BMW Motorsport News – Issue 19/15.
Whether in the DTM, the United 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.
Nürburgring 24 Hours: the Eifel classic on video.
BMW Sports Trophy Team Marc VDS finished runners-up at the
Nürburgring 24 Hours (DE) last Sunday in one of the closest finishes
of all time. In an emotional video, we look back at the 43rd running
of this endurance marathon. From pole position, courtesy of Augusto
Farfus (BR), and disappointment for BMW Sports Trophy Team Schubert
to the happy ending after 24 hours: this year’s race was
littered with spectacular scenes.
The clip is available now on the BMW Motorsport
YouTube channel: https://youtu.be/XSbH_ArJ1M8
Extensive footage is also available for TV and video
journalists to download at: http://bit.ly/1enKae2
Blancpain Endurance Series: class victory for
the BMW Z4 GT3.
A top-class field of 61 cars competed in Silverstone (GB) for the
second race weekend in the Blancpain Endurance Series. After 82
laps, Olivier Grötz (NL) and Karim Ojjeh (SA) emerged victorious in
the Am class in the number 15 BMW Z4 GT3. The duo from the Boutsen
Ginion team led the three-hour race for long stretches, leaving the
opposition to fight it out for second place. In the Pro-Am class,
the number 888 BMW Z4 GT3 of the Triple Eight Racing team also led
for much of the race, but surrendered the lead after the final pit
stop and eventually came home tenth. The best-placed BMW Z4 GT3 in
the Pro-Am class was the TDS Racing car in sixth place.
GT4 European Series: first win of the season for the
defending champions.
The second race weekend of the GT4 European Series saw Ricardo van
der Ende and Bernhard van Oranje (both NL) claim their first win of
the season. The defending champions in the Pro class came home
second overall at the wheel of the number 1 BMW M3 GT4 in
Saturday’s opening race, which was good enough to earn them
victory in their class. “Winning your home race is just the
coolest thing,” said van Oranje, who races alongside van der Ende
for the Ekris Motorsport team. They were less fortunate in race
two on Sunday, having to settle for sixth place in the Pro
class. The best-placed BMW drivers were Simon Knap and Rob
Severs (both NL), also representing Racing Team Holland by Ekris
Motorsport. They finished the race fourth overall and in the Pro
class. Two BMW M3 GT4s came home in the top ten. The Red Bull Ring
(AT) hosts the third race weekend of the GT4 European Series from
5th to 7th June.
FIA Formula E Championship: home outing for the BMW i8
Safety Car.
The latest leg of their world tour saw the BMW i8 Safety Car and the BMW i3 Medical Car make their first appearance in Germany at the weekend. The eighth race of FIA Formula E Championship took place on Saturday on the grounds of the former Tempelhof Airport in Berlin (DE). BMW is involved in the innovative racing series for electric single-seater cars as “Official Vehicle Partner”. The winner of the 33-lap race was Jerome d'Ambrosio (BE) of the Dragon Racing team. Lucas di Grassi (BR) did cross the finish line first, but the Brazilian was subsequently disqualified, as his car failed the post-race technical inspection. BMW DTM driver António Félix da Costa (PT) finished 11th at the Berlin ePrix. The BMW i8 Safety Car and BMW i3 Medical Car will be in action in Moscow (RU) next, when the Russian capital hosts the ninth round of the FIA Formula E Championship on 6th June. Three months later, the DTM also heads to Russia: the eight BMW M4 DTMs will be back battling for points when the “Moscow Raceway” stages two races from 28th to 30th August.