PressClub Global · Article.
BMW Motorsport News – Issue 24/2018.
Sun Jul 22 20:19:07 CEST 2018 Press Release
Successful weekend: BMW teams celebrate wins and podiums around the globe.
Press Contact.
Ingo Lehbrink
BMW Group
Tel: +49-89-382-76003
Fax: +49-89-382-28567
send an e-mail
Whether in the DTM, the FIA World Endurance Championship, 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
.
British GT Championship: Century Motorsport triumphs at Spa.
Century Motorsport’s success story in the British GT
Championship continues. After wins at Snetterton (GBR) and Silverstone
(GBR), the team triumphed at the legendary Spa-Francorchamps (BEL)
racetrack in the GT4 class. Jack Mitchell (GBR) and his new team-mate
Deano Macdonald (GBR) finished in first place after 38 laps in the #43
BMW M4 GT4. The duo started the two-hour race from seventh on the grid
and after a spirited pursuit were rewarded with the win. Ben Tuck and
Ben Green (both GBR) in the Century Motorsport #42 BMW M4 GT4 finished
in fourth place, narrowly missing out on the podium. The next race
weekend in the British GT Championship will take place at Brands Hatch
(GBR) on 4thand 5thAugust.
Blancpain GT Series Asia: Double win at Fuji for the BMW M4 GT4.
The BMW M4 GT4 had a perfect race weekend at the Mount Fuji
(JPN) track, winning both Blancpain GT Series Asia races. BMW Team
Studie’s Takayuki Kinoshita and Sunako Jukuchou (JPN) secured first
place in the #81 BMW M4 GT4 in both Saturday’s and Sunday’s race.
Their team-mates Ken Urata (JPN) and Max Chen (TPE) finished fifth in
the #82 sister car. On Sunday, they improved by two positions to
finish on the podium in third place. These results see BMW Team Studie
extend their lead in the team standings, and with 211 points have a
lead of 64 points over the second-placed Mercedes team with four races
to go before the end of the season. In the driver’s standings,
Kinoshita/Jukuchou are in third place, immediately followed by their
team-mates Urata/Chen in fourth place.
IMSA: BMW Team RLL finishes in seventh and eighth place at
Lime Rock.
BMW Team RLL had a difficult race weekend in the IMSA
WeatherTech SportsCar Championship. Connor De Phillippi (USA) and
Alexander Sims (GBR) crossed the finish line in seventh place at the
wheel of the #25 BMW M8 GTE at Lime Rock Park (USA). John Edwards
(USA) and Jesse Krohn (FIN) finished in eighth place in the #24 sister
car. A mechanical issue prevented Edwards and Krohn from getting a
better result in the race. The #25 BMW M8 GTE was on a one-stop
refuelling strategy which didn’t go according to plan. Turner
Motorsport’s appearance at Lime Rock Park was also dogged by
misfortune. The #96 BMW M6 GT3 only managed to complete one race lap.
Starting driver Bill Auberlen (USA) was hit by the #93 Acura NSX GT3
in the uphill chicane and was forced to retire with front suspension
damage. His team-mate Robby Foley (USA) therefore didn’t make an
appearance in the race.
CTSCC: Podium success for BimmerWorld Racing in the ST class.
Nick Galante and Devin Jones (both USA) celebrated podium
success at the IMSA Continental Tire SportsCar Challenge (CTSCC) race.
After 108 laps, the duo crossed the finish line in second place in the
ST class in the BimmerWorld #81 BMW 328i. Galante and Jones started
from pole position and were only beaten by the victorious MINI of Mike
LaMarra and Matt Pombo (USA). Tyler Cooke and James Clay (both USA),
also of Team BimmerWorld Racing, went on a fantastic pursuit. They
started from 16thon the grid in the GS category in their #82 BMW M4
GTE, and worked their way up to seventh place. Greg Liefooghe and Ari
Balogh (both USA, Stephen Cameron Racing) were forced to retire from
the race with their BMW M4 GT4.
Blancpain GT Sports Club: BMW M6 GT3 wins at Spa-Francorchamps.
The Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps (BEL) in the Belgian Ardennes
is regarded as one of the most challenging racetracks in the world.
The BMW M6 GT3 and Karim Ojjeh (KSA) mastered this challenge
excellently in the Blancpain GT Sports Club this weekend and dominated
proceedings. The potential of the Boutsen Ginion Racing BMW M6 GT3 on
this track was evident in the qualifying session when Ojjeh set the
best time overall. The seasoned driver was unstoppable in the
qualifying race as well, getting the well-earned win. The main race
was held on Sunday. Ojjeh was the man of the day there as well,
crossing the finish line in first place. The next races in the
Blancpain GT Sports Club will be held at the Hungaroring (HUN) on 1st
and 2nd September.
DTM: Joel Eriksson drums up support for Brands Hatch.
BMW DTM driver Joel Eriksson (SWE) visited the British capital
of London (GBR) and Brands Hatch Circuit (GBR) around three weeks
before the DTM returns to Great Britain, to drum up support for the
event on 11thand 12thAugust. As part of a film-shoot, Eriksson drove
the BMW M4 GTS DTM safety car from the racetrack to the centre of the
British metropolis, causing a stir on the streets of London. “That was
very cool. I have been to London before, but have never had the time
to visit the sights of the city. Being able to combine that with the
film-shoot was fantastic,” said Eriksson. The DTM rookie passed
world-famous attractions such as Tower Bridge, Buckingham Palace,
Trafalgar Square and Piccadilly Circus on his tour. The following day,
Eriksson, along with his DTM driver colleagues Gary Paffett, Paul di
Resta and Jamie Green and former DTM and Formula 1 driver David
Coulthard (all GBR), were on hand for interviews with journalists at a
press conference. As a foretaste of the race weekend, the BMW M4 DTM
was on display in the event room.
GT4 European Series: Podium success for the BMW M4 GT4
A large squad of BMW M4 GT4 race cars were in action in the GT4
European Series at Spa-Francorchamps, Belgium this weekend, and
celebrated numerous podium successes in both races. In the first race,
Miguel Cristovao (POR) and Pavel Lefterov (BUL), in the #112 RN Vision
STS BMW M4 GT4, celebrated second place in the Pro-Am category. In the
second race, Simon Knap and Max Koebolt (both NED) in the #1 MDM
Motorsport BMW M4 GT4 crossed the finish line in third place overall.
In the same race, 3Y Technology’s Sylvain Debs and Gwenael Delomier
(both FRA) also made it onto the podium in third place in the Am
category. The BMW Motorsport Juniors Nico Menzel (GER) and Beitske
Visser (NED), also representing RN Vision STS, were in 14th place in
the Silver Cup, but were forced to retire in race two.