Whether in the DTM, the FIA World Endurance Championship, 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.
VLN: Philipp Eng and Tom Blomqvist back in the “Green
Hell”.
On the weekend between the two DTM events at
Brands Hatch (GBR) and Misano (ITA), BMW works driver Philipp Eng
(AUT) will be returning to the Nürburgring Nordschleife (GER). This
coming Sunday (18th August), he will be competing in the VLN Endurance
Championship in the ROWE Racing BMW M6 GT3. In the 6-hour event, the
fifth race of the 2018 season, he will be sharing the cockpit with his
BMW team-mate and fellow works driver Tom Blomqvist (GBR). Both
drivers celebrated together just two weeks ago, when they won the
24-hour race at Spa-Francorchamps (BEL) with Walkenhorst Motorsport
and Christian Krognes (NOR).
BTCC: Turkington on the podium after strong catch-up
performance.
The British Touring Car Championship (BTCC)
arrived at Rockingham (GBR) this weekend for the seventh event of the
season. In three hard-fought races, the West Surrey Racing team was
once again going all out to score important championship points and
Colin Turkington (GBR) rewarded those efforts with another podium
finish. The BMW driver, in the #2 BMW 125i M Sport, endured a
difficult start to the weekend but improved from race to race and
finished the final race on Sunday in second place after a strong
catch-up performance. He had been the best-placed BMW driver in the
first two races, finishing seventh and then fifth. Team-mate Andrew
Jordan (GBR) crossed the line in 15th, 13th and 28th positions.
Rob Collard (GBR) was unable to participate and was replaced by
his son, BMW Motorsport Junior Ricky Collard (GBR). He marked his BTCC
debut by claiming 17th, 20th and 30th positions. Stephen Jelley (GBR)
ended the first race in 14th and the final race in 16th. The British
driver had to retire in the second race after landing in the gravel
trap in heavy traffic. Turkington tops the drivers’ standings with 220
points ahead of the eighth race weekend in the BTCC at Knockhill (GBR)
on 25th and 26th August.
Pirelli World Challenge: podiums in Utah for BMW customer
racing teams.
The entire BMW M Motorsport customer
racing fleet was competing at the ninth race weekend in the Pirelli
World Challenge. The BMW M6 GT3, BMW M4 GT4 and BMW M235i Racing were
on the grid in Utah (USA). Motorsport fans were treated to the sight
of 18 BMW race cars. Karl Wittmer (CAN), Matt Travis (USA) and Johan
Schwartz (DNK) had every reason to celebrate. In both races in the TC
class, Wittmer crossed the line in second place in the Team Classic
BMW #91 BMW M235i Racing. Team-mate Travis finished the first race in
third position in the #26 car. Rooster Hall Racing’s Schwartz was
fourth. They swapped places in the second race in which Schwartz
reached the podium after finishing Sunday’s race in third place.
Travis crossed the line in fourth position.
Turner Motorsport reached the podium in the GT SprintX category
AM class. After 31 laps, Takuya Shirasaka and Naoto Takeda (both JPN)
crossed the line in third place in the BMW M6 GT3. Jon Miller and
Aurora Strauss (both USA) just missed out on a podium finish. In the
GTS SprintX category, the duo finished fourth in the ST Racing BMW M4
GT4. Henry Schmitt and Gregory Liefooghe (both USA) finished fifth in
class. The second race in the GT SprintX and the GTS SprintX class had
not finished at the time of publication.
24 Hours of Zolder: strong BMW line-up at Belgian endurance
classic.
BMW teams and drivers featured prominently at
the 24-hour race in Zolder (BEL), an event that is steeped in
tradition. No fewer than 20 BMW cars were competing at the endurance
classic. In the Belcar3 class, the KDW Racing Team #64 BMW M4 GT4
finished fourth, just missing out on a podium finish. The Baelus
Motorsport #238 BMW M235i Racing finished sixth while the Jusi Racing
team claimed eighth place in the BMW 135 D. The Hofor Racing team
celebrated a double podium finish, having claimed second and third
places in the Belcar4 category with two BMW M3s. The VDW Motorsport
#300 BMW Z3 M was out in front, and crossed the line first after 707
laps to claim the class win. In the Belcar5 class, the AR Performance
team #69 BMW 325i topped the podium. They were followed by JJ
Motorsport in second place in the BMW Clubsport Trophy and Convents
Racing, finishing third in the #50 BMW 325.