BMW Motorsport News - Issue 07/2020.

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: Podium for Turner Motorsport at Sebring.

Turner Motorsport took a podium finish in the GTD class in the second race after the resumption of this season’s IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship at Sebring (USA). Bill Auberlen and Robby Foley (both USA) came home third in the #96 BMW M6 GT3 at the end of the 2:40-hour race. Auberlen and Foley also raced for Turner Motorsport in the Michelin Pilot Challenge, which also took place at Sebring. They finished fifth in the #95 BMW M4 GT4, making them the best-placed BMW team.

In the IMSA GTLM class, the two MOTUL BMW M8 GTEs run by BMW Team RLL crossed the finish line in fourth and fifth place. Bruno Spengler (CAN) and Connor De Phillippi (USA) occupied third place for most of the race and looked on course for a podium, but were unable to hold off the #912 Porsche in the closing stages. John Edwards (USA) and Jesse Krohn (FIN), winners of the 24 Hours of Daytona (USA) in January, came home fifth. Victory went to the #4 Corvette.

Quotes after the race at Sebring.

Connor De Phillippi (#25 MOTUL BMW M8 GTE, 4^th place): “We knew we would not have of the speed of our competitors, but we battled hard. We maximised what we had.”

Bruno Spengler (#25 MOTUL BMW M8 GTE, 4^th place): “With our lack of pace compared with our competitors finishing P4 after starting sixth is a testament to how hard we all worked. I am looking forward to Road America and an all-new circuit for me.”

John Edwards (#24 MOTUL BMW M8 GTE, 5^th place): “It was a tough day for us as we struggled for pace. The yellow helped our strategy, but it was not enough. We’ll put our heads down and look to rebound in two weeks at Road America, one of my favourite circuits in North America.”

Jesse Krohn (#24 MOTUL BMW M8 GTE, 5^th place): “Everyone tried their hardest today, but whatever we did was not enough to get a good result.”

Italian GT Championship: BMW Team Italia on the podium at season-opener.

The start of this season’s Italian GT Championship could hardly have been more exciting. BMW Team Italia missed out on victory by just 0.026 seconds in a breath-taking conclusion to the three-hour race at Mugello (ITA). BMW works driver Alexander Sims (GBR) had closed the gap to the leading Audi and even briefly took the lead in a captivating battle that ran for several laps. However, the Audi successfully countered each time he attacked. It came down to a sprint to the finish line on the final lap, with Sims and the #7 BMW M6 GT3 having to settle for second place by the narrowest of margins. Despite that, it was an impressive display from him and his team-mates Stefano Comandini (ITA) and Marius Zug (GER). BMW Team Italia also finished runner-up in the GT4 class with Francesco Guerra, Simone Riccitelli and Nicola Neri (all ITA) in a BMW M4 GT4.