BMW Motorsport News – Issue 14/16.

Whether in the DTM, the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship or in countless other racing series: 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 provide you with a regular, compact and informative summary of all the goings-on. This way, you are always up to speed.

24h Nürburgring: Qualification race provides good preparation.

Maxime Martin (BE), Alexander Sims (GB) and Philipp Eng (AT) claimed the first podium in the “Green Hell” for the new BMW M6 GT3 with third place at the qualification race for the Nürburgring 24 Hours. Driving for ROWE Racing, Martin had previously clocked the fastest qualifying time in the #23 BMW M6 GT3, and had thus secured the first pole position at the Nürburgring for the new GT3 racing car. In the six-hour race, the early stages of which were dominated by the unsettled weather the Eifel is renowned for, the trio finished third to claim a spot on the podium after an exciting final lap. The number 22 car was involved in a collision in the first corner and consequently spent over an hour being repaired in the garage. Jörg Müller (DE), Jens Klingmann (DE) and Marco Wittmann (DE) came home 50th after six hours of racing. The fastest lap of the race also went to the BMW M6 GT3: this was set by the #100 Walkenhorst Motorsport car, in which Victor Bouveng (SE), Christian Krognes (NO) and Michele di Martino (DE) finished eighth.

ADAC GT Masters: Krohn and Tomczyk in the points twice.

BMW Motorsport Junior Jesse Krohn (FI) and BMW DTM driver Martin Tomczyk (DE) finished in the points in both races on the opening race weekend of the ADAC GT Masters at Motorsport Arena Oschersleben (DE). After fifth place on Saturday, the BMW M6 GT3 run by Schubert Motorsport came home eighth on Sunday. Krohn and guest starter Tomczyk have 14 points to their name in the Drivers’ Championship after the opening round.

Three questions for... Jesse Krohn.

Jesse, how would you sum up your first race weekend in the 2016 ADAC GT Masters?

Jesse Krohn: “Firstly, it was important to score points in both races. We did that. On Sunday I was able to pull off some good overtaking manoeuvres, which was fun. Generally speaking, we must still work on our pace – particularly in qualifying. In this large field, it is extremely difficult to complete a perfect lap in qualifying. If we can do that, we can also make it onto the podium. I am already looking forward to the next race weekend at the Sachsenring.”

How was it to drive alongside BMW DTM driver Martin Tomczyk?

Krohn: “Martin is a legend. He has been in this business for so many years and has so much experience that I can learn an incredible amount from him. He is also a good guy. You can have a lot of fun with him. Above all, I observed how he went about the race weekend. When it comes to preparing for a race, I think I can learn as much from watching an experienced man like him as anything else.”

You had already driven the BMW M6 GT3 in North America and on the Nordschleife, and now in the ADAC GT Masters. How are you enjoying your 2016 race schedule?

Krohn: “It is great for me to spend a lot of time in the car and to race regularly. That moves me forward in my development as a GT driver and helps me to reach the level I want to be at in the future faster. My outings in the USA were fantastic, and I am very pleased to be able to contest the entire season in the ADAC GT Masters. However, I am particularly looking forward to racing at the Nürburgring 24 Hours.”

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IWSC: BMW M6 GTLM makes its debut in Long Beach.

The BMW M6 GTLM made its debut on the streets of Long Beach at the weekend. The famous street circuit hosted round three of the 2016 IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship (IWSC). Local favourite Bill Auberlen (US), at the wheel of the #25 BMW M6 GTLM run by BMW Team RLL, secured pole position in the GTLM class on Saturday. The race on Sunday was dominated by a number of incidents. In the end, Auberlen and driving partner Dirk Werner (DE) finished fifth. Their team-mates Lucas Luhr (DE) and John Edwards (US) came home tenth in the number 100 car.

British GT Championship: Podium for the BMW Z4 GT3 at season-opener.

The 2016 British GT Championship kicked off with a podium for the BMW Z4 GT3. The opening race at Brands Hatch saw Lee Mowle (GB) and Joe Osborne (GB) finish runner-up in the #7 BMW Z4 GT3, run by the AmDTuning.com team. The second BMW Z4 GT3 in the field was driven by Richard Neary (GB) and Martin Short (GB) of the ABBA Rollcentre Racing team. They came home ninth. The race had to be suspended when a car caught fire following a crash.

British Touring Car Championship: Collard wins in the BMW 125i M Sport.

The West Surrey Racing team claimed its first win of the season in the British Touring Car Championship with the BMW 125i M Sport. Rob Collard (GB) won the second of three races that formed round two of the season, which was held at Donington Park (GB) on Sunday. Starting from sixth, Collard immediately climbed into second place at the start and wasted little time in taking the lead. He ended the other two races in sixth and fourth place. His team-mate Sam Tordoff (GB) also finished on the podium in Donington: he came home third in race three, having previously finished ninth and eighth. Jack Goff (GB) was fourth, fifth and sixth in the team’s third BMW 125i M Sport.

BMW Motorsport Junior programme: Victory for Delétraz on his debut.

BMW Motorsport Junior Louis Delétraz (CH) enjoyed a perfect start to the season in the Formula V8 3.5 series. The 18-year-old crossed the finish line first in his first race in this high-class junior series for single-seater drivers. He then finished an impressive fifth in race two, once again as the best rookie. BMW Motorsport have allowed Delétraz to pursue his career in single-seater racing, alongside his outings in the BMW M6 GT3. He will contest his first races in the ADAC GT Masters at the Sachsenring (DE) in two weeks, when he will share the cockpit of the BMW M6 GT3 with Jesse Krohn.