BMW Motorsport News – Issue 17/16
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DTM: Podium for the BMW M4 DTM in Hockenheim.

BMW Motorsport enjoyed a successful start to the 2016 DTM season. Sunday’s race in Hockenheim produced two podium finishes for the BMW M4 DTM. Timo Glock (DE) and Augusto Farfus (BR) came home second and third at the end of the 60-minute race. However, Glock was subsequently excluded from the race on Sunday evening for a breach of the technical regulations. This saw Farfus promoted to second place. Fellow BMW driver Maxime Martin (BE) moved up to third place. Tom Blomqvist (GB), Marco Wittmann (DE) and Martin Tomczyk (DE) also finished in the top ten. In Saturday’s race, Bruno Spengler (CA), António Félix da Costa (PT) and Maxime Martin (BE) finished sixth, seventh and eighth. After the second of this season’s 18 races, BMW is second in the Manufacturers’ Championship with 65 points. Martin is the best-placed BMW driver in the Drivers’ Championship, in fifth place with 19 points. The season continues in two weeks with races three and four in Spielberg (AT). 

DTM: Climbing legend Stefan Glowacz scales BMW Motorsport Hospitality.

The steepest cliffs and remotest regions in the world are usually his playground – however, German climbing legend Stefan Glowacz took on a new, rather unusual challenge at the opening round of the DTM in Hockenheim (D). The BMW Outdoor Ambassador scaled BMW Motorsport Hospitality in the DTM paddock on Saturday morning. Many curious onlookers watched as Glowacz climbed up the flat facade. He then “climbed” into the passenger seat of the BMW M4 DTM, where he completed a number of flying laps of the Hockenheimring with BMW works driver Jörg Müller (DE). “I am a massive car fan and a passionate driver, but this is my first visit to a race. What is going off here at the racetrack is beyond your wildest imagination. It is very impressive,” said Glowacz. “The Race Taxi ride was amazing. We climbers are adrenalin junkies, but this was just as much of a thrill. The speed, the braking, the centrifugal forces – that was an incredible experience. Visiting BMW Motorsport for the first time, it was also very interesting for me to take a look behind the scenes, to see how the drivers prepare, and to chat to the physiotherapists. When it comes to powers of concentration and the interaction between your body and your brain, there are many similarities between motorsport and climbing.” From the racetrack, the BMW Outdoor Ambassador now returns to the solitude of one of the most inhospitable regions on the planet: Glowacz embarks on his next expedition to Baffin Island, in the Canadian Arctic Archipelago, at the start of June. BMW Motorsport also welcomed another prominent guest at the Hockenheimring, in the form of world-class gymnast Fabian Hambüchen (DE).

DTM: BMW Team RBM appears in Brussels.

Just a few days before the start of the 2016 DTM season, BMW Team RBM appeared in front of the Belgian media with its two BMW M4 DTMs. The team and BMW Group Belux had invited guests to the event on Tuesday evening at the BMW Brand Store in Brussels (BE). Team principal Bart Mampaey (BE) and the two BMW Team RBM drivers Tom Blomqvist (GB) and Maxime Martin (BE), who joined the team this year, looked ahead to the Belgian team’s fourth season in the DTM. “We are all very motivated,” said team principal Mampaey. “I am very passionate about motorsport and BMW, and I can feel that everyone in the team shares this passion. For me personally, working with the son of Jean-Michel Martin will evoke a lot of memories. I know Jean-Michel very well and he stayed in touch with us even after his racing career. I hope we can contribute to a new chapter in the Martin family’s success story in motor racing. We actually have two ‘sons’ in our team this year, as Tom Blomqvist – son of rally legend Stig Blomqvist – is contesting his second season with us.”

Japanese Super GT Championship: Pole position and podium for the BMW M6 GT3.

The BMW M6 GT3 narrowly missed out on its first win at round two of the Japanese Super GT Championship in Fuji (JP). The Autobacs Racing Team Aguri, with drivers Shinichi Takagi (JP) and Takashi Kobayashi (JP), finished runner-up in the GT300 class after 102 laps. They finished just 3.7 seconds behind the winners. The number 55 BMW M6 GT3 started the race from pole position. Jörg Müller (DE) and Seji Ara (JP) lined up in fourth place on the grid in the BMW Team Studie BMW M6 GT3. However, problems during the race meant they had to settle for 24th. 

Blancpain GT Series: Round two of the Sprint Cup at Brands Hatch.

ROWE Racing’s race calendar is a busy one: just one week after the second round of the VLN Endurance Championship at the Nürburgring (DE), the team was back in action with its two BMW M6 GT3s at round two of the Blancpain GT Series Sprint Cup at Brands Hatch (GB). Stef Dusseldorp (NL) and Jesse Krohn (FI) finished 22nd in the number 98 car in Saturday’s qualifying race. Their team-mates in the number 99 car, Alexander Sims (GB) and Philipp Eng (AT), did not finish. In the main race, works drivers Sims and Eng produced an impressive fightback, scything their way through half of the field to finish 16th. Dusseldorp/Krohn were forced to retire after their BMW M6 GT3 was hit by another car. 

British Touring Car Championship: Rob Collard back on the podium.

Rob Collard (GB) once again finished on the podium in the British Touring Car Championship (BTCC) with his West Surrey Racing BMW 125i M Sport. The British driver finished runner-up in the second of the three races, which were held on Sunday in Thruxton (GB). Collard came home sixth in both the other two races. His team-mate Sam Tordoff (GB) finished seventh, sixth and eighth. Jack Goff was eighth, fifth and 18th in the third West Surrey Racing BMW 125i M Sport. The race weekend in Thruxton marked the third round of the 2016 BTCC season.

24h Series: Class win for Tischner Motorsport at the 12h Zandvoort.

The 24h Series continued at the weekend with the 12h Zandvoort (NL). The race was held in two parts: first three hours, then nine. Michael Tischner (DE), Matthias Tischner (DE) and Ulrich Becker (DE) won the SP3 class in the Tischner Motorsport BMW M3 Coupé. They also finished 16th overall, making them the best-placed BMW team. In total, six BMW racing cars started the race in Zandvoort.

Australian GT Championship: Two eventful races for BMW Team SRM.

BMW Team SRM was at the Barbagallo Raceway (AU) this weekend for round three of the Australian GT Championship. Steve Richards (NZ) and Max Twigg (AU) had two eventful races in the BMW M6 GT3. Race one on Saturday began in wet conditions, before the track dried out over the course of the race. Richards and Twigg finished 19th. In race two, they immediately climbed to 15th at the start. However, at the halfway point, the race was affected by a long safety car period followed by a red flag. By the time the race was re-started just 19 of the scheduled 60 minutes remained, at the end of which BMW Team SRM came home 18th. “We are still at the very start of our journey with the new car. The results may not reflect this, but our BMW M6 GT3 was actually very good in this race,” said Richards. “We came here with the goal of making further progress, and we achieved that.” Round four of the Australian GT Championship will take place on 27th and 28th May at Phillip Island (AU).