BMW M Motorsport News, 31st May 2021

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BMW M Motorsport teams are once again in action all over the world in 2021. They are challenging for race wins and titles with the BMW M6 GT3, the BMW M4 GT4, the BMW M2 CS Racing, and other BMW M Motorsport race cars. Our BMW M Motorsport News allows us to give you a regular overview of the race action in various championships around the world and any success enjoyed by the BMW M Motorsport teams. Throughout the year, we also highlight certain topics in specific press releases.

Fanatec GT World Challenge Europe: Walkenhorst Motorsport’s battle for the podium remains unrewarded. 

The second endurance race of the season in the Fanatec GT World Challenge Europe powered by AWS took place last weekend. The six-hour, 1000-kilometre race was hosted by the “Circuit Paul Ricard” in Le Castellet (FRA). The Walkenhorst Motorsport team was battling for a podium finish with both BMW M6 GT3s, but their strong performances went unrewarded in the end. Sheldon van der Linde (RSA), Marco Wittmann (GER) and David Pittard (GBR) were at the wheel of the #34 BMW M6 GT3. Martin Tomczyk, Timo Glock (both GER) and Thomas Neubauer (FRA) shared driving duties in the #35 car. 

Starting from fifth and 13th on the grid, Pittard and Tomczyk were both able to put the BMW M6 GT3s on course for the podium early on as they moved into second and third places. The #35 fell back later on, while Wittmann and van der Linde kept the #34 in the top three until the final hour of the race, battling for the lead after a full-course yellow phase. However, a collision with another car around 50 minutes before the end meant that they lost time during repairs and also dropped down through the field. After six hours of racing, the #34 BMW M6 GT3 crossed the line in eighth place, with the #35 car right behind in ninth position. 

The Boutsen Ginion Racing team finished seventh in the Pro-Am class with the #10 BMW M6 GT3. The car was driven by Karim Ojjeh (KSA), Jens Liebhauser and Jens Klingmann (both GER). 

The next endurance race in the series is the 24 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps (BEL) on 31st July/1st August. 

Reactions to the race at Paul Ricard. 

Sheldon van der Linde: “It was a very good weekend for us and positive in terms of raw pace and speed from Friday onwards. We always had a good car from the first free practice on. In the race, David and Marco did a great job, and we were always in the top-three. Then the car seemed to have lost some pace, but I defended second place as long as I could. At the end of my first stint I had a very light contact, which was just enough to lift the bonnet up. So we had to box a bit earlier for our mandatory pit stop for tyres and fuel, and obviously I had to wait a bit longer to repair the bonnet. That kind of destroyed our hopes for the podium. But we were still able to score some points and it’s a very good pace to build on for Spa. Walkenhorst Motorsport have shown in the past that they are able to win that race, so I think we have a strong package to go there, and that gives me a lot of confidence.”

Further information in the press release to download