BMW Motorsport News - Issue 12/2020.

Whether in the DTM, the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship, the ABB FIA Formula E 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.

BMW M4 GT3 completes demonstration laps at the Red Bull Ring.
It was a world premiere on the Red Bull Ring (AUT) when for the first time, BMW M GmbH presented its two icons designed for the road and the racetrack side by side, the prototypes of the new BMW M4 Coupe (combined fuel consumption: 10.9 – 10.5 l/100 km*; combined CO₂ emissions: 249 – 239 g/km*, provisional figures) and the new BMW M4 GT3. During the run-up to the MotoGP ‘BMW M Grand Prix of Styria’, the two vehicles were presented in a camouflage look designed specifically for this purpose, as their final design will not be revealed until a later date. “The BMW M4 Coupe and its motorsport counterpart BMW M4 GT3 are icons of the BMW M GmbH and prime examples of the technology transfer from motorsport to series production – and back again. From the outset, both vehicles were developed parallel to each other, so they both have the same genes,” said Markus Flasch, CEO of the BMW M GmbH. For Philipp Eng (AUT), the person driving the BMW M4 GT3, the ride around the Austrian circuit was a welcome foretaste of the year ahead: “I can’t wait to take the BMW M4 GT3 onto the starting grid,” said Eng. “The BMW M4 GT3 will already take part in its first race next year and will be able to prove how it performs under competitive conditions.” From 2022 and following selected racing events in 2021, the BMW M4 GT3 will finally replace the BMW M6 GT3 as the top-of-the-range model in BMW’s customer sport offering.

Michelin Pilot Challenge: Auberlen and Foley complete the double.
One day after their victory with the BMW M6 GT3 in the GTD class of the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship, Bill Auberlen and Robby Foley (both USA) claimed another success at ‘Virginia International Raceway’. The duo was victorious for Turner Motorsport at the wheel of the BMW M4 GT4. After 55 laps of racing, Auberlen and Foley came home with a lead of 1.899 seconds to take their first win of the season in the Michelin Pilot Challenge. It was Auberlen’s 17^th victory in this series. The previous day, he set a new record with IMSA win number 61. Foley also achieved a special feat at VIR. He received two trophies on the Michelin Pilot Challenge podium. As well as his victory in the #95 BMW M4 GT4, he was also third in the #96 car. After handing the #95 BMW M4 GT4 over to Auberlen in the lead, he took over from Vincent Barletta (USA) at the wheel of the second car, in which he finished third.

DTM Trophy: Second place for Tuck in Sunday’s race.
Ben Tuck (GBR) claimed another podium in the DTM Trophy. Tuck finished runner-up in the Walkenhorst Motorsport BMW M4 GT4 in Sunday’s race at the Lausitzring (GER). Ben Green (GBR), who like Tuck was victorious on the opening race weekend at Spa-Francorchamps (BEL), crossed the finish line in fourth place in the FK Performance Motorsport team’s BMW M4 GT4. Also in action in a BMW M4 GT4 were Max Koebolt (NED, Walkenhorst Motorsport) and Luke Wankmüller (GER, FK Performance Motorsport), who came home ninth and eleventh. In the Saturday race, Tuck was the best-placed BMW driver in seventh. Wankmüller finished tenth, followed by Green in eleventh place and Koebolt in 13^th.

GT4 France: Triple success at season-opener for the BMW M4 GT4.
It was a perfect start to the season for the L'Espace Bienvenue team in GT4 France: Ricardo van der Ende (NED) and Benjamin Lessennes (BEL), in the #17 BMW M4 GT4, won all three races in the Silver category at the opening race weekend at Nogaro (FRA). Vladimir Charchiyan (RUS) and Sylvain Debs (FRA) did battle for points and positions in the AM category in the #48 BMW M4 GT4, run by the Speed Car team. They ended the first race in seventh place, before finishing eighth in the remaining two races.

ESET V4 Cup: Wins and podiums for Trevor Racing Team.
Trevor Racing Team enjoyed success in both the BMW M6 GT3 and the BMW M4 GT4 at round two of the ESET V4 Cup at the Slovakiaring (SVK). Gregor Zsigo (HUN) finished second and third in the GT3 class in the two sprint races, and runner-up alongside Štefan Rosina (SVK) in the endurance race. In the GT4 class, Ferenc Ficza (HUN) won both sprint races at the wheel of the BMW M4 GT4. He was also victorious in the endurance race together with Lubomír Jakubík (SVK).

BTCC: Three podiums for Team BMW at Oulton Park.
Team BMW claimed a further three podiums at round three of the British Touring Car Championship (BTCC). Having just missed out on a spot on the rostrum with fourth place in race one, Colin Turkington (GBR) finished third in race two. He then added a second place in the #1 BMW 330i M Sport in the final race of the weekend. Tom Oliphant (GBR) rounded off a strong team result with third place in the #15 BMW 330i M Sport. In the first two races, Oliphant was twelfth and sixth. Turkington continues to top the overall standings with 141 points going into the next round of the BTCC at Knockhill (GBR) this weekend.

Sim racing: BMW Motorsport SIM Racing Team starts in the new V10 R-League.
BMW Motorsport has added another element to its involvement in sim racing. Over the coming months, the four-man BMW Motorsport SIM Racing Team will enter the new V10 R-League. The drivers in BMW colours are Laurin Heinrich (GER), Cem Bölükbasi (TUR), Kevin Siggy (SLO) and Coque Lopéz (ESP). Heinrich and Bölükbasi regularly line up in virtual cars for sim racing team BS+COMPETITION. Heinrich won the BMW SIM 120 Cup at the Nürburgring (GER) and the iRacing 24h Nürburgring. As well as his virtual outings, Bölükbasi also drives a real BMW M4 GT4 in the GT4 European Series. Siggy took overall victory in the ‘ABB Formula E Race at Home Challenge’ in the virtual BMW iFE.20. In the V10 R-League, the BMW Motorsport SIM Racing Team will take on seven other teams in a league format on the Assetto Corsa sim racing platform. The different race events are held in single-seater car especially developed for the series. Rudolf Dittrich, General Manager BMW Motorsport Vehicle Development): “We are happy to see a BMW Motorsport SIM Racing entry in the V10 R-League. Our drivers have connections to various sim racing teams and are now joining forces to fly the flag for BMW Motorsport. For us, sim racing has become an additional pillar in our race programme and we want to play an active role in this world by bringing our experience and technologies. Our BMW SIM 120 and BMW SIM M2 CS Racing Cup programmes prove just that. We are determined to be a key player in the exciting future-oriented field of sim racing. In season one we want to learn as much as possible and deliver entertaining races to our fans.”

Sim racing: Beitske Visser wins the W Series Esports League.
BMW works driver Beitske Visser (NED) has emphatically demonstrated her extraordinary sim racing talent in the W Series Esports League, in which she took overall victory. With one event remaining, Visser has already opened up an unassailable lead over her fellow drivers, courtesy of eleven victories throughout the season. “It feels really good to win the W Series Esports League,” said Visser. “I’ve been very strong from the start of the League season, so I’m happy to win it with one round to spare. Racing drivers always want to win everything, so it means a lot to me.” The W Series Esports League was held from June to August and featured a total of ten events on the iRacing sim racing platform.