24h qualifiers: Overall victory and class wins for BMW M Motorsport teams.
This weekend saw preparations for the 24 Hours Nürburgring (GER) draw to a close with the qualifiers. There was a 3-hour race on the 24-hour version of the Nordschleife on both Saturday and Sunday. The dress rehearsal went well for the BMW M Motorsport teams and the BMW Junior Team in the BMW M Team RMG BMW M4 GT3 took the overall win on Saturday ahead of ROWE Racing. On Sunday, the Juniors Dan Harper (GBR), Max Hesse (GER) and Neil Verhagen (USA) finished on the podium again, this time in second place. BMW M Motorsport racing cars also brought home a further eight class wins. Adrenalin Motorsport Team Alzner Automotive alone got five wins: with the BMW M2 CS Racing in the CUP5 class on both days, with the BMW 330i in the V2T+RWD class, also on both days, and with the BMW M240i Racing in the same category on Saturday. Schnitzelalm Racing was victorious in that class on Sunday. The duo of Benjamin Lyons (GBR) and Markus Loew (GER) finished in first place with the BMW 325i in the V4 class on both days.
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British GT Championship: Century Motorsport misses out on GT4 podium.
The first endurance race of the British GT Championship was held at Silverstone (GBR) this weekend. The Century Motorsport team competed once again, with a BMW M4 GT3 and two BMW M4 GT4s. In the GT3 class, Betty Chen (TPE) and Angus Fender (GBR) added to their experience of the new GT3 car and crossed the finish line in twelfth place after three hours of racing. In the GT4 category, reigning champion Will Burns and Jack Brown (both GBR) crossed the finish line in second place, however the duo was awarded a 40-second time penalty after the race for a collision which saw them drop down into fifth place – in front of their team-mates Tom Rawlings and Chris Salkeld (both GBR) in the second BMW M4 GT4.
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Japanese Super GT: Second race of the season at Fuji.
The second race of the Japanese Super GT Championship season was held at Fuji (JPN) last week. BMW M works driver Augusto Farfus (BRA) represented BMW M Team Studie once again. He shared the cockpit of the BMW M4 GT3 with Seiji Ara and Tsubasa Kondo (both JPN). After qualifying in twelfth place in the GT300 class, a technical defect forced the trio to retire from the race after just a few laps.
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IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge: Laguna Seca.
At the IMSA race weekend at Laguna Seca (USA), the BMW M Motorsport teams Turner Motorsport and Stephen Cameron Racing contested the IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge with the BMW M4 GT4. Vincent Barletta and Robby Foley (both USA) in the #96 Turner Motorsport car only just missed out on the podium, finishing in fourth place, but it was still the duo’s best result of the season to date. Their team-mates Bill Auberlen and Dillon Machavern (both USA) were unlucky, with tyre damage pushing them right down the field from a promising position. Gregory Liefooghe and Sewan Quinlan (both USA) crossed the finish line in 16th place in the #43 BMW M4 GT4 of Stephen Cameron Racing.
