Whether in the DTM, the FIA World Endurance Championship, the
IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship, the ABB FIA Formula E
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.
China GT Championship: Two podiums for Yelloly.
BMW works driver Nick Yelloly (GBR) and FIST-Team AAI claimed more
podium results in the China GT Championships. The fourth race weekend
of the season in Shanghai (CHN) saw the Brit and Lin Yu (CHN) finish
runner-up at the wheel of the #90 BMW M6 GT3 in both the Saturday and
the Sunday race. In doing so, Yelloly tightened his grip on top spot
in the Drivers’ Championship. BMW was also successful in the GT4
class: Wang Hao (CHN) came home third in the #999 Master Champ BMW M4
GT4 in Saturday’s race. He then crossed the finish line eighth on
Sunday. BMW DTM driver Joel Eriksson (SWE) was also in action at
“Shanghai International Circuit”. The Swede shared the cockpit of the
#91 BMW M6 GT3 with Betty Chen (TWN) and finished XY and XY. While
Yelloly is contesting the full season in the China GT Championship,
Eriksson is alternating with BMW works driver Jesse Krohn (FIN). The
former BMW Motorsport Junior will line up for FIST-Team AAI at the two
coming race weekends in Qinhuangdao (CHN, 8th to
11th August) and Tianjin (CHN, 6th to
8th September), before Eriksson returns to the cockpit for
the season finale (11th to 13th October) in Shanghai.
IMPC: Second place gives BimmerWorld Racing the championship lead.
James Clay and Devin Jones (both USA) had two reasons to celebrate
after the four-hour race in the IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge in
Watkins Glen (USA). The two BimmerWorld Racing drivers finished
runner-up in the #82 BMW M4 GT4. This means Clay and Jones travel to
the next race as overall leaders in the GS class. The next round takes
place in Mosport (CAN). In total, three BMW M4 GT4 lined up in Watkins
Glen. Bill Auberlen, Robby Foley and Vin Barletta (all USA) finished
sixth in the #96 BMW M4 GT4 run by Turner Motorsport. Greg Liefooghe
and Henry Schmitt (both USA) ended the race in 14th place
in the GS class in the #88 Stephen Cameron Racing BMW M4 GT4.
Pikes Peak: BimmerWorld Racing lines up with the BMW M4 GT4.
Just a few hours after success in the IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge
in Watkins Glen, BimmerWorld Racing is back in action at the next
highlight. The team lines up at the “Pikes Peak International Hill
Climb” with the #36 BMW M4 GT4 and James Clay at the wheel. In total,
five BMW cars are registered for the legendary hill climb. The race in
Colorado (USA) is one of the most iconic motorsport events in the USA.
The 20-kilometre route climbs roughly 1,400 metres in altitude. At the
time of the editorial deadline, the race had not yet been completed.
GT4 European Series: Three podiums for BMW drivers.
The BMW M4 GT4 made three appearances on the podium at the fourth
race weekend of this season’s GT4 European Series in Misano (ITA). In
Saturday’s race, the #111 BMW M4 GT4 run by the RN Vision STS team
crossed the finish line in second place. Gabriele Piana (ITA) and
Marius Zug (GER) had shared the driving duties. They were followed
over the line in third place by Simon Knap (NED) and Alec Udell (USA)
in the #25 MDM Motorsport BMW M4 GT4. Ricardo van der Ende (NED) and
Euan McKay (GBR) then finished runner-up for the Ekris Motorsport in
the Sunday race. The fifth race weekend of the GT4 European Series
takes place from 12th to 14th July in Zandvoort (NED).
BTCC: Two wins for Turkington at Oulton Park.
Colin Turkington and the #1 BMW 330i M Sport are proving to be
unstoppable in the British Touring Car Championship (BTCC): Having
travelled to Oulton Park (GBR) for round five of the season as the
championship leader, Turkington promptly won both of the first two
races. The reigning BTCC champion then came home ninth in the final
race on Sunday. Andrew Jordan (GBR) also had cause for celebration.
The Brit, at the wheel of the #77 BMW 330i M Sport run by the BMW
Pirtek Racing team, finished third in race one and second in race two.
He narrowly missed out on another podium in the third and final race,
finishing fifth. However, two BMW drivers did make it onto the podium
in the final race, in the form of Stephen Jelley (GBR) in second place
and Tom Oliphant (GBR) on the third step. Oliphant had earlier
finished sixth and fourth in the first two races. Jelley came home
eleventh in the BMW 125i M Sport in race one and was sixth in the
second race.
IMSA Series: BMW Team RLL starts from fourth and sixth in
Watkins Glen.
BMW Team RLL started round five of the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar
Championship in Watkins Glen (USA) from fourth and sixth place. John
Edwards secured fourth place in Saturday’s qualifying in the #24 BMW
M8 GTE, two places ahead of Connor De Phillippi (USA) in sixth.
Edwards shares the cockpit with Jesse Krohn at the iconic racetrack,
while De Phillippi will alternate with Tom Blomqvist (GBR) at the
wheel. The race in Watkins Glen had not been completed by the
editorial deadline.
Formula E: Alexander Sims tests BMW Group “Power
BEV”.
BMW i Andretti Motorsport driver Alexander Sims
(GBR) was at the first NEXTGen held in Munich (GER) this past week
from Tuesday to Thursday, where together with BMW engineers, he gave
international media representatives, influencers and dealers insights
into the latest developments in electrification and the technology of
the BMW iFE.18. He explained the technology transfer between racing
and series production, and reported on an extraordinary test drive in
a car just as extraordinary. Sims tested the BMW Group trial vehicle
“Power BEV”, a prototype built based on a current BMW 5 Series
production vehicle, which sounds out what is technically feasible in
the field of electric mobility. The vehicle is fitted with three
fifth-generation electric drive units and has a maximum system output
in excess of 530 kW/720 hp. This enables it to accelerate from 0 to
100 km/h (62 mph) in 2.8 seconds – just as quickly as the Formula E
car that Sims is driving this season. The development team’s aim for
the “Power BEV” was to build an experimental vehicle which impresses
not only with its longitudinal dynamics but also in terms of lateral
dynamics. Indeed, as drivers would expect from a BMW, it has been
designed not only to be fast in a straight line but also to put a
smile on the driver’s face thorough keenly taken corners. To this end,
the chassis and powertrain engineers worked together particularly
closely to maximise the car’s performance. Which they achieved as Sims
confirmed after his test drive: “It is by far the most powerful and
dynamic electric road vehicle that I have ever driven. Congratulations
to the BMW i engineers. They have created a real beast, which proves
in an impressive manner that sheer driving pleasure is also perfectly
possible with electric drive.”
Touring Car Classics: Three members of the Wittmann family in
action at the Norisring.
Pure Wittmann power in Nuremberg (GER): The fourth DTM race weekend
will host a special kind of family reunion at the Norisring. Alongside
BMW DTM driver Marco Wittmann (GER), his father Herbert and brother
Nico will also be racing. They will both contest the Touring Car
Classics (TWC) with a BMW M3 E30 DTM, in which Dieter Quester (AUT)
once celebrated successes for BMW. Together they form Wittmann
Motorsport. “I’m super excited for the race weekend. It’s fantastic
that three Wittmanns will be lining up at the Norisring,” said Marco
Wittmann, who won in front of his home crowd at the Norisring last
year for the first time in his DTM career. “My father and my brother
have both got their racing licence. The race at the Norisring will be
their first outing. Hopefully all three of us will have reason to
celebrated at the race weekend – me in the DTM, and them in the
Touring Car Classics.” The lights go green for the TWC race on Sunday
7th July at 15:35 CEST.
International GT Open: Visser stars in the Senkyr Motorsport
BMW M6 GT3.
BMW Motorsport Junior Beitske Visser (NED) will race for the Senkyr
Motorsport team in the next three rounds of the International GT Open.
She will share the cockpit of the BMW M6 GT3 with Richard Gonda (SVK).
Gonda drove the Senkyr Motorsport BMW M6 GT3 alongside BMW works
drivers Joel Eriksson (SWE) and Mikkel Jensen (DEN) in 2018. The first
outing for the Visser/Gonda partnership will be at the Red Bull Ring
(AUT) in two weeks. Before then, Visser will contest round four of the
W Series at the Norisring (GER). The BMW Motorsport Junior currently
lies second in the Drivers’ Championship.