Whether in the DTM, the FIA World Endurance Championship, 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
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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.
Formula E: Alexander Sims claims his maiden victory.
Alexander Sims (GBR) was on top form at the opening round of this
season’s ABB FIA Formula E Championship in Diriyah (KSA). The BMW i
Andretti Motorsport driver twice secured pole position and claimed his
first victory in Formula E on Sunday, amassing a total of 35 points
over the course of the Diriyah E-Prix weekend. This puts him top of
the Drivers’ Championship. Including last season, he has now taken the
last three pole positions in a row. Sims is the only driver to have
achieved this feat in Formula E. His team-mate Maximilian Günther
(GER) also showed impressive pace at the wheel of the BMW iFE.20,
despite which he finished outside the points in both races.
Speaking in an interview, Sims discussed the importance of his win
and the emotional rollercoaster in Diriyah.
Three questions for … Alexander Sims.
Alexander, how much does this first win in Formula E mean to you?
Alexander Sims: “Two pole positions and a win on one weekend – it
doesn’t get much better than that. It is a fantastic feeling. But I’m
not only pleased for myself, but also for the whole team. The entire
crew at BMW i Andretti Motorsport is made up of great people. I can’t
describe how hard everyone has worked to achieve this success, and how
everyone stood by me through the tough times in Season 5. It is simply
fantastic when that work is rewarded with a race weekend like this.”
What kind of emotional rollercoaster did you go through this weekend?
Sims: “It was definitely a weekend of emotional highs and lows. It
started well with pole position on Friday, but the final stage of the
race was then pretty poor, to be honest. As a driver, I made mistakes
that dropped me a long way back down the field. After the pole on
Saturday, I did better. I really wanted to turn the pole position into
a good result. We analysed the first race and worked together on basic
things. The fact that we ended up victorious was a great reward.”
What was ultimately the key to your win on Saturday?
Sims: “First and foremost, the enormous speed the BMW iFE.20 has
thanks to the team’s tuning work from Friday to Saturday. The car was
fantastic, particularly in the corners. That kind of basic speed
obviously made my life a lot easier from the start of the race
compared to Friday when the speed was not quite as good, which was
certainly due to the sand making the track slipperier. On Saturday,
even at the re-starts after the safety cars it was clear to me that I
could make up enough ground in the corners to defend my lead on the
straights without – as on Friday – having to use too much energy.
Knowing that is incredibly reassuring for a driver in a race series
where energy management has become even more important.”
—
Sim racing: Philipp Eng is second in the Pro-Am race at the
FIA GTC World Finals in Monaco.
This weekend, the 2019 FIA GTC World Finals were held in Monte Carlo
(MON). BMW DTM driver Philipp Eng (AUT) was a guest starter in
Saturday’s Pro-Am race, in which he went up against the world’s top
Gran Turismo drivers. Together with team-mate Giorgio Mangano (ITA),
winner of the 2018 Nations Cup, he produced a thrilling comeback to
finish runner-up. In the Manufacturer Series, sim racers Coque López
(ESP), Nicólas Rubila (CHI) and Randall Haywood (USA) were challenging
for the title in the BMW M6 GT3. Eng was on hand to support the trio
and pass on his knowledge as a professional racing driver. “Sim racing
is part of my everyday life – and it makes me a better racing driver,”
said Eng. “As such, it was fantastic to be here at the FIA GTC World
Finals and to support the three guys.” In the end, after three races,
the team finished eighth overall in the Manufacturer Series.
Asian Le Mans Series: Podium for the BMW M6 GT3 in Shanghai.
The Asian Le Mans Series (ALMS) kicked off its new season this
weekend at “Shanghai International Circuit“ (CHN). Among those in
action were two BMW M6 GT3s run by Astro Veloce Motorsports and FIST –
Team AAI. While the #90 AAI car, with BMW DTM driver Joel Eriksson
(SWE) among those at the wheel, failed to finish the race, the Astro
Veloce team claimed a spot on the podium. After 104 laps, the #17 BMW
M6 GT3 – driven by BMW works driver Jens Klingmann (GER), Max Wieser
(ITA) and Peiwen Qi (CHN) – came home third in the GT class. The next
ALMS race is scheduled for 12thJanuary 2020 at Tailem Bend (AUS).