BMW M Motorsport teams celebrated a series of remarkable successes across various international racing events this past weekend. From podium finishes in GT World Challenge Europe and GT America to dominant performances in virtual racing, BMW M Motorsport demonstrated its prowess and versatility in the motorsport world.
GT World Challenge America (May 17-19): ST Racing continued its impressive streak in the Fanatec GT World Challenge America powered by AWS at the Circuit of the Americas in Austin, USA. BMW M works driver Neil Verhagen (USA) and Samantha Tan (CAN) secured victories in the Pro-Am class in both races with the #38 BMW M4 GT3, achieving podium finishes overall. Additionally, Turner Motorsport’s BMW M4 GT3, driven by Robby Foley and Justin Rothberg (both USA), claimed second place in the Pro-Am category in the second race. ST Racing’s Bill Auberlen and Varun Choksey (both USA) also finished third in the Pro class in both races.
GT4 America and TC America: In GT4 America, the #97 BMW M4 GT4 from Random Vandals Racing, driven by Kevin Boehm and Kenton Koch (both USA), won the Endurance race at the Circuit of the Americas with a significant lead. BimmerWorld’s James Walker Jr. and Tyler McQuarrie (both USA) triumphed in the Pro-Am category, while the Am class saw a one-two finish for the BMW M4 GT4 with Random Vandals Racing’s Paul Sparta and Kris Wilson (both USA) and Carrus Callas Raceteam’s Nicholas Shanny and Chris Walsh (both USA) taking top spots. In TC America, Chris Walsh dominated both races in the Carrus Callas Raceteam BMW M2 CS Racing, with Lucas Catania (USA) from Team Rigid Speed securing second place in both runs.
GT4 European Series: Benjamin Lessennes (BEL) and Ricardo van der Ende (NED) from Team L’Espace Bienvenue celebrated their first season victory in the GT4 European Series at Misano, Italy, with their #17 BMW M4 GT4. The Silver Class race ended with a double podium for BMW M Motorsport as Yağiz Gedik (TUR) and Pedro Ebrahim Carvalho (BRA) finished third. The Pro-Am category also saw a podium finish for Team Chazel Technologie Course’s Gregory Guilvert and Antoni de Barn (both FRA).
Virtual Racing – ESL R1 and iRacing 24h Nürburgring: BMW M Team Redline shone in virtual racing, with Luke Bennett (GBR) winning the opening event of the ESL R1 Championship at Daytona International Speedway. Last year’s champion, Sebastian Job (GBR), finished fifth. In the iRacing 24h Nürburgring, BMW M Team Redline, featuring drivers Chris Lulham (GBR), Diogo Pinto (POR), Max Verstappen (NED), and Florian Lebigre (FRA), triumphed after a flawless race. Verstappen notably balanced this virtual win while securing pole position and victory at the Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix in Imola, Italy.
ESET Cup Series: At the Red Bull Ring in Austria, Antal Zsigo (SVK) of Trevor Racing won the GT3 class with the #500 BMW M4 GT3. Additional podium finishes included Gregor Zsigo (SVK) in the BMW M6 GT3 and Rudolf Beňo (SVK) in the BMW M4 GT4.
GT4 France and BTCC: In GT4 France at Lédenon, Debard Automobiles By Racetivity and VSF Sports – Amplitude automobiles teams narrowly missed the overall podium but secured top positions in the Am class. In the British Touring Car Championship (BTCC) at Brands Hatch, Colin Turkington (GBR) of Team BMW achieved pole position and dominant victories in the first two races, moving up to second in the championship standings.
These impressive results underscore BMW M Motorsport’s continued excellence and versatility across a variety of racing disciplines worldwide.
