BMW Motorsport News - Issue 14/2019.

Whether in the DTM, the FIA World Endurance Championship, the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship, the ABB FIA Formula E 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.

China GT Championship: FIST-Team AAI dominates at Zhejiang.

There was no way past FIST-Team AAI in the China GT Championship this weekend. The team backed up its opening weekend success with two victories in the GT3 class on Friday and Saturday at Zhejiang (CHN). BMW works driver Nick Yelloly (GBR) shared driving duties in the #90 BMW M6 GT3 with Lam Yu (CHN). The duo were involved in exciting battles with the opposition in both races, but narrowly kept their nose in front each time to lead the field home twice. Yelloly and AAI now hold a commanding lead in the Driver and Team standings, with three wins and another podium to their name. There was also another podium to celebrate in the GT4 class. The Master Champ team, which was making its debut in the series this weekend, gave a strong performance from the word go and finished third in the opening race. Wang Hao (CHN) came home fifth in the BMW M4 GT4 in race two. The third race weekend of the season will take place at Shanghai (CHN) from 28^thto 30^thJune.

W Series: Visser narrowly misses out on podium at season-opener.

The W Series, the first women-only Formula series, made its debut on the support programme for this weekend’s DTM event at Hockenheim (GER). In the thick of the action was BMW driver Beitske Visser (NED). Visser, who has been part of the BMW Motorsport Junior programme since 2017 and is official test and reserve driver in the ABB FIA Formula E Championship this season, secured one of the 18 seats at the decisive Almería (ESP) shootout in March. She was among the front-runners in the opening race of the season. After 18 laps of racing, Visser came home fourth, narrowly missing out on a spot on the podium. The 24-year-old’s next opportunity comes in just two weeks, when Zolder (BEL) hosts round two of the new series. 

Italian GT Championship: Podiums for the BMW M4 GT4.

BMW Team Italia was at Vallelunga, to the north of Rome (ITA) this weekend for round two of the Italian GT Championship. BMW Motorsport Junior Erik Johansson (SWE) and Stefano Comandini (ITA) raced in the #15 BMW M6 GT3. The duo finished fifth in the GT3 Pro class in the opening race. Johansson/Comandini then came home eighth on Sunday. The BMW Team Italia #207 BMW M4 GT4 finished on the GT4 podium in both races. The trio of Giuseppe Fascicolo, Francesco Guerra and Andrea Fontana (all ITA) came home third on Saturday and second on Sunday. 

GT4 European Series: Podium success for the BMW M4 GT4.

The RN Vision STS team made it onto the podium in the Pro-Am class at the second race weekend of this season’s GT4 European Series at Brands Hatch (GBR). After 32 laps of racing, Marius Zug (GER) and Gabriele Piana (ITA) finished race one in second place in the #111 BMW M4 GT4. The best-placed BMW drivers in the Silver Cup were Simon Knap (NED) and Alec Udell (USA), who were sixth in the #25 BMW M4 GT4 run by Team MDM Motorsport. Euan McKay (GBR) and Ricardo van der Ende (NED) finished sixth for Ekris Motorsport in the second race of the weekend. Levent Kocabiyik and Ibrahim Okyay (both TUR) came home sixth in the Pro-Am category in the final race of the event for the Borusan Otomotiv Motorsport team.

IMPC: Difficult race weekend in Mid-Ohio.

Unsettled weather conditions gave the BMW teams a tough day at the third race weekend of the IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge at the “Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course” (USA). James Clay and Devin Jones (both USA) were the best-placed BMW drivers in ninth place in the BimmerWorld Racing #82 BMW M4 GT4. Bill Auberlen (USA), who was making his 415^thappearance in a BMW race car, and Robby Foley (USA) finished eleventh in the #96 BMW M4 GT4 run by Turner Motorsport. Greg Liefooghe and Henry Schmitt (both USA) were 13^thin the #88 BMW M4 GT4 of Stephen Cameron Racing. The fourth race of the season takes place on 30^thJune at Watkins Glen (USA).