DTM: Pole position for the BMW M6 GT3 at the Lausitzring.
Round two of the season in the new DTM: This weekend, the Lausitzring
(GER) hosted the GT3 series in glorious summery conditions. Sheldon
van der Linde (RSA) secured the first pole position in the DTM for the
BMW M6 GT3. The ROWE Racing driver set the fastest time in qualifying
on Saturday morning. Van der Linde then led for much of Saturday’s
race in the #31 BMW M6 GT3, before eventually finishing third.
However, he was subsequently handed a time penalty for a moment of
carelessness from the pit crew, which saw him relegated to ninth
place. The best-placed BMW M6 GT3 on Saturday was the #11 Walkenhorst
Motorsport car, driven by Marco Wittmann (GER), who came home seventh.
Wittmann climbed seven positions from 14th on the grid. Timo Glock
(GER) struggled with tyre wear before finishing eleventh in the #16
ROWE Racing BMW M6 GT3.
Glock was then the best-placed BMW driver in Sunday’s qualifying,
securing fifth place on the grid. Van der Linde started the race from
seventh place, with Wittmann again 14th. In race two on Sunday, van
der Linde came home fifth, just ahead of Wittmann who produced another
impressive fightback to finish sixth. Glock twice ended up in the
gravel during a hectic start to the race, and fell well back down the
field as a result. He eventually crossed the finish line in 13th place.
The third race weekend of the 2021 season will take place at Zolder,
Belgium, from 6th to 8th August.
—
DTM Trophy: Three podiums for the BMW M4 GT4 in Lusatia.
There was another strong display from the BMW M Motorsport teams at
the second event of this season’s DTM Trophy at the Lausitzring (GER).
Seven BMW M4 GT4s finished in the top ten in Saturdays race, with that
figure rising to eight on Sunday. Spearheading the BMW contingent was
Ben Green (GBR) in the #10 BMW M4 GT4, who was runner-up in both races
for the FK Performance Motorsport team. In race two on Sunday, Green
was joined on the podium by Michael Schrey (GER) in the #2 BMW M4 GT4
of Hofor Racing by Bonk Motorsport.
Green, who had started the season with a victory in the opening race
at Monza (ITA) back in June, was once again in contention for the top
step of the podium in both races. In race one, he missed out on the
win by less than half a second, crossing the finish line in second
place. Race two was even closer. Green led at times before eventually
finishing just three-tenths of a second behind the winning car. In the
championship standings, Green is currently second after four races.
Schrey, who won race two of the season at Monza and added another
podium at the Lausitzring, is third in the Drivers’ Championship. In
the Team competition, FK Performance Motorsport is currently second,
ahead of Hofor Racing by Bonk Motorsport.
—
BMW M2 Cup: New racing series makes its debut at the Lausitzring.
The new BMW M2 Cup made its debut during the DTM weekend at the
Lausitzring (GER). The new series features spectacular racing with the
BMW M2 CS Racing. 17 cars were in action at the season-opener in the
Lusatia region of Germany.
The dominant driver on the inaugural weekend of the BMW M2 Cup was
Tim Heinemann (GER), who secured both pole positions in the #78 BMW M2
CS Racing and went on to claim comfortable lights-to-flag victories in
both races. In Saturday’s opening race, Heinemann finished almost nine
seconds ahead of his closest rivals. In race two on Sunday, his lead
was over four seconds. Runner-up in race one was Fabian Kreim (GER /
#43). In race two, second place went to 16-year-old Salman Owega (GER
/ #7). The third place on the podium in both races was occupied by
Louis Henkefend (GER) in the #17 BMW M2 CS Racing.
The second event of the season takes place from 6th to 8th August at
Zolder, Belgium. More information on the BMW M2 Cup can be found on
the official website bmwm2cup.com. Image and
video material is also available for download here in the ‘Media’ section.
—
IMSA: Eventful race weekend at Lime Rock Park.
The second half of this season’s IMSA series got underway at Lime
Rock Park (USA) in mid-July. The competitors in the IMSA WeatherTech
Championship and the IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge had an eventful
race weekend at times. On Friday, unsettled weather presented a real
challenge for the teams. In GTD qualifying in the IMSA WeatherTech
Championship, the #96 Turner Motorsport BMW M6 GT3 finished seventh.
The only way was up for drivers Bill Auberlen and Robby Foley (both
USA) in the Saturday race, which was scheduled to last two hours and
40 minutes. However, an intense thunderstorm forced the race to be
suspended after 90 minutes, and it was never re-started. That left
Auberlen/Foley in fifth place. They currently lie second in the
Drivers’ Championship.
Friday’s qualifying for the IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge was
shortened following a crash. Auberlen qualified second in the #95
Turner Motorsport BMW M4 GT4, which he shares with Dillon Machavern
(USA). In the two-hour race on Saturday, a technical issue resulted in
the duo dropping well down the field. They eventually finished 16th in
the GS class. Foley and Vincent Barletta (USA) were eighth in class in
the #96 BMW M4 GT4. The AutoTechnic Racing team competed with the #52
BMW M4 GT4, driven by Attilio Albani and Elivan Goulart (both USA).
They came home eleventh in the GS class. Auberlen and Machavern
continue to lead the GS standings, but are now tied at the top of the standings.
—
British GT Championship: Leaders Century Motorsport on the
podium at Spa-Francorchamps.
The British GT Championship was in Belgium at the weekend, where
Spa-Francorchamps hosted round four of the 2021 season. It was another
successful weekend for the Century Motorsport team – despite the
additional weight the team had to bear as a result of its brace of
victories at round three at Donington (GBR). Gus Burton and Will Burns
(both GBR) in the #57 BMW M4 GT4 secured pole position in a
hard-fought qualifying session on Saturday. The two-hour race on
Sunday was an eventful one. In the end, Burton/Mills finished third
overall in the GT4 class and second in the Silver class. Their
team-mates Andrew Gordon-Coldbrooke and Chris Salkeld (both GBR) gave
a courageous fightback in the #9 BMW M4 GT4. Having dropped through
the field following a drive-through penalty, they recovered strongly
to finish fifth overall and fourth in the Silver class.
In the GT4 Drivers’ standings in the British GT Championship, Burton
and Burns still hold a commanding lead with 111.5 points. They are
followed in second place by Gordon-Coldbrooke and Salkeld with 81
points. Burton/Burns also lead the Silver class, with
Gordon-Coldbrooke/Salkeld the top pair in the Pro-Am competition. In
the GT4 Team standings, Century Motorsport are top with 196.5 points
and a seemingly-unassailable lead of 132 points.
—
Super GT Championship: Round four at Motegi.
The Japanese Super GT Championship held its fourth round of the
season at Motegi (JPN) in mid-July. In the thick of the action was BMW
Team Studie with the #7 BMW M6 GT3, driven by Seiji Ara and Tomohide
Yamaguchi (both JPN). The summery heat, with temperatures reaching 33
degrees Celsius, made for challenging conditions. In Saturday’s
qualifying, the #7 was the fastest Pro-Am car and finished 13th
overall. However, the team then had to retire from Sunday’s race due
to a technical issue.