BMW Motorsport News – Issue 21/16.

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.

DTM: Wittmann second in the Drivers’ Championship after the Lausitzring.

BMW Team RMG driver Marco Wittmann (DE) climbed into second place in
the overall standings with 55 points on the third race weekend of the
2016 DTM season at the Lausitzring. After six races, he trails leader
Robert Wickens (CA) by just three points. Wittmann was the best-placed
BMW driver in both races, finishing fourth on Saturday and sixth on
Sunday. Maxime Martin (BE), Bruno Spengler (CA) and Timo Glock (DE)
also picked up points. BMW was able to defend its lead in the
Manufacturers’ Championship, as was BMW Team RMG in the Team
competition. As well as the DTM, a further four championships thrilled
fans at the Motorsport Festival at the Lausitzring. In total, 170
drivers and riders were in action in over 100 racing cars and on 25
motorcycles. The programme, which featured the ADAC GT Masters and
SUPERBIKE*IDM, attracted 67,500 spectators to the Lausitzring. It was
also a special weekend for Herbert Schnitzer, owner of BMW Team
Schnitzer: he celebrated his 75th birthday on Sunday.

DTM: Bobsleigh athletes visit the Motorsport Festival at the Lausitzring.

The German bob stars were keen not to miss out on the largest
motorsport spectacle of the year on German soil. Three-time world
champion Francesco Friedrich (DE), Nico Walther (DE) and bob coach
Gerd Leopold (DE) visited the Lausitzring. Walther, who finished
runner-up in the four-man bob at the 2015 Bobsleigh World Championship
in Winterberg (DE) and won the overall World Cup in 2016, and Leopold
took the opportunity to take a ride in the DEUTSCHE POST BMW M4 DTM
Race Taxi. “That was a fantastic experience,” said Walther. “I had a
lot of fun. The lateral acceleration of the DTM racing car was
particularly impressive. As bob athletes, we are not used to that. It
is really astonishing how quickly you can corner in this car.” BMW has
been Premium and Technology Partner of the German Bobsleigh, Luge, and
Skeleton Federation (BSD) since 2010.

International GT Open: Victory and second place for BMW Team
Teo Martín.

BMW Team Teo Martín continued its winning run in the International GT
Open: the team won one race and finished runner-up at the third race
weekend of the season, which took place on the “Paul Ricard” racetrack
in Le Castellet (FR) in the south of France. Miguel Ramos (PT) and
Roldan Rodriguez (ES) took their second win of the season in the
number 1 BMW M6 GT3 in Saturday’s opening race. Their team-mates
Gustavo Yacamán (CO) and Fernando Monje (ES), who failed to finish on
Saturday, finished runners-up in Sunday’s second race to take their
place on the podium. Ramos/Rodriguez came home eighth in race two.

ADAC GT Masters: Impressive display from Krohn and Delétraz at
the Lausitzring.

The third race weekend of this season’s ADAC GT Masters took place as
part of the Motorsport Festival at the Lausitzring (DE). Schubert
Motorsport fielded two BMW M6 GT3s. BMW Motorsport Juniors Jesse Krohn
(FI) and Louis Delétraz (CH) alternated at the wheel of the number 20
car. The duo started Saturday’s race from an outstanding third place
on the grid. However, damage caused by a collision brought their
challenge to a premature end. In race two on Sunday, the pair produced
an impressive fightback from 17th place: at the end of an eventful
race, they came home sixth in the BMW M6 GT3 to finish in the points.
The two BMW Motorsport Juniors were coached by BMW works driver Jörg
Müller (DE) throughout the entire weekend. The number 19 Schubert
Motorsport BMW M6 GT3 was driven by Claudia Hürtgen (DE) and Niklas
Mackschin (DE), who were both making their debuts in BMW’s new GT
sports car. They retired from race one following a collision in an
eventful opening phase, before finishing 20th in race two.

IWSC: Turner Motorsport at Detroit’s Belle Isle Park.

While the GTLM class of the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship
(IWSC) takes a break until after the Le Mans 24 Hours (FR), the GTD
class contested its fifth round of the season last weekend. The race
took place at Belle Isle Park in Detroit (US). Bret Curtis (US) and
BMW works driver Jens Klingmann (DE) finished ninth in the number 96
Turner Motorsport BMW M6 GT3. Their team-mates Michael Marsal (US) and
Markus Palttala (FI) came home 11th in the number 97 car.

British Touring Car Championship: Victory and championship
lead for Tordoff.

West Surrey Racing driver Sam Tordoff moved to the top of the overall
standings in the British Touring Car Championship (BTCC) with a
successful Sunday of racing at Oulton Park (GB). Tordoff won the
second of the day’s three races in the BMW 125i M Sport. He finished
runner-up in the other two races. This was sufficient to give him a
one-point lead at the top of the Drivers’ Championship. Team-mate Jack
Goff (GB) finished 12th, ninth and had a DNF. Rob Collard (GB) was
23rd, 25th and sixth in the third West Surrey Racing BMW 125i M Sport.