Strong Showing for North American BMW Drivers and Teams at 53rd Annual BMW Sports Trophy Presentation

Woodcliff Lake, N.J. – Dec. 5, 2014 . . . Five North American BMW drivers finished among the top-25 privateer BMW racers in the 2014 BMW Sports Trophy recognition program. Tonight’s BMW Motorsport Season Review, a celebration for BMW drivers and teams from around the world, was held at the new BMW Driving Academy location in Maisach, Germany. In total, 283 privateer BMW drivers from 26 countries registered for the BMW Sports Trophy, with the top 25 at the end of the season winning a share of the 250,000 Euros prize money.

“To a certain degree, the BMW Sports Trophy epitomises the DNA of BMW in motorsport,” said Jens Marquardt, BMW Motorsport Director. “For over 50 years these competitions have allowed us to acknowledge the most successful privateer teams and drivers, who enjoy success around the world with BMW racing cars, thus making them excellent ambassadors for our brand. In 2014, our team monitored and recorded the results of the BMW drivers and teams in a total of 60 racing series and events. This amounted to an incredible 6,000 individual results from 1,400 drivers. It is impressive how many drivers and teams around the world put their faith in BMW cars.”

Finland’s Markus Palttala was awarded the 2014 BMW Sports Trophy in large part based on his efforts in the championship-winning No. 94 Turner Motorsport BMW Z4 GTD in the IMSA United SportsCar Championship where he finished sixth in the driver’s standings. Palttala also had a strong showing driving the BMW Z4 GT3 for Team Marc VDS, most recently as co-driver in the team’s victory at the European Le Mans Series race at Estoril, Spain on October 19.

Californian Dane Cameron, Palttala’s Turner Motorsport co-driver and the GTD class driver’s champion, finished second in the BMW Sports Trophy standings. Palttala and Cameron co-drove to four GTD class victories this season, winning at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca, Watkins Glen, Road America, and Virginia International Raceway. Cameron is the highest-finishing North American Sports Trophy driver since Paul Dalla Lana – another Turner Motorsport driver – won the Sports Trophy outright in 2011. GTD championship-winning Turner Motorsport finished seventh in the 2014 BMW Sports Trophy team category.

Tom Capizzi and Robert Nimkoff, racing primarily in the Pro-IT Series and the North Atlantic Road Racing Championship, finished third and tenth respectively in the Sports Trophy standings.

18-year old Trent Hindman, the 2014 Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge Grand Sport driver’s champion, was the 11th place finisher in the Sports Trophy. His co-driver John Edwards finished 24th in Sports Trophy points to round out another excellent year for North American BMW drivers. Fall-Line Motorsports finished sixth in the Sports Trophy team points.

Gordon McDonnell, BMW of North America Motorsport Manager during seasons 2013-2014, has announced he will accept an assignment with BMW Motorrad USA as Motorrad Service and Technical Manager, effective January 1, 2015. In the new assignment, McDonnell will oversee the BMW Motorrad Service and Technical team, which mutually supports the manufacturer and dealer network in pursuit of the highest levels of customer satisfaction and brand loyalty for BMW Motorrad in the US market. BMW Motorrad USA has continued to break sales records in 2014.

McDonnell’s success in racing includes championing and administering BMW’s current support for independent racing teams in the US market, unquestionably highlighted by the 2014 championship won by Turner Motorsport in the GTD class of the IMSA United SportsCar Championship, and multiple wins and championships for BMW teams in the Continental Tire Sports Car Championship. During his tenure with BMW Team RLL, the GTLM team secured six pole positions and 13 podium finishes, including two 2013 wins at Long Beach and Lime Rock Park.

McDonnell’s successor at BMW of North America will be announced in due course.

BMW Group In America

BMW of North America, LLC has been present in the United States since 1975. Rolls-Royce Motor Cars NA, LLC began distributing vehicles in 2003. The BMW Group in the United States has grown to include marketing, sales, and financial service organizations for the BMW brand of motor vehicles, including motorcycles, the MINI brand, and the Rolls-Royce brand of Motor Cars; DesignworksUSA, a strategic design consultancy in California; a technology office in Silicon Valley and various other operations throughout the country. BMW Manufacturing Co., LLC in South Carolina is part of BMW Group’s global manufacturing network and is the exclusive manufacturing plant for all X5 and X3 Sports Activity Vehicles and X6 Sports Activity Coupes. The BMW Group sales organization is represented in the U.S. through networks of 338 BMW passenger car and BMW Sports Activity Vehicle centers, 140 BMW motorcycle retailers, 122 MINI passenger car dealers, and 35 Rolls-Royce Motor Car dealers. BMW (US) Holding Corp., the BMW Group’s sales headquarters for North America, is located in Woodcliff Lake, New Jersey.

Information about BMW Group products is available to consumers via the Internet at: www.bmwgroupna.com

#     #     #

Journalist note: Information about BMW Group and its products in the USA is available to journalists on-line at www.bmwgroupusanews.com and www.press.bmwna.com.

#     #     #