GT World Challenge Europe: Valentino Rossi claims his maiden GTWC victory at his home race in Misano.

Jeff Seabrook 2024 Monday July 31, 2023

Valentino Rossi’s (ITA) success story as a BMW M works driver has hit a new high. The nine-time motorcycle world champion claimed his maiden GTWC victory at his home event in Misano (ITA), which formed part of round two of this season’s Sprint Cup within the Fanatec GT World Challenge Europe Powered by AWS (GTWC). The win represents the biggest success of the Italian’s career in automobile racing so far.

Misano. Valentino Rossi’s (ITA) success story as a BMW M works driver has hit a new high. The nine-time motorcycle world champion claimed his maiden GTWC victory at his home event in Misano (ITA), which formed part of round two of this season’s Sprint Cup within the Fanatec GT World Challenge Europe Powered by AWS (GTWC). The win represents the biggest success of the Italian’s career in automobile racing so far. Racing alongside Maxime Martin (BEL), Rossi was unbeatable in Sunday’s one-hour race, which took place in scorching heat. As well as overall victory, BMW M Team WRT also celebrated a class win in the Gold Cup and further podium results.

Rossi’s and Martin’s celebrations knew no bounds after Sunday’s race in Misano – nor did the adulation of the countless fans of the Italian motor racing legend, who made Rossi’s home outing in Misano a true spectacle. They were rewarded with their hero’s biggest triumph in automobile racing to date. A few weeks ago, Rossi claimed his very first victory on four wheels at the ‘Road to Le Mans’. However, finishing on the top step of the podium against the best GT racing drivers in the world in GTWC Europe is a cut above that achievement. Martin laid the foundation for the duo’s success with third place in qualifying. However, it was Rossi who produced a commanding performance and some impressive lap times to close out the victory in the second half of the race. Interestingly, Martin was also involved the last time a BMW race car won a race in the GTWC Sprint Cup. That was eight years ago, alongside Dirk Müller (GER) in a BMW Z4 GT3.

As well as the overall victory on Sunday, BMW M Team WRT also had more cause for celebration. Dries Vanthoor and Charles Weerts (both BEL) had already produced a fantastic fightback in the Saturday race, battling through from 21^st on the grid to finish third. The duo then started from pole position on Sunday, but dropped well back after an issue during the pit stop and eventually had to settle for ninth place. Celebrating together with Rossi and Martin on the podium on Sunday were Jean-Baptiste Simmenauer and Thomas Neubauer (both FRA), who finished an excellent third. Niklas Krütten (GER) and Calan Williams (AUS) won the Gold Cup on Sunday, having previously finished runners-up on Saturday.

Reactions after the race weekend.

BMW M Motorsport News, 24th July 2023

Jeff Seabrook 2024 Monday July 24, 2023

Björn Lellmann, Head of Customer Racing at BMW M Motorsport:

“In this issue of our newsletter, there is one topic that really stands out from my perspective: We have experienced an incredible winning streak with our new BMW M4 GT4 these past two weeks. Whether in Europe, Asia, or the USA,the car was almost unbeatable in the hands of our BMW M Motorsport teams and drivers. I’m delighted that it seems we have managed to make the second generation of the BMW M4 GT4 even more successful than its highly decorated predecessor. Everyone at BMW M Motorsport who was involved in the development of the car can be very proud of this achievement. I’d like to congratulate all the winners of these past weeks and am already looking forward to seeing what the rest of this season has in store!”

ADAC GT Masters: Marco Wittmann and Project 1 on the Podium at the Nürburgring.

BMW M Motorsport News, 11th July 2023

Jeff Seabrook 2024 Monday July 17, 2023

Björn Lellmann, Head of Customer Racing at BMW M Motorsport:

“In recent weeks, the BMW M4 GT3 has celebrated significant victories at the 24 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps and in the DTM at the Norisring in the hands of our BMW M works drivers. This is fantastic news for all of us at BMW M Motorsport, but personally, I am equally delighted to once again acknowledge the unbroken streak of success achieved by our private teams and drivers in this newsletter. The Paul Miller Racing and BMW Italia Ceccato Racing teams also had successful weekends with the BMW M4 GT3. Moreover, the BMW M4 GT4 has crossed the finish line first on multiple occasions. Our entry-level car, the BMW M2 CS Racing, was deployed in three one-make cups during a single weekend, proving once again that it remains a highly sought-after racing car that provides thrilling and spectacular racing. Congratulations to all the teams and drivers!”

Top topics of this newsletter:

Podium finish for BMW Italia Ceccato Racing in the Italian GT Endurance Championship.
Double victory for the BMW M4 GT4 in the GT4 European Series.
BMW M Motorsport teams secure eight class wins at NLS 5.
BMW M2 Cup: Triple racing action in Germany, Italy, and Belgium.

GT World Challenge Europe: Valentino Rossi claims his maiden GTWC victory at his home race in Misano.

Jeff Seabrook 2024 Monday July 17, 2023

Valentino Rossi’s (ITA) success story as a BMW M works driver has hit a new high. The nine-time motorcycle world champion claimed his maiden GTWC victory at his home event in Misano (ITA), which formed part of round two of this season’s Sprint Cup within the Fanatec GT World Challenge Europe Powered by AWS (GTWC). The win represents the biggest success of the Italian’s career in automobile racing so far.

BMW M Motorsport returns to Le Mans with the BMW M Hybrid V8: WEC involvement from 2024.

Jeff Seabrook 2024 Sunday July 16, 2023

Munich. BMW M Motorsport returns to the FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC) and the 24 Hours of Le Mans (FRA) in 2024. One year after its debut season in the North American IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship in 2023, the new BMW M Hybrid V8 will also take on the top-class opposition in the Hypercars category in the official FIA World Endurance Championship. On Monday, 25^th July, the first BMW M Motorsport prototype since the legendary BMW V12 LMR completed its first laps at the roll-out in Varano de Melegari (ITA).

“The decision to run the BMW M Hybrid V8 in the IMSA series from 2023, and the WEC from 2024, is a milestone for the project,” said Franciscus van Meel, CEO of BMW M GmbH. “I sampled and marvelled at the extraordinary flair of the 24 Hours of Le Mans during my first term as CEO of BMW M so I am very excited to be challenging for overall victory as BMW M Motorsport again at this classic and in the whole World Endurance Championship for the first time for decades. The BMW M Hybrid V8 represents a turning point towards electrification for BMW M. The IMSA series in North America and the WEC, which takes place all over the world, are the perfect platforms, on which to use our prototype to show how exciting electrified BMW M cars will be in the future.”

Andreas Roos, Head of BMW M Motorsport, said: “Due to the very tight schedule for the LMDh project, the plan has always been to focus on one field of application in the first season in 2023. The IMSA series is perfectly suited for this. However, our mid-term goal was obviously to race on two fronts with the BMW M Hybrid V8, and also to use the major platform provided by the WEC and the 24 Hours of Le Mans. We are now working determinedly towards this, at the same time as our programme in North America. We took the next important step on Monday. The car successfully completed its roll-out at Dallara in Varano de Melegari. We now start the intensive test work before the race debut in January 2023 at Daytona.”

No. 25 BMW M Hybrid V8 Finishes Third at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park to Record BMW M Team RLL’s 100th Podium; No. 1 BMW M4 GT3 Wins GTD.

Jeff Seabrook 2024 Sunday July 16, 2023

Woodcliff Lake, N.J. – July 9, 2023 . . . The No. 25 BMW M Team RLL BMW M Hybrid V8, of Connor De Phillippi and Nick Yelloly, scored a third-place finish by way of a clever strategy at today’s Chevrolet Grand Prix, to record the team’s fourth podium of the 2023 IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar season and 100^th podium in the team’s history. The duo completed 119 laps of the 2.459-mile, 10-turn Canadian Tire Motorsports Park circuit in the two-hour-and-forty-minute event, finishing some 19 seconds behind the No. 60 Acura ARX-06 under the races fourth caution period.

Pitting very early on lap 14 for fuel only, starting driver Yelloly jumped off sequence from the eight other GTP class competitors and as the field made their first pit stops cycled into the lead. Without the hoped-for caution period that could have kept the car in front, he handed off to De Phillippi on lap 55 under green. That first caution occurred on lap 66 and De Phillippi pitted for fuel only on lap 68. The race endured three more cautions in the last one-hour-and-forty minutes allowing De Phillippi to move into third and clinch the last podium position as the race ended under yellow with the race’s final caution.

So far this year, the No. 25 car has scored a win (Watkins Glen), two runner-up finishes (Sebring and Long Beach), and a third (CTMP). De Phillippi and Yelloly stand second in GTP driver point standings and BMW stands second in GTP class manufacturer points.

Augusto Farfus and Philipp Eng endured a difficult day to finish eighth. Mired in the rear of the field for the majority of the race, the duo had little luck moving up, both drivers incurring a drive-through penalty in their stints. Farfus and Eng stand eighth in driver points, with a season’s-best fourth-place finish (Long Beach) in the No. 24 car.

Bobby Rahal, Team Principal said, “I'm really impressed. The guys with the No. 25 car pulled off a great strategy. We weren't the fastest car by any means and yet, our strategy really worked out and Connor did a great job of staying ahead of everybody at the end. It just shows you that you can never count yourself out. Anything can happen. We had had a bunch of yellows right at the end and that certainly worked in our favor. I think this does great things for us in the points as well.”