BMW Motorsport News - Issue 22/2019.

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, 8^th to 11^th August) and Tianjin (CHN, 6^th to 8^th September), before Eriksson returns to the cockpit for the season finale (11^th to 13^th 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 14^th 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 12^th to 14^th 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.