BMW Motorsport News - Issue 19/2020.

Whether in the DTM, 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.

IMSA series: BMW Team RLL finishes ‘Petit Le Mans’ on the podium.

John Edwards (USA), Jesse Krohn (FIN) and Augusto Farfus (BRA) co-drove the #24 MOTUL BMW M8 GTE to a third-place finish in the 10-hour IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship ‘Petit Le Mans’ at Road Atlanta (USA) to score the team’s sixth consecutive podium finish. The trio led the GTLM class multiple times and completed 431 laps to finish 4.412 seconds behind the winning Porsche. Farfus took the lead for the final time on lap 401, after the class had cycled through their final stops. Two laps later he was pushed off by a prototype car and had to run through the grass. As a result, he had to pit again to clean the grille, dropping some 26 seconds to the leaders. Charging back, he took advantage of a collision by a competitor to secure the podium finish as the race ended under caution.

The #25 MOTUL BMW M8 GTE, driven by Bruno Spengler (CAN), Connor De Phillippi and Colton Herta (both USA) finished sixth in GTLM class following a mechanical issue after only 20 laps, which required a lengthy repair in the garage. The #96 Turner Motorsport BMW M6 GT3 finished ninth in the GTD class.

John Edwards (#24 MOTUL BMW M8 GTE, 3^rd place): “It was an amazing performance by the entire team today, but it ended in a bit of heartbreak after Augusto, with an 18-second lead, was pushed off by a prototype car. We did recover to finish on the podium and maximise points.”

Jesse Krohn (#24 MOTUL BMW M8 GTE, 3^rd place): “The BMW M8 GTE was great. We led most of the race and had the car to win. Everyone worked very hard and one little thing took it all away. We’ll bounce back.”

Augusto Farfus (#24 MOTUL BMW M8 GTE, 3^rd place): “That was a very frustrating result. The win was in our pocket and I got run wide in the marbles and off the track. I so wanted to bring the victory to the team that worked so hard today.”

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Michelin Pilot Challenge: Turner Motorsport wins at Road Atlanta.

Robby Foley and Vincent Barletta (both USA) won the IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge race at Road Atlanta (USA) in the #95 Turner Motorsport BMW M4 GT4. The duo took the chequered flag at the ‘Fox Factory 120’ ahead of James Clay and Gregory Liefooghe (both USA), who finished runner-up in the #82 BimmerWorld Racing BMW M4 GT4 to complete a one-two for the BMW M Customer Racing teams. While this was Barletta’s first win of the season, it was Foley’s second appearance on the top step of the podium, having previously triumphed at ‘VIRginia International Raceway’.

ADAC GT Masters: Victories for the BMW M6 GT3 at the Red Bull Ring.

Schubert Motorsport and MRS GT-Racing each won one of the two ADAC GT Masters races at the Red Bull Ring at Spielberg (AUT). On Saturday, BMW works driver Nick Yelloly (GBR) and Henric Skoog (SWE) claimed the first win of the season for both the BMW M6 GT3 and Schubert Motorsport. BMW works drivers Jens Klingmann (GER) and Erik Johansson (SWE) finished third to join them on the podium on Saturday. However, their big moment was to come on the Sunday; starting from second place, they soon took the lead and went on to take the first win of the season for MRS GT-Racing in the 200^th race in ADAC GT Masters history. Yelloly and Skoog followed them home in second place, but were ultimately classified in fifth place following a time penalty. For Skoog and Johansson, the race wins on Saturday and Sunday also meant victory in the Junior class. Joel Eriksson (SWE) and Aidan Read (AUS), in the second Schubert Motorsport BMW M6 GT3, finished eleventh on Saturday and failed to finish on Sunday.

Italian GT: BMW Team Italia takes victory in the BMW M6 GT3 and the BMW M4 GT4.

BMW Team Italia was victorious with both the BMW M6 GT3 and the BMW M4 GT4 at the race weekend in the Italian GT Sprint Championship at Monza (ITA). In Saturday’s race, pole-sitters Marius Zug (GER) and Stefano Comandini (ITA) took victory in the BMW M6 GT3. After 28 laps of racing, Comandini crossed the finish line with a 0.7-second lead. The same pairing started Sunday’s race from third place but was stopped in its tracks by technical issues. However, the team still had cause for celebration on Sunday, with Francesco Guerra and Simone Riccitelli (both ITA) winning the GT4 class. They emerged triumphant from a close battle to take victory by just one second. On Saturday, the duo at the wheel of the BMW M4 GT4 had finished fourth in their class.

DTM Trophy: Podium for Ben Green at Zolder.

Ben Green (GBR) and FK Performance Motorsport enjoyed an impressive weekend in the DTM trophy at Zolder (BEL). Green finished third in the BMW M4 GT4 in Sunday’s race. He also came home fourth in the Saturday race to score valuable points in the Drivers’ Championship. Ahead of the finale weekend at Hockenheim (GER), the British driver currently lies third in the overall standings and holds a commanding lead in the Junior competition. Ben Tuck (GBR), fourth in the Drivers’ Championship, finished in the points in seventh place on Sunday, having failed to finish on Saturday. Tuck’s Walkenhorst Motorsport team-mate Max Koebolt (NED) was eighth and tenth, while Luke Wankmüller (GER), Green’s team-mate at FK Performance Motorsport, was ninth and eleventh.

ADAC GT4 Germany: BMW M4 GT4 on the podium.

Gabriele Piana (ITA) and Michael Schrey (GER) claimed another podium in the BMW M4 GT4 of Hofor Racing by Bonk Motorsport at the ADAC GT4 Germany race weekend at the Red Bull Ring (AUT). They finished third in Sunday’s race, having failed to finish on Saturday. Piana and Schrey now lie third in the Drivers’ Championship. A further three BMW M4 GT4s were in action at Spielberg. The Lillestoff team came home tenth in Saturday’s race.

GT4 France: Class win for the BMW M4 GT4 at the Grand Prix d’Albi.

The L'Espace Bienvenue team won the Silver category in race two of the penultimate race weekend in GT4 France at ‘Circuit d’Albi’ (FRA). Ricardo van der Ende (NED) and Benjamin Lessennes (BEL) finished in fourth place overall, just ahead of their rivals in the Silver class. In the opening race of the weekend, van der Ende and Lessennes finished runner-up in their class and third overall, earning them a spot on the podium.