BMW Motorsport News - Issue 38/2017.

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.

BTCC: West Surrey Racing and BMW win the Team and Manufacturer titles.

The grand finale at the tenth race weekend of the British Touring Car Championship (BTCC) at Brands Hatch (GBR) was a day of triumph for BMW and the West Surrey Racing team. The WSR team wrapped up the Teams’ Championship in the first of the weekend’s three races. Colin Turkington (GBR) was the star man in race two, fighting back from 15^th on the grid to win in his BMW 125i M Sport. In doing so, he secured the title in the Manufacturers’ Championship for BMW and kept the race for the Drivers’ title alive right down to the 30^th and final race of the season. Turkington was unable to make the most of his opportunity however. From tenth place on the grid, he managed to fight his way into fifth place before having to retire following a collision.

GT4 European Series Southern Cup: BMW Motorsport Juniors win in the new BMW M4 GT4.

BMW Motorsport Juniors Beitske Visser (NED) and Dennis Marschall (GER) were in action this weekend in the GT4 European Series Southern Cup at the “Circuit de Catalunya” in Barcelona (ESP). The two shared the driving duties in the new Schubert Motorsport BMW M4 GT4 for the two races on Saturday and Sunday – and with great success. Marschall and Visser won the opening race. Marschall, who had taken over from Visser at around the halfway point of the race, crossed the finish line 0.941 seconds ahead of the second-placed car. The duo then finished 15^th in a rain-dominated second race. “Even we did not really expect to win our first real competitive race with the new BMW M4 GT4,” said Marschall. “However, the advantage of this car is that you can very quickly get up to speed and start clocking good lap times, even with little experience. Beitske and I both managed to do that in the two qualifying sessions and in the opening race. In the rain on Sunday, we simply did not have enough experience compared to the opposition. That by no means takes the shine off what has been a successful weekend. We are very happy.” As of next season, customer teams will be able to contest races around the world with the BMW M4 GT4. Max Koebolt and Ricardo van der Ende (both NED) also claimed a podium in Barcelona, finishing third in the Ekris M4 GT4 in Saturday’s race.

International GT Open: One-two for BMW Team Teo Martín.

BMW DTM driver Augusto Farfus (BRA) enjoyed a successful guest appearance in the International GT Open. At the wheel of the number 51 BMW M6 GT3, he first secured pole position for BMW Team Teo Martín on Sunday at Monza (ITA), before winning the race alongside Lourenço Beirão da Veiga (POR). Victor Bouveng (SWE) and Fran Rueda (ESP) followed them over the finish line in the team’s second car to make it a one-two for BMW Team Teo Martín. In Saturday’s race, the duo in the number 65 car had come home fourth to narrowly miss out on a podium spot. Farfus and Beirão da Veiga failed to finish the opening race. Both the team, and drivers Bouveng and Rueda, go into the Barcelona (ESP) season finale in second place in the overall standings, and still have a good chance of winning titles.

Blancpain GT Series Endurance Cup: Season finale in Barcelona.

This season’s Blancpain GT Series drew to a close for BMW teams ROWE Racing and Walkenhorst Motorsport with the Endurance Cup race in Barcelona (ESP). ROWE Racing competed with two BMW M6 GT3s in both the Sprint and the Endurance Cup. Walkenhorst Motorsport ran one BMW M6 GT3 in the Endurance Cup. Among the drivers in action for Walkenhorst were BMW Motorsport Juniors Nico Menzel (GER) and Mikkel Jensen (DEN), who gained their first experience of this high-class GT series. The team also fielded a second car in the amateur class. The ROWE Racing trio of Philipp Eng (AUT), Alexander Sims (GBR) and Maxime Martin (BEL) ended the final race of the season as the best-placed BMW M6 GT3 in 12^th place.

DTM: Japanese manufacturers set for outing at Hockenheim season finale at.

BMW, Audi and Mercedes will receive a visit from Japanese manufacturers Lexus and Nissan at the final round of the DTM season at Hockenheim (GER) from 13^th to 15^th October. The Japanese Super GT Championship is sending one car from each manufacturer to the Hockenheimring, where they will appear alongside Honda in the GT500 class. In return, plans are afoot for the German manufacturers each to send one of their cars to the Super GT finale at Motegi, Japan, in November.