BMW Motorsport News - Issue 35/2017.

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: Team BMW celebrates one-two result in the DTM Kart Cup.

The DTM Kart Cup took place for the first time, as part of the race weekend at the Nürburgring (GER). All three manufacturers fielded teams in the competition, consisting of one professional driver and nine fans. The Team BMW was led by BMW Motorsport Junior Nico Menzel (GER), and nine fans who won the chance to compete in a Facebook competition. The professionals in the three teams from BMW, Audi and Mercedes were non-competitive participants. The manufacturers’ teams held their own qualifying laps on Friday, and the best participants were selected to represent the brands in the grand finale on Saturday evening. The Team BMW celebrated a one-two result: Felix Hahn won the finale, while Kevin Walter claimed second place overall. They were rewarded with VIP tickets for the season finale in Hockenheim (GER), presented by event organiser ITR. BMW Motorsport also invited all participants in the Team BMW to a guided tour of the pit lane and a Meet&Greet with the BMW DTM drivers. The winner of the elimination race on Friday also had the opportunity to ride in the BMW M4 DTM race taxi.

BMW Motorsport: Double workload for Timo Scheider

BMW driver Timo Scheider (GER), currently the best-placed privateer driver in the FIA World Rallycross Championship after a successful weekend in Lohéac (FRA), had several TV commitments to manage this week. On Thursday, he proved his sporting knowledge on Sky’s “Eine Liga für sich – Buschis Sechserkette” and chatted with other guests, such as former international footballer Ulf Kirsten (GER), TV presenter Kai Ebel (GER) and comedian Matze Knop (GER). Scheider then headed to the DTM at the Nürburgring (GER). He was working there for ARD on Sunday as co-commentator and expert pundit. “It was great fun,” said the two-time DTM champion. “I hope the viewers enjoyed it too. It was a new and exciting experience for me to be on the other side at a DTM race, having to analyse events within seconds. Thanks to everyone involved for letting me get a taste of what it is like. I’d be happy to do it again!”

Eset V4 Cup: Robert Šenkýř wins to claim endurance title.

There was major success for Robert Šenkýř (CZE) and the BMW M6 GT3 in Brno, Czech Republic. In the last endurance race of the season in the Eset V4 Cup, Šenkýř celebrated a delayed victory and claimed the title in the endurance championship. Šenkýř and his team-mate Jakub Knoll (CZE) had crossed the line in second place but the Porsche ahead of them received a 30-second penalty and fell back to second position. Šenkýř also finished in third, as he shared the cockpit of the BMW Z4 GT3 with Daniel Skalický (CZE), in addition to driving the BMW M6 GT3. In Saturday’s sprint race, Šenkýř had finished second to reach the podium again.

Italian GT Championship: BMW Team Italia on the podium at Imola.

The BMW Team Italia competed in the Italian GT Championship at Imola (ITA) and reached the top three in Saturday’s race. Stefano Comandini and Alberto Cerqui (both ITA) drove their BMW M6 GT3 to third place. The duo were unable to score any points in Sunday’s race.

GT4 European Series Southern Cup: BMW Team France dominates.

The BMW Team France dominated the GT4 European Series Southern Cup race weekend at Magny-Cours (FRA). Frédéric Johais and Julien Piguet (both FRA) celebrated two wins and two pole positions in the #9 Ekris M4 GT4. The duo remained unbeaten in the races and in qualifying on both Saturday and Sunday. These were the first wins for the two drivers in the current season.