that once we have got to know one another even better
over the next few race weekends, and the circuits are more suited to
the BMW M4 GT4, we will soon be in the running for podium finishes.”
Menzel: “We all make a really good team. It is very nice to be
working with the RN Vision STS people; everything is concentrated yet
relaxed. Racing with Beitske is also an example of good teamwork, such
as during my stint on Sunday – I was only able to move so far up
because she had taken good care of the tyres and handed me a car in
perfect working order. We work very well together.”
Your season in the BMW Motorsport Junior programme started
with the fitness camp at Formula Medicine. How did you find that?
Visser: “Physically, it was tough, but that is what a fitness camp is
supposed to be. I find the mental aspect at Formula Medicine
particularly impressive. I don’t think you can get such good mental
training anywhere else in motorsport.”
Menzel: “Of course you have to be in great physical shape to be able
to complete a fitness camp like that, but I think we all are. At
Formula Medicine, I always learn a lot about myself. How do I react to
stress situations, or to errors that I have made? Learning how to deal
with situations like that gives the camps at Formula Medicine real
added value.”
—
Blancpain GT Series: opening weekend for the Sprint Cup at Zolder.
The Blancpain GT Series Sprint Cup also held its first race weekend
at Zolder. The 3Y Technology team is competing in the Silver Cup class
with a BMW M6 GT3. In Saturday’s race, the driver duo of Andrew Watson
(GBR) and Lukas Moraes (BRA) finished fourth, just missing out on the
podium in their category. They finished fifth in their class on Sunday.
Japanese Super GT Championship:
Season-opener for the BMW M6 GT3 at Okayama
.
The Japanese Super GT Championship season kicked off at Okayama
(JPN), the first of eight races. In action once again this year are
the Autobacs Racing Team Aguri (ARTA), which finished last season in
second place overall in the GT300 class. In 2018, Shinichi Takagi
(JPN) and Sean Walkinshaw (GBR) will again be sharing the cockpit of
the #55 ARTA BMW M6 GT3. The duo claimed sixth place at the season-opener.
BTCC
:
Podium finishes for WSR to start the new season
.
Fans of the British Touring Car Championship (BTCC) were treated to a
turbulent start to the 2018 season in Brands Hatch (GBR). The BMW
drivers from the West Surrey Racing (WSR) team, which celebrated the
Team and Constructors’ titles in the previous season, were among the
main protagonists on the short Indy circuit. In the first of three
races on Sunday, Colin Turkington (GBR) was involved in a battle for
the lead in his BMW 125i M Sport, right to the finish line. He missed
out on the win by just 0.547 seconds, claiming second place. His
team-mate Andrew Jordan (GBR) joined him on the podium by finishing
third. Rob Collard (GBR) crossed the line in 15th
position. Stephen Jelley (GBR) of Team Parker Racing, also competing
in a BMW 125i M Sport, finished in 22nd place. Changeable
weather conditions turned the field on its head in the second race. It
had rained before the start and Jordan was involved in a three-way
battle for the lead, having moved ahead during the first half of the
race. Conditions then changed dramatically as the circuit dried out
and the leading pack fell back, with no chance of improvement on
wet-weather tyres. Jordan crossed the line in 21st place.
Collard finished in 26th position, Turkington in
27th and Jelley was forced to retire from the race. These
results defined the grid positions for the third and final race.
Turkington began the chase and worked his way up to ninth place at the
chequered flag. Jordan was 17th, Jelley finished
23rd. Collard retired.
ADAC GT Masters:
Klingmann adds support to Team MRS
.
BMW works driver Jens Klingmann (GER) will be supporting the BMW
customer racing Team MRS at the ADAC GT Masters season-opener this
coming weekend (14th and 15th April) at
Oschersleben (GER). Klingmann will be sharing the cockpit of the BMW
M6 GT3 with regular driver Christopher Zöchling (AUT). MRS is
competing with the BMW M6 GT3 for the first time in the ADAC GT
Masters. A total of three BMW M6 GT3 are competing in the 2018 ADAC GT
Masters. The other two cars are racing for BMW Team Schnitzer, with
the driver duos of Timo Scheider (GER)/Mikkel Jensen (DEN) and Dennis
Marschall (GER)/Victor Bouveng (SWE).
Readers’ choice: BMW favourite manufacturer in the touring car category.
The readers of “MOTORSPORT aktuell” magazine were recently asked to
choose their “Racer of the Year 2017” – and they selected BMW as the
best in several categories. They were asked to choose, amongst other
categories, their favourite manufacturer brand in automobile
racing. 24.6 % of participants voted for BMW in the “Touring Car”
category, putting the brand in first place. The readers also chose
their favourite model within a car category, selecting the preferred
competition for the chosen model at the same time. This then indicates
which competitions most favourably affect the positive perception of
the production model. The BMW 1 series and BMW 2 series models won in
the “Compact Class”, with 18.9 % of votes cast. Popular reasons for
this choice were competing in one-make cups and the appearances in
touring car racing. In the “(Upper) Mid-Size” class, 33.0% of the
votes ensured that first place went to the BMW 3 series and BMW 4
series models. These models enjoy particular popularity with readers
thanks to their appearances in touring car racing. The complete
results of the “Racer of the Year 2017” vote were published in the
current edition of “MOTORSPORT aktuell”.