BMW M Motorsport News, 21st August 2023

Jeff Seabrook BMW Racing News Wednesday August 23, 2023

Björn Lellmann, Head of Customer Racing at BMW M Motorsport:

“After yet another fantastic weekend of racing, I am delighted to congratulate our BMW M Motorsport teams and drivers on wins with all our cars. Samantha Tan Racing recorded a first class win in the GT World Challenge America with the BMW M4 GT3 and Racing Trevor enjoyed success in the ESET Cup Series. The BMW M4 GT4 first set the scene of the weekend in the GT World Challenge Asia, before carrying BMW M Team Studie to the title on Sunday. The BMW M4 GT4 was also successful at Road America and at the Lausitzring. The BMW M2 CS Racing performed well in the BMW M2 Cup and in the TC America, delivering some thrilling race action. I am looking forward to even more in the weeks ahead!”

GTWC/GT/GT4/TC America: Samantha Tan Racing celebrates first win.

At the race weekend in the Fanatec GT World Challenge America Powered by AWS at Road America (USA), Samantha Tan (CAN) celebrated her first class win in the competitive racing series. Alongside BMW M works driver and BMW Junior Team member Neil Verhagen (USA) in the Samantha Tan Racing #38 BMW M4 GT3, she claimed third place overall in the second race, which was victory in the Pro-Am category. The duo had secured fourth place in Saturday’s race, finishing second in their class. On Saturday, second place on the overall podium went to Bill Auberlen and Chandler Hull (USA) from the BimmerWorld team. They endured some very bad luck on Sunday, forced to retire from the lead just before the end of the race by a problem with their #94 BMW M4 GT3.

In the GT4 America, the BMW M4 GT4 claimed five out of a possible six spots on the podium and some class wins. Zac Anderson (USA) produced the performance of the weekend. In both races, he drove the Auto Technic Racing #51 BMW M4 GT4 on his own, as his team-mate John Capestro-Dubets (USA) was unable to compete due to a back injury. This additional burden did not impinge upon his success, as he won Sunday’s race and reached the rostrum again on Saturday by finishing third. Kevin Boehm and Kenton Koch (both USA) finished second in both races in the Random Vandals Racing #92 BMW M4 GT4. The BimmerWorld duo James Walker Jr. / Tyler McQuarrie (both USA) secured third place overall on Sunday, which was the Pro-Am class win. In both races, the BimmerWorld #36 BMW M4 GT4, driven by Charlie Postins and James Clay (both USA), proved unbeatable in the Am category. In the GT America, John Roberts (USA) finished seventh and tenth for Fast Track Racing in the GT4 class.

The BMW M2 CS Racing dominated proceedings once again in the TC America. Five cars were racing for the lead in the two races, with victory on both occasions going to Colin Garrett (USA) from the Rooster Hall Racing team. Lucas Catania (USA) from the Rigid Speed Company team finished behind him in second place in both races. The third podium spot went to Aaron Kaplan (USA) on Saturday and Kenny Schmied (USA) on Sunday.

DTM: BMW M Motorsport teams in the points at the Lausitzring – 100th DTM race for René Rast.

Jeff Seabrook BMW Racing News Monday August 21, 2023

Overall, the BMW M Motorsport teams endured a difficult DTM weekend of ups and downs at the Lausitzring (GER). In Saturday’s race, important points were claimed by defending champion Sheldon van der Linde (RSA) in fifth, his Schubert Motorsport team-mate René Rast (GER) in eighth and Marco Wittmann (GER) in tenth place.

Lausitzring. Overall, the BMW M Motorsport teams endured a difficult DTM weekend of ups and downs at the Lausitzring (GER). In Saturday’s race, important points were claimed by defending champion Sheldon van der Linde (RSA) in fifth, his Schubert Motorsport team-mate René Rast (GER) in eighth and Marco Wittmann (GER) in tenth place. Problems in qualifying on Sunday pushed the BMW M Motorsport drivers to the back of the grid, but Wittmann in particular gave a superb recovery performance. There was another reason to celebrate for Rast as on Sunday, he completed the 100th DTM race of a career that has included three title wins.

Although the BMW M4 GT3 was generally unable to keep pace with the leaders at the Lausitzring, van der Linde, Rast and Wittmann coped pretty well in qualifying on Saturday and secured fifth, eighth and tenth positions in the race, having started from the middle of the pack.

They had worse luck in qualifying on Sunday with a red flag five minutes before the end of the session. It proved impossible for them to get their tyres to the right temperature after the restart, resulting in grid positions of 15th for Rast, 21st for van der Linde and 22nd for Wittmann. However, the trio of BMW M works drivers displayed plenty of fighting spirit in the race as they gave impressive recovery performances. Wittmann in particular had a sparkling drive to move up from 22nd to ninth place. He fell back to tenth place due to a post-race five-second time penalty. Rast finished eleventh, while van der Linde claimed 13th position. Sandro Holzem (GER) enjoyed two respectable finishes on his second DTM weekend, securing 17th and 18th places in the second BMW M4 GT3 from the Project 1 team.

Reactions to the DTM weekend at the Lausitzring:

Sheldon van der Linde (#1 BMW M4 GT3, Schubert Motorsport): “I am particularly proud of the fifth place that we achieved on Saturday. I think that was the absolute maximum that we could have achieved, under the conditions that we had with the BMW M4 GT3. Unfortunately, we dropped a lot of points on Sunday due to qualifying and some minor incidents in the race. That is disappointing, but I am still very much in the title race – and now there are some circuits coming up that should suit our car better. We will continue to go full throttle.”

René Rast (#33 BMW M4 GT3, Schubert Motorsport): “I finished in the points in both races, but overall, the points gain is meager. I would have naturally expected something more for my 100th race. It was evident that we didn't have the prerequisites to be competitive this weekend. I was the highest-placed BMW driver with P15 in qualifying on Sunday – I think that says it all. In the race, I gained a few positions, but more wasn't possible.”

Marco Wittmann (#11 BMW M4 GT3, Project 1): “I view the weekend with mixed feelings. I scored points in both races and my race pace was really very good, especially on Sunday. But, of course, my aspiration is to be competing at the front. We aren’t managing that right now. As a team, we just don’t have the experience of the individual circuits. That is particularly noticeable in the practice sessions, as we spend longer searching for the right set-up than the more experienced teams. In the meantime, we are really good at reaching the level of the others for the race and gave good performances, but overall we still have room for improvement as we look ahead to the upcoming races.”

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BMW M Motorsport News, 8th August 2023

Jeff Seabrook BMW Racing News Friday August 11, 2023

Our BMW M Motorsport News allows us to give you a regular overview of the race action in various championships around the world and any success enjoyed by the BMW M Motorsport teams.

Björn Lellmann, Head of Customer Racing at BMW M Motorsport:

“In August, the racing circuits around the world traditionally become somewhat quieter. Many racing series, and consequently, BMW M Motorsport teams, take a break before the season's final push from September. However, the summer isn't entirely devoid of racing, and over the past weekends, there have been several successes to celebrate. The BMW M4 GT4 remains a winning car, and I am also delighted with the strong performance of the BMW M Team Studie with the BMW M4 GT3 in the highly competitive GT300 class of the Japanese Super GT Series. Congratulations to the successful teams and drivers, and to those who have some time off from racing, I wish you a relaxing break. Hopefully, we'll have plenty of reasons to celebrate together again in the season's final stretch!”

Japanese Super GT Series: BMW M Team Studie achieves strong second place at Fuji.

About four weeks after celebrating their first season victory in the GT300 class of the Japanese Super GT Series at Suzuka (JPN), BMW M Team Studie with the BMW M4 GT3 secured another podium finish at the fourth season event at Fuji (JPN). Seiji Ara and Masataka Yanagida (both JPN) took second place. The duo started the 450-kilometre race from 16th position, which began under rainy conditions behind the safety car. As the race progressed, the weather constantly changed, the track dried up, teams switched to slick tyres, and later, rain returned. Moreover, the race had to be briefly interrupted due to a GT300 vehicle catching fire. Ara and Yanagida showcased an outstanding comeback in the turbulent race in the #7 BMW M4 GT3, steadily advancing with a perfect strategy, and eventually securing second place on the podium. The victory propelled the team and Ara to the top position in the GT300 overall standings.

IMSA: Both BMW M Hybrid V8 cars retire at Road America – Paul Miller Racing celebrates class win with BMW M4 GT3.

Jeff Seabrook BMW Racing News Monday August 7, 2023

The third-to-last race of the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship (IMSA series) at Road America (USA) was disappointing for BMW M Team RLL. Both BMW M Hybrid V8 cars retired prematurely in the 2-hour and 40-minute-long race.

Elkhart Lake. The third-to-last race of the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship (IMSA series) at Road America (USA) was disappointing for BMW M Team RLL. Both BMW M Hybrid V8 cars retired prematurely in the 2-hour and 40-minute-long race. Connor De Phillippi (USA) had an early collision with the wall in the #25 car, forcing him to retire. Philipp Eng (AUT) had to park the #24 BMW M Hybrid V8 after 55 laps due to technical issues. In the GTD class, Paul Miller Racing celebrated their fourth season victory and extended their lead in the overall standings.

After their retirements, the #24 BMW M Hybrid V8 driven by Eng and Augusto Farfus (BRA) and the #25 car driven by De Phillippi and Nick Yelloly (GBR) were classified in ninth and tenth positions in the GTP class. As a result, De Phillippi and Yelloly lost their second place in the overall standings, which they held after a victory and three other podium finishes this season. In the GTD class, Madison Snow and Bryan Sellers (both USA) drove to a dominant victory. Bill Auberlen and Chandler Hull (both USA) finished sixth in the #97 BMW M4 GT3 of Turner Motorsport, while their teammates Robby Foley and Patrick Gallagher (both USA) ran out of fuel in the final lap and were classified twelfth.

The penultimate GTP race of the season will take place on 17^th September in Indianapolis (USA). The GTD class will compete at the VIRginia International Raceway (USA) on 27^th August before that.

Quotes after the race:

Andreas Roos (Head of BMW M Motorsport): “That was a very disappointing race for BMW M Team RLL and BMW M Motorsport. Losing the car shortly after the start, which was in second place in the championship, is tough. The GTP prototypes are particularly challenging to drive on cold tyres, as we have seen throughout the season. Such things can happen, even though it's very frustrating. That's racing. The #24 car had an issue with its electronics. We still need to analyse exactly what happened. Although we are all disappointed today, we will work hard from tomorrow onwards to get back to our proven strength at the next race in Indianapolis. We had a good test there and are accordingly confident. My heartfelt congratulations go to Paul Miller Racing for the victory in the GTD class. The team impressively demonstrates how strong our BMW M4 GT3 is on North American racetracks.”

Philipp Eng (#24 BMW M Hybrid V8, DNF): “Compared to qualifying, we had a much better pace in the race, and I held the fastest lap for a long time in the first half of the race. Unfortunately, I had a minor collision with a Porsche that cost me a lot of time; otherwise, we could have been much further ahead. As for the issue with the electronics, we'll have to investigate further. I'm not sure if it was a result of the collision, but we will find out.”

Connor De Phillippi (#25 BMW M Hybrid V8, DNF): “In the formation lap, unfortunately, I spun while trying to warm up the cold tyres and ended up in the gravel. The marshals pulled me out, and I was able to continue. It seems that the action significantly altered the balance of my car, which I didn't notice at first. It was only when I had overtaken all the GTD vehicles and went through 'The Kink' at full speed for the first time that I suddenly lost the rear of the car and hit the wall. Fortunately, I'm okay, but I feel really sorry for the entire team. However, I'm confident that we will come out stronger from this experience.”

Madison Snow (#1 BMW M4 GT3, Paul Miller Racing, 1^st place GTD class):

“We came out of the gate very strong. The BMW was handling as good as it gets in qualifying. Once I had the GTD PRO class cars get past me I focused on getting a gap and staying out front.”

Bryan Sellers (#1 BMW M4 GT3, Paul Miller Racing, 1^st place GTD class):

“This weekend a large challenge was the newly resurfaced race track. After qualifying, we felt that we should not ask too much or push so hard that we would put ourselves in a position where the track had less grip. There was a lot of time to be lost in traffic and careful management was important.”

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DTM: BMW M Motorsport Teams out of luck in changeable weather conditions at the Nürburgring.

Jeff Seabrook BMW Racing News Monday August 7, 2023

The infamous weather in the Eifel region struck once again, catching the BMW M Motorsport teams out during the DTM race weekend at the Nürburgring (GER). On Sunday in particular, the BMW M4 GT3 was unable to make the most of its great pace as the Schubert Motorsport and Project 1 teams picked the wrong tyre strategy in extremely challenging weather conditions.

Nürburgring. The infamous weather in the Eifel region struck once again, catching the BMW M Motorsport teams out during the DTM race weekend at the Nürburgring (GER). On Sunday in particular, the BMW M4 GT3 was unable to make the most of its great pace as the Schubert Motorsport and Project 1 teams picked the wrong tyre strategy in extremely challenging weather conditions. Sheldon van der Linde (RSA), Marco Wittmann and René Rast (both GER) started on slicks with the track drying out, only for the rain to return a few laps in and send the trio tumbling down the order. Wittmann and van der Linde had scored some points on Saturday.

The BMW M Motorsport teams decided to risk it all on Sunday when it looked like the track was drying out at the start of the race, prompting van der Linde and Rast to put on slicks. Wittmann followed suit after the first of two warm-up laps, while the remainder of the field started on wet-weather tyres. The three BMW M works drivers initially fell back on the moist surface, but were able to progress as conditions improved.

Had the weather held until the pit-stop window opened 20 minutes into the race, the tyre gamble may have paid off. However, the strategy was torpedoed by a rain shower after about a quarter of an hour. During the laps preceding the regular pit stop, the BMW trio lost so much time that a points finish was now out of reach. Wittmann finished 16th, with van der Linde and Rast in 17th and 19th positions. On his debut DTM weekend, Sandro Holzem (GER) was the best-placed BMW driver in 15th position, a result that saw him score his first DTM point. The second Project 1 driver had started on wet-weather tyres. This bad luck with the weather was a particularly bitter pill to swallow for van der Linde and Wittmann, as they had qualified in second and fifth respectively.

Wittmann and van der Linde both reached the top ten in Saturday’s race, finishing sixth and seventh. Both drivers gave great chasing performances after struggling in qualifying. Wittmann moved up from tenth on the grid to sixth place, while van der Linde came back even more strongly after starting 15th and was the fastest car in the field at times. Rast finished 20th, directly ahead of Holzem.

The Le Mans Classic 2023. BMW Group Classic enters a BMW M1 Group 4 in legendary “Wirtshaus” livery.

Jeff Seabrook BMW Racing News Tuesday August 1, 2023

Munich/Le Mans.

BMW Group Classic is returning to the Le Mans Classic for the first time since 2014 – and will line up at the Circuit de La Sarthe with the legendary BMW M1 Group 4 in “Münchener Wirtshaus” livery. Piloting the car will be the original driver trio from the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1981: HRH Prince Leopold of Bavaria (DE), Christian Danner (DE) and Peter Oberndorfer (DE).

On 15 June 2023 the team met up at the Spatenhaus an der Oper restaurant in Munich to set the scene for the action to come.

The drivers got together with fans and media representatives to
recreate the pre-race public photo call from 1981. The event on 3 June that year was intended to shine the spotlight on the company’s involvement in the upcoming 24-hour race.

So history was repeating itself this year – with the same venue, the same car and the same drivers.

IMSA at Road America: BMW M Team RLL aiming for third consecutive GTP podium with the new BMW M Hybrid V8.

Jeff Seabrook BMW Racing News Tuesday August 1, 2023

After a break of four weeks, BMW M Team RLL is now ready to resume the 2023 season in the IMSA WeatherTech Sports Car Championship (IMSA series). The seventh round of the year will be held at Road America near Elkhart Lake (USA) this upcoming weekend.

Munich. After a break of four weeks, BMW M Team RLL is now ready to resume the 2023 season in the IMSA WeatherTech Sports Car Championship (IMSA series). The seventh round of the year will be held at Road America near Elkhart Lake (USA) this upcoming weekend. After celebrating victory at Watkins Glen (USA) and third place at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park (CAN), BMW M Team RLL is aiming for the third consecutive podium for the BMW M Hybrid V8 in the new GTP class. In total, the team has claimed one victory and three further podium finishes in the season so far with the #25 BMW M Hybrid V8.

In the four weeks following the round six race at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park, both of the BMW M Hybrid V8 racing cars have been very busy testing for this weekend’s event at Road America. All four season-long drivers, Connor De Phillippi (USA), Nick Yelloly (GBR), Augusto Farfus (BRA), and Philipp Eng (AUT), participated in a two-day test at Road America where both cars accumulated more than 1,491 total miles on the recently resurfaced track. Just last week the team spent two-days at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway (USA) with drivers De Phillippi, Colton Herta (USA), and Jesse Krohn (FIN). The second day of the test ended with the #25 and #24 BMWs at the top of the timing sheets.

Turner Motorsport Looking for a Little Revenge at a Resurfaced Road America

Jeff Seabrook BMW Racing News Tuesday August 1, 2023

Turner Motorsport has enjoyed quite a bit of success at Road America in past seasons. In fact, never worse than a top-10 finish. That 10th place finish happened last year after qualifying on the class pole position with Robby Foley in the No. 96 LIQUI-MOLY BMW M4 GT3 he co-drove with Bill Auberlen. Before that, during the BMW M6 GT3 era, the Taco Warriors scored a runner-up finish in the 2021 IMSA race as well as a win at the SRO race. 2018 and 2019 saw two top-five results in IMSA competition. Going back further Turner Motorsport has three more IMSA-Road America victories in 2013, 2014, and 2017. This year the team is returning to a newly resurfaced Road America looking for a bit of revenge for last year and a win.

Robby Foley said, "I am looking forward to the new and improved Road America. It's always been one of my favorite tracks and tends to suit our BMW's well. Last year we had good speed and ended up on pole, so we're hoping that setup philosophy transfers to the new surface. I think it'll be a new challenge for everyone and a clean sheet of paper to an extent, but I'm sure the character of Road America still remains."

This year Foley is co-driving with Patrick Gallagher in the No. 96 LIQUI-MOLY BMW this year. The duo is coming off a strong fourth-place result at Lime Rock Park two weeks ago.

Bill Auberlen is certainly no stranger to Road America. The driver at the top of IMSA’s all-time win list is co-driving the No. 97 McIntosh BMW M4 GT3 with Chandler Hull this season. Auberlen has three GT class victories at the classic circuit (2009, 2012, 2013). Can Hull help Auberlen score victory number 65 this weekend?

IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge – BMW M4 GT4

The Turner Motorsport BMW M4 GT4 machines have a thing for classic old-school style road racing circuits this season. Twice – twice! – First at Sebring and next at Watkins Glen – the team finished 1-2 in IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge competition. Can they do it again at Road America?

With those two victories at Sebring and Watkins Glen, Vin Barletta and Robby Foley, and the No. 96 machine stand second in GS driver points. With the second-place finishes at Sebring and the Glen, as well as a few forgettable ones, No. 95 BMW drivers Cameron Lawrence and Robert Megennis stand 12th in GS driver points.

Will Turner said, “We have our sights set on a championship - maybe two - and we can usually count on Road America to kick start the late summer push into the final four races of the season. The track’s resurfacing should play to the BMW’s strengths so I am confident of good results.”

The Turner Motorsport Michelin Pilot Challenge and WeatherTech SportsCar Championship BMWs are in action at Road America August 3 -6, in Elkhart Lake, Wis., during the IMSA SportsCar Weekend.

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GT World Challenge Europe: Valentino Rossi claims his maiden GTWC victory at his home race in Misano.

Jeff Seabrook BMW Racing News Monday July 31, 2023

Valentino Rossi’s (ITA) success story as a BMW M works driver has hit a new high. The nine-time motorcycle world champion claimed his maiden GTWC victory at his home event in Misano (ITA), which formed part of round two of this season’s Sprint Cup within the Fanatec GT World Challenge Europe Powered by AWS (GTWC). The win represents the biggest success of the Italian’s career in automobile racing so far.

Misano. Valentino Rossi’s (ITA) success story as a BMW M works driver has hit a new high. The nine-time motorcycle world champion claimed his maiden GTWC victory at his home event in Misano (ITA), which formed part of round two of this season’s Sprint Cup within the Fanatec GT World Challenge Europe Powered by AWS (GTWC). The win represents the biggest success of the Italian’s career in automobile racing so far. Racing alongside Maxime Martin (BEL), Rossi was unbeatable in Sunday’s one-hour race, which took place in scorching heat. As well as overall victory, BMW M Team WRT also celebrated a class win in the Gold Cup and further podium results.

Rossi’s and Martin’s celebrations knew no bounds after Sunday’s race in Misano – nor did the adulation of the countless fans of the Italian motor racing legend, who made Rossi’s home outing in Misano a true spectacle. They were rewarded with their hero’s biggest triumph in automobile racing to date. A few weeks ago, Rossi claimed his very first victory on four wheels at the ‘Road to Le Mans’. However, finishing on the top step of the podium against the best GT racing drivers in the world in GTWC Europe is a cut above that achievement. Martin laid the foundation for the duo’s success with third place in qualifying. However, it was Rossi who produced a commanding performance and some impressive lap times to close out the victory in the second half of the race. Interestingly, Martin was also involved the last time a BMW race car won a race in the GTWC Sprint Cup. That was eight years ago, alongside Dirk Müller (GER) in a BMW Z4 GT3.

As well as the overall victory on Sunday, BMW M Team WRT also had more cause for celebration. Dries Vanthoor and Charles Weerts (both BEL) had already produced a fantastic fightback in the Saturday race, battling through from 21^st on the grid to finish third. The duo then started from pole position on Sunday, but dropped well back after an issue during the pit stop and eventually had to settle for ninth place. Celebrating together with Rossi and Martin on the podium on Sunday were Jean-Baptiste Simmenauer and Thomas Neubauer (both FRA), who finished an excellent third. Niklas Krütten (GER) and Calan Williams (AUS) won the Gold Cup on Sunday, having previously finished runners-up on Saturday.

Reactions after the race weekend.

BMW M Motorsport News, 24th July 2023

Jeff Seabrook BMW Racing News Monday July 24, 2023

Björn Lellmann, Head of Customer Racing at BMW M Motorsport:

“In this issue of our newsletter, there is one topic that really stands out from my perspective: We have experienced an incredible winning streak with our new BMW M4 GT4 these past two weeks. Whether in Europe, Asia, or the USA,the car was almost unbeatable in the hands of our BMW M Motorsport teams and drivers. I’m delighted that it seems we have managed to make the second generation of the BMW M4 GT4 even more successful than its highly decorated predecessor. Everyone at BMW M Motorsport who was involved in the development of the car can be very proud of this achievement. I’d like to congratulate all the winners of these past weeks and am already looking forward to seeing what the rest of this season has in store!”

ADAC GT Masters: Marco Wittmann and Project 1 on the Podium at the Nürburgring.

BMW M Motorsport News, 11th July 2023

Jeff Seabrook BMW Racing News Monday July 17, 2023

Björn Lellmann, Head of Customer Racing at BMW M Motorsport:

“In recent weeks, the BMW M4 GT3 has celebrated significant victories at the 24 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps and in the DTM at the Norisring in the hands of our BMW M works drivers. This is fantastic news for all of us at BMW M Motorsport, but personally, I am equally delighted to once again acknowledge the unbroken streak of success achieved by our private teams and drivers in this newsletter. The Paul Miller Racing and BMW Italia Ceccato Racing teams also had successful weekends with the BMW M4 GT3. Moreover, the BMW M4 GT4 has crossed the finish line first on multiple occasions. Our entry-level car, the BMW M2 CS Racing, was deployed in three one-make cups during a single weekend, proving once again that it remains a highly sought-after racing car that provides thrilling and spectacular racing. Congratulations to all the teams and drivers!”

Top topics of this newsletter:

Podium finish for BMW Italia Ceccato Racing in the Italian GT Endurance Championship.
Double victory for the BMW M4 GT4 in the GT4 European Series.
BMW M Motorsport teams secure eight class wins at NLS 5.
BMW M2 Cup: Triple racing action in Germany, Italy, and Belgium.