BMW Motorsport News - Issue 18/2020

Comunicato Stampa disponibile solo in lingua originale. 

BMW Team RLL and Turner Motorsport enjoy success in Charlotte – Podium for Team AVIA Sorg Rennsport at ‘Coppa Florio 12H Sicily’.

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. 

IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship: Double podium for BMW Team RLL, victory for Turner Motorsport.
BMW Team RLL and Turner Motorsport continue to enjoy success in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship. The IMSA series was in action at ‘Charlotte Motor Speedway’ (USA) at the weekend. Only GT cars lined up on the ‘Roval’, and they delivered a thrilling race in adverse conditions. Heavy rain and standing water on the track meant that the start of the race already scheduled for the evening had to be pushed back an hour to 21:05 local time. After 62 laps in the wet and the dark, BMW Team RLL recorded another double podium in the GTLM class: John Edwards (USA) and Jesse Krohn (FIN) secured second place in the #24 MOTUL BMW M8 GTE, followed by their team-mates Connor De Phillippi (USA) and Bruno Spengler (CAN) in the #25 sister car in third place.

In the GTD class, Bill Auberlen and Robby Foley (both USA) in the #96 BMW M6 GT3 of Turner Motorsport delivered an exhilarating race. The duo was rewarded with another win. That saw sole record holder Auberlen extend his impressive number of IMSA wins to 62. The next event in the IMSA series is scheduled for this coming weekend (15^th to 17^th October): the famous ‘Petit Le Mans’ at Road Atlanta (USA). The 10-hour race gets underway at 12:40 p.m. local time on Saturday.

John Edwards (#24 MOTUL BMW M8 GTE, 2^nd place): “It was bittersweet to finish second after leading for so long, but ultimately, we did not have the pace the Corvette did over a full stint. Racing on such a challenging track in a deluge of rain, we can be pleased to have both cars finish with no scratches.” 

Jesse Krohn (#24 MOTUL BMW M8 GTE, 2^nd place): “The race was held under exceedingly difficult conditions, so I am pleased about a P2 result. Having led the majority of the race we showed that we are able to fight for wins. A double-podium is momentum we can carry to Petit Le Mans.”

Connor De Phillippi (#25 MOTUL BMW M8 GTE, 3^rd place): “Overall, a fantastic result for BMW. Both cars on the podium following a great team performance. We showed a winning pace, but ultimately it was not quite enough.”

Bruno Spengler (#25 MOTUL BMW M8 GTE, 3^rd place): “P2 and P3 is a particularly good result. Clearly we wanted the victory, but we just did not have quite the pace of the Corvette.”

24H Series: Team AVIA Sorg Rennsport finishes on the podium in Sicily.
There was a first in the 24H series at the weekend when the endurance championship was held at the ‘Autodromo di Pergusa’ (ITA) in Sicily for the first time. The ‘Coppo Florio’ at Pergusa was held as an official event for the first time in 39 years, as ‘Coppa Florio 12H Sicily’. There were two parts to the 12-hour race, with six hours of racing on both Saturday and Sunday. Team AVIA Sorg Rennsport finished on the podium in the GT4 class. After 328 laps, the #451 BMW M4 GT4 crossed the finish line in second place. Alvaro Fontes, José Manuel de los Milagros, Sergio Paulet and Yannick Guerra Dorribo (all ESP) took it in turns at the wheel.