BMW Motorsport News - Issue 33/2019.

IMSA series: BMW Team RLL first and third on the grid at Laguna Seca.

BMW Team RLL enjoyed a successful start to the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship (IMSA series) race weekend at Laguna Seca (USA). Jesse Krohn (FIN) set a new qualifying record on Saturday in the #24 BMW M8 GTE, lapping in 1:21.557 to secure pole position for himself and his team-mate John Edwards (USA). This is the second pole position of the young Finnish driver’s career, and the 28th for BMW Team RLL since 2009. The #25 car finished third to round off the strong qualifying performance. Tom Blomqvist (GBR), making his first appearance on the Californian circuit, was just 0.334 seconds slower than Krohn. He will be competing alongside Connor De Phillippi (USA) during the two hours and 40 minutes-long race. The penultimate race of the 2019 IMSA season will start at 15:05 local time.

Italian GT: Victory for BMW Team Italia at Vallelunga.

The success story continues for BMW Team Italia in the Italian GT Championship. At Vallelunga (ITA), BMW Motorsport Junior Erik Johansson (SWE) and Stefano Comandini (ITA) in the #15 BMW M6 GT3 were unstoppable once again at the sixth race weekend of the season. On Sunday, the duo celebrated another win in the penultimate endurance race of the season. This weekend, they were supported by BMW works driver Alexander Sims (GBR). They had secured an outstanding start position for the race, claiming second place on the grid. In the GT4 class, their BMW Team Italia team-mates, Giuseppe Fascicolo, Francesco Guerra and Andrea Fontana (all ITA), started the race from pole position in the BMW M4 GT4. The trio finished the race fifth in their class. The seventh race weekend in the Italian GT Championship takes place from 4^th to 6^th October at Mugello (ITA). 

ADAC GT4 Germany: Piana and Zug heading to season finale as championship leaders.

A BMW team once again had reason to celebrate when the penultimate event of the season in the ADAC GT4 Germany took place at the Hockenheimring (GER) at the weekend. After an accident had forced Gabriele Piana (ITA) and Marius Zug (GER) to retire from the last race at the Nürburgring (GER) and surrender their lead in the championship, they bounced back with a strong performance at Hockenheim. Having started the first race from fourth place on the grid, the duo in the RN Vision STS team #7 BMW M4 GT4 managed to move up and defend the position to the chequered flag. Finishing second and reaching the podium allowed Piana and Zug to return to the top of the championship standings. Michael Schrey (GER) and Thomas Jäger (AUT) crossed the line in eighth place in the #2 BMW M4 GT4 from Hofor Racing by Bonk Motorsport. In the second race on Sunday, Marc Ehret and Tobias Dauenhauer (both GER) finished fourth in the Hofor Racing by Bonk Motorsport #8 BMW M4 GT4, just missing out on the podium. Piana and Zug put on a spectacular recovery performance that saw them move up from fifteenth on the grid to finish sixth. Michael Fischer (AUT) and Claudia Hürtgen (GER) finished ninth in the #3 car. The season finale takes place at the Sachsenring (GER) in two weeks.

ADAC GT Masters: Difficult race weekend at Hockenheim.

The penultimate event of the 2019 season in the ADAC GT Masters took place at the Hockenheimring (GER). BMW works driver Jens Klingmann (GER) and his team-mate Nicolai Sylvest (DEN) did not enjoy the best of luck at the weekend. After a tough qualifying session saw them in 22^nd place on the grid, the MRS GT-Racing team duo tried everything in their power to move up through the field in the first race on Saturday. The #14 BMW M6 GT3 finished in 18th place. Sunday also proved to be difficult. Starting from 21^st, Klingmann and Sylvest displayed fighting spirit and were able to reach 17^th place for a time, however a technical problem forced them to retire on lap 22. The final of the ADAC GT Masters takes place at the Sachsenring in two weeks.

BTCC: Win and second place for Jordan at Knockhill.

At the eighth race weekend of the British Touring Car Championship (BTCC), Andrew Jordan (GBR) from the West Surrey Racing team secured a win and a second place in the #77 BMW 330i M Sport. After he had crossed the line in second place in the first race on Sunday, he claimed a deserved victory with a winning margin of nearly two seconds in the second of three races. In the third race, he retired after a no-fault collision with a competitor on the first lap. Colin Turkington (GBR) had travelled to Knockhill as championship leader and drove the #1 BMW 330i M Sport to fourth, 19^th and tenth positions. Tom Oliphant (GBR), competing in the #15 car, finished 15^th once and also recorded two 14^th-place results. The ninth and penultimate round of the BTCC season takes place on 28^th and 29^th September at Silverstone (GBR).

British GT: Podium finish for the BMW M6 GT3 at season finale.

The Century Motorsport team celebrated another podium finish in the final race of the British GT Championship at Donington Park (GBR). Angus Fender and Jack Mitchell (both GBR) crossed the line in third place in the #9 BMW M6 GT3 after 75 laps. They had started from fifth on the grid. This was just Fender's second race ever in the BMW M6 GT3. On his debut at Brands Hatch (GBR), he and Mitchell had also reached the podium. In the GT4 class, Mark Kimber (GBR) and Jacob Mathiassen (DEN) crossed the finish line in 13^th place in the #42 BMW M4 GT4, also competing for Century Motorsport.

GT4 France: First win of the season for van der Ende and Campbell.

On the penultimate race weekend of the GT4 France at Magny-Cours (FRA), Ricardo van der Ende (NED) and Christopher Campbell (FRA) celebrated their first win of the season in Saturday's race. The two drivers had already claimed pole position as they shared driving duties in the #17 BMW M4 GT4 from the L'Espace Bienvenue team. Both drivers delivered a near-faultless display in the race for 30 laps, crossing the line in first place with a winning margin of just three-tenths of a second. However, the BMW drivers suffered bad luck in the second race on Sunday. They had to be content with starting from 16^th on the grid and missed out on another top ten finish. The season finale of the GT4 France will take place from 12^th to 13^th October at the Circuit Paul Ricard (FRA).

GT4 Scandinavia: Top-ten finishes for the BMW M4 GT4.

The fifth and penultimate event of the GT4 Scandinavia season took place at Rudskogen, Norway. The Lestrup Racing team recorded three top-ten finishes over the weekend. In the first race on Saturday, Alfred Nilsson and Joakim Walde (both SWE) claimed seventh place in the #98 BMW M4 GT4. In the afternoon's second race, their team-mates Oliver Söderström and Robert Serwanski (both SWE) finished fourth in the #97 car, just missing out on the podium. Nilsson and Walde crossed the line in ninth position. Ahead of the finale, which will take place from 4^th to 5^th October at Mantorp Park (SWE), Söderström and Serwanski are in second place in the Pro-Am drivers’ standings, five points off the lead.