BMW Motorsport News – Issue 02/17.

• Customer racing: BMW M4 GT4 completes just under 3,000 test kilometres in race conditions in Dubai.
• 24 hours of Dubai: Full BMW power with 11 race cars at the desert classic.
• DTM: Wittmann and BMW team principals honoured at DMSB gala of champions.

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.

24h Dubai: First test for the BMW M4 GT4 under race conditions.

Dubai (UEA) hosted the first important 24-hour race of the 2017 season this weekend. This year, the newest member of the BMW customer racing range took on the challenge in the desert: Schubert Motorsport tested the BMW M4 GT4, which is still in development, in race conditions for the first time. BMW works drivers Jörg Müller and Jens Klingmann, and BMW Motorsport Junior Ricky Collard (GBR) took it in turns behind the wheel. The endurance test was a resounding success – both in terms of the performance of the GT4 car as well as its reliability.

24 hours of Dubai: One-two result for Sorg Rennsport.

In addition to the new BMW M4 GT4, ten other BMW race cars were in the starting line-up at the 24-hour race in Dubai. In the BMW M235i Racing Cup class, the Sorg Rennsport team celebrated a one-two result on the 5.390-kilometre track. The victorious number 151 BMW M235i Racing was driven by Stephan Epp, Christian Andreas Franz, Heiko Eichenberg (all GER), as well as Michael Hollerweger (AUT) and Oskar Sandberg (NOR). Ahmed Al Melaihi (ARE), Jesus Diez, José Manuel de los Milagros (both ESP), George Richardson (GBR) and Shawn Peh (SGP) took it in turns behind the wheel of the second-placed car. Third place went to Hermann Bock, Rainer Partl and Max Partl (all GER) in the Bonk Motorsport BMW M235i Racing.

DTM: Marco Wittmann honoured at the DMSB gala of champions.

At the atmospheric Kurhaus Wiesbaden on Friday, BMW works driver Marco Wittmann (GER) was awarded an honour for winning the 2016 DTM title. At the DMSB gala of champions, in the presence of BMW Motorsport Director Jens Marquardt, he received the German Motorsport Association (DMSB) glass trophy for the best DTM driver for the second time; having first been awarded the trophy after his 2014 championship victory. "Winning my second trophy in my fourth year of DTM is incredible. There aren't many DTM drivers with two titles," said Wittmann, and took a look ahead to the 2017 season: "When you are champion, naturally you want to defend your title. I wouldn't say 'No' to a third title." Stefan Reinold (GER) of BMW Team RMG and Bart Mampaey (BEL) of BMW Team RBM also received honours in Wiesbaden, for finishing second and third in the DTM team standings. "We're kind of regulars here now," said Reinold, who received a glass trophy for the third time in a row. Mampaey also dared to look ahead to the new season: "With three drivers and three cars there are several changes. We will prepare well; it's going to be an exciting year."

IWSC: Winter pleasure meets driving pleasure.

Martin Tomczyk (GER), who is currently preparing for the start of the IMSA WeatherTechSportsCar Championship (IWSC) season at the 24-hour race in Daytona, was a guest at the BMW IBU World Cup Biathlon in Ruhpolding (GER) this week. He met BMW brand ambassador Magdalena Neuner (GER), who with 12 world championship titles and two Olympic Games gold medals is regarded as one of the best biathletes of all time. First, Tomczyk showed the winter sports star how to master the BMW xDrive obstacle course at the wheel of a BMW X4 M40i. After several spectacular drifts in the snow, they moved on to the shooting range. In the biathlon simulator, Neuner let the BMW works driver in on a few tricks for maintaining perfect concentration when shooting. The IWSC opener is in Tomczyk's schedule on 28^th/29^th January.