Model-specific retrofit products for the high-performance sports cars BMW M2, BMW M3, and BMW M4. Technology adapted directly from motorsport enhances the dynamic driving experience and individual appearance.
- View photos in the gallery: BMW M2, BMW M3 Touring with M Performance Parts
Munich. The retrofit products from the BMW M Performance Parts program not only enhance numerous current BMW models but also provide an additional touch of motorsport feeling to the high-performance sports cars of the BMW M GmbH. Among the particularly notable examples of technology transferred directly from the racetrack to the road are the centrelock wheels, available for selected high-performance automobiles. Design and functionality make these lightweight forged wheels absolute highlights in the diverse range of BMW M Performance Parts.
With their optimized weight, emotionally charged design, and technology adapted from motorsport connecting to the wheel bearing, the centrelock wheels emphasize the high-performance-oriented character of the vehicles equipped with them. In the case of the special edition BMW 3.0 CSL, presented on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of BMW M GmbH and sold in a limited edition of 50 units, they are part of the specifically tuned racetrack performance chassis technology. Currently, BMW M Performance centrelock wheels are offered in the Original BMW Accessories program for the BMW M2 (combined fuel consumption: 9.9 – 9.6 l/100 km; combined CO2 emissions: 223 – 218 g/km according to WLTP), the BMW M3 Touring Competition with M xDrive (combined fuel consumption: 10.4 – 10.1 l/100 km; combined CO2 emissions: 235 – 229 g/km according to WLTP), as well as for all model variants of the BMW M3 Sedan, BMW M4 Coupe, and BMW M4 Convertible.
 The all-new centrelock wheels | [The all-new centrelock wheels] | 650 kB |
Note from Jeff: This also happens to be article #50 posted on the site since rebuilding the site just a few months ago.
Dingolfing. Exactly 50 years ago, cars built by the Bavarian premium manufacturer began rolling off the assembly line at BMW Group Plant Dingolfing. Since 27 September 1973, the people who work at what is now the BMW Group's largest European plant have produced Sheer Driving Pleasure more than twelve million times. “This anniversary is naturally an opportunity to look back on this plant’s amazing success story – but it is also an excellent reason to look ahead to the future with optimism,” said Plant Director Christoph Schröder, at a ceremony attended by representatives from business and the political sector. “Because this plant will continue to be of tremendous importance to the BMW Group, to the region and to many thousands of people.”
12 million BMW cars in 50 years
The figures presented to guests by Plant Director Christoph Schröder and Stefan Schmid, Chairman of the Dingolfing Works Council, in the light-hearted speech they delivered together, are impressive. In purely mathematical terms, with 12 million vehicles produced over the past five decades, that means a BMW rolled off the Dingolfing assembly line every 60 seconds: from the very first Iberian Red BMW 520 on that Thursday back in 1973, right up to today.
Almost two thirds of the production volume comes from Dingolfing’s core model series, the BMW 5 Series: The eighth generation, which has been in production since early July, will be hitting showrooms in the coming days. The range of models produced has gradually expanded over the decades and, today, with vehicles from the BMW 4 Series, 5 Series, 6 Series, 7 Series and 8 Series, as well as the BMW iX and BMW M GmbH models, it has reached a dimension that sets the benchmark for the whole automotive industry.
However, Dingolfing’s carmakers not only excel in large-scale production, with the highest level of efficiency and precision, but also in craft-scale manufacturing. The 99 BMW 8 Series models designed by American artist Jeff Koons in 2022, the 50 recently-delivered highly exclusive BMW 3.0 CSL and the BMW i7 Protection, the world's first fully-electric security vehicle, all testify to this outstanding expertise. The body shop also meets the highest standards of quality and craftsmanship required for all Rolls-Royce models in Unterhollerau.
| 50 years of BMW production at Dingolfing location | [50 years of BMW production at Dingolfing location] | 735 kB |
For the seventh consecutive year, Frieze and BMW continue their long-term partnership with the art initiative BMW Open Work. French artist Sara Sadik worked closely with BMW to present “LA POTION (EH)” - a video and gaming experience, using BMW’s My Modes and the new AirConsole technology of the BMW i5 as a playing device. Both works will premiere at KOKO inside the BMW Open Work Lounge during Frieze London, which runs October 11-15, 2023.
Munich/London. For the seventh consecutive year, Frieze and BMW continue their long-term partnership with the art initiative BMW Open Work. French artist Sara Sadik worked closely with BMW to present “LA POTION (EH)” - a video and gaming experience, using BMW’s My Modes and the new AirConsole technology of the BMW i5 as a playing device. Both works will premiere at KOKO inside the BMW Open Work Lounge during Frieze London, which runs October 11-15, 2023. In celebration of their collaboration, Frieze and BMW proudly announce London-based musician Loyle Carner as this year's Frieze Music performer.
BMW Open Work is a joint initiative between Frieze and BMW, bringing together art, innovation, technology and design in a pioneering multi-platform format. Curated by Attilia Fattori Franchini, BMW Open Work invites an artist to develop an ambitious project utilising BMW technology and design to pursue their practice in new directions. This year, the invited artist is Marseille-based Sara Sadik, whose practice lies halfway between fiction and documentary. Her work, be it video or performance, is inspired by video games, anime, science-fiction as well as French rap, and puts forward characters facing challenges and striving to achieve moral and physical transformation through initiatory stories.
The brand expert and enthusiast of high-performance vehicles will succeed Timo Resch on October 1st, 2023, who is leaving the company at his own request.
Munich . Sylvia Neubauer will become the new head of Customer, Brand and Sales for BMW M GmbH at the beginning of October 2023. Neubauer, who was previously responsible for the brand portfolio strategy as well as market research and competitive analysis for all brands of the BMW Group, will thus succeed Timo Resch, who has held the position since January 2022 and is now leaving the company at his own request.
"Timo Resch has made a significant contribution to the strengthening of our sales and marketing activities and thus to the success of BMW M GmbH with his excellent commitment in the past two years. We thank him for his excellent work and wish him every success for his future tasks," says Franciscus van Meel, CEO of BMW M GmbH. In 2022, BMW M GmbH achieved record sales with more than 177,000 vehicles sold worldwide and is also on track to set a new record in the current fiscal year.
Sylvia Neubauer looks forward to her new tasks with enthusiasm: "I am delighted that I can now combine my passion for BMW M vehicles even more strongly with my profession and make a decisive contribution to mastering the challenges that lie ahead of us in these exciting times," says Sylvia Neubauer. The focus of the current and future development of the brand with the strongest letter in the world is particularly on the consistent continuation of its path towards e-mobility and the marketing of performance and high-performance models with electrified drive.
"With Sylvia Neubauer, we have an experienced sales and marketing expert by our side, who brings a solid background in brand repositioning BMW M, data analytics, and customer journey from her previous positions," explains Franciscus van Meel. "We couldn't imagine a better choice to advance the transformation process of BMW M GmbH and strengthen the worldwide fan community of our brand."
Our definition of “the new” takes an unusual course for the BMW Vision Neue Klasse, as the international campaign places the brand promise “Freude forever.” at the heart of its communications.
Munich. The world premiere of the BMW Vision Neue Klasse marks a new beginning for the BMW brand, one characterised by a completely fresh way of thinking and approach. THE NEUE NEW is the title of the multi-channel campaign accompanying the Bavarian premium carmaker’s ongoing process of transformation. The campaign’s storytelling captures the central areas of action contained within this transformation and brings an unusual angle to the idea of “the new”.
The campaign THE NEUE NEW – developed and implemented by the agency THE GAME created specially for the BMW Group and the BMW brand – explains in an authentic and accessible way what underpins the “NEU” of the forthcoming NEUE KLASSE. The use of the German word for “new” references the name of this new-generation model series and has an effective and memorable impact in non-German-speaking markets around the world as well as at home. At the same time, the campaign shines the spotlight on the brand promise “Freude forever.” and opens a window to BMW as a future-facing brand focused on meeting peoples’ needs.
“THE NEUE NEW represents our journey into a completely new era of mobility, in which we are putting people front and centre. And its visual implementation is likewise very authentic, accessible and human,” says Jens Thiemer, Senior Vice President Customer and BMW Brand. “The campaign provides an initial example of how we are also employing innovative communication approaches to drive forward the transformation process BMW is currently navigating.”
THE NEUE NEW tells the story of the transformation alongside the key future-focused fields the BMW Group has set itself: the ideal of a circular economy as a progressive mindset geared towards preserving resources; digitalisation focused on identifying and meeting peoples’ needs; and a commitment to electrification with the aim of making the driving pleasure for which the brand is renowned something future generations can also experience.
As a central hub in which these three elements converge, the BMW Vision Neue Klasse embodies a fresh departure fuelled by optimism for the future. Recalling the “mk1” Neue Klasse, which revolutionised the brand’s product range in the 1960s, the storytelling approach is deliberately playing on the German “Neue” in non-German-speaking markets as well as at home and, in so doing, redefining the idea of “the new” itself.
The BMW Vision Neue Klasse shows us here and now how Sheer Driving Pleasure will be interpreted in the years ahead. At its heart is the design language of “intelligent reduction to the essentials”. Meanwhile, the latest generation of BMW iDrive delivers a digital, immersive user experience in which the driver takes centre stage. Every aspect of the development process took sustainability and efficiency as the guiding themes.
+++ Higher sales target and automotive EBIT margin for 2023
+++ Group EBT margin comes in at 12.6% for HY1
+++ Automotive EBIT margin at 10.6% after six months
+++ Free cash flow of € 3.1 billion in Automotive Segment in YTD June
+++ Deliveries of fully-electric BMW vehicles up 133%
+++ Zipse: “Economic success during the transformation”
- Higher sales target and automotive EBIT margin for 2023
- Group EBT margin comes in at 12.6% for HY1
- Automotive EBIT margin at 10.6% after six months
- Free cash flow of € 3.1 billion in Automotive Segment in YTD June
- Deliveries of fully-electric BMW vehicles up 133%
- Zipse: “Economic success during the transformation”
Munich. The BMW Group delivered a strong financial and operating performance in a difficult environment in the first half of 2023. In the first six months, the premium automotive manufacturer achieved a Group EBT margin of 12.6% and an EBIT margin of 10.6% in the Automotive Segment. In the second quarter, the Group EBT margin came in at 11.3% (Q2 2022: 11.3%). In the Automotive Segment, the EBIT margin increased to 9.2% (Q2 2022: 8.2%).
As previously reported in an ad hoc announcement, the company is now planning for solid growth in deliveries for the full year 2023 (previously slight growth). Growth drivers should be highly priced models as well as fully electric vehicles. BEV models are set to account for 15% of total vehicle sales. The EBIT margin in the Automotive Segment is now projected to be within the range of 9-10.5% (previously 8-10%).
“Strong products generate strong demand – across all drive technologies. The second quarter underlined how the broad range of technologies we offer is winning over customers: Sales of vehicles with highly efficient combustion engines provide us with a solid foundation – the strong growth comes from the significant increase in demand for our fully-electric vehicles,” said Oliver Zipse, Chairman of the Board of Management of BMW AG, on Thursday. “We are combining both: systematic transformation and economic success. At the same time, we are aligning the company, with focus and determination, for the future – while maintaining our high level of profitability.”
With its popular premium vehicles, the BMW Group benefited in the first half of the year from the positive development in many automotive markets. The company delivered a total of 1,214,864 vehicles to customers (2022: 1,160,094 units; +4.7%). The volume of electrified models sold during this period increased significantly to 245,468 units (2022: 184,468 units; +33.1%), while deliveries of fully-electric vehicles doubled to 152,936 units (2022: 75,890 units; +101.5%). BEVs therefore accounted for 12.6% of sales in the first half-year (2022: 6.5%; +93.8%) and 14.1% in the second quarter.
With the launch of the new i5* from October this year, the BMW Group will have at least one fully-electric variant on the roads across its main model ranges and all three premium brands. By 2024, at least one in five of the company’s new vehicles should be a BEV; by 2025, one in four.
BMW brand once again takes top spot in global premium segment
With a total of 1,071,326 vehicles delivered to customers in the first six months, the BMW Group reported solid year-on-year sales growth of +5.4% – and also increased its second-quarter deliveries significantly. (HY1 2022: 1,016,228 units; Q2 2023: 553,369 units; Q2 2022: 496,432 units; +11.5%). Thanks to its strong brand and young and attractive product line-up, BMW once again topped the global premium segment in the first half-year.
The BMW brand’s sales growth was, to a large extent, thanks to its fully-electric vehicles. With a total of 133,927 electric vehicles delivered to customers, it once again more than doubled BEV sales from the same period of last year (+133.1%). The most in-demand BEV models were the BMW i4*, BMW iX3*, BMW iX* and the fully-electric 3 Series sedan: the BMW i3*. The newly introduced BMW iX1* achieved a steep demand curve within just a few months on the market.
The high-end models of the 7 series, the updated BMW X7, and the BMW X5 and X6 SUVs also drove sales growth.
The company expects further momentum in the second half of the year from the market launch of the new BMW 5 Series and the fully-electric BMW i5, in particular, from October 2023. For the first time and as the first automotive manufacturer in Germany, the BMW Group is offering a system for partially automated driving at speeds up to 130 km/h that has been approved for German motorways in its new BMW 5 Series. This Highway Assistant allows the driver to take their hands off the steering wheel while driving.
MINI posts significant second-quarter sales growth
The MINI brand delivered 71,816 vehicles to customers in the second quarter of 2023 – an increase of +10.2%, compared to the previous year (HY1 2023: 140,357 units; (HY1 2022: 140,675 units; -0.2%). During the same period, the brand reported sales growth of +8.8% for its fully-electric vehicles. Since last year, the brand's most popular model has been the fully-electric MINI Cooper SE*. The MINI product line-up now also includes the first fully-electric MINI Cooper SE Convertible.
Rolls-Royce Motor Cars handed over 3,181 vehicles to customers (-0.3%) in the first half of 2023. During this period, production of both its Wraith and Dawn models was phased out, and sales remained on a par with the previous year. Initial deliveries of the highly sought-after fully-electric coupé, Rolls-Royce Spectre, will get underway in the fourth quarter of 2023.
BMW Group sales increase in three main world regions
In the three key regions of the world, Europe, the Americas and Asia, BMW Group sales were up slightly after the first six months. Compared to the weaker prior-year quarter, the premium brands made significant second-quarter gains in some cases. The Americas region and the US reported double-digit growth rates (HY1 2023: Americas: 225,645 units/+10.2%, USA: 186,122 units/+12.5%; Q2 2023: Americas: 117,790 units/+11.5%; USA: 95,948 units/+13.6%).
In Europe, sales increased slightly to 449,264 vehicles in the first six months (HY1 2022: 434,235 units/+3.5%). The second quarter ended with solid gains, at 232,994 units (Q2 2022: 213,842 units/+9.0%).
In Asia, the BMW Group recorded slight sales growth in the first half-year, delivering a total of 513,169 premium vehicles to customers (HY1 2022: 495,559 units/+3.6%). In China, sales were also slightly higher, at 393,261 units (HY1 2022: 379,524 units/+3.6%), with the aftereffects of the coronavirus pandemic still being felt in the first quarter. In the second quarter, deliveries to customers in China rose significantly to 198,161 vehicles (Q2 2022: 170,571 units/+16.2%). The Asia region also posted significant sales growth to reach 261,242 units (Q2 2022: 230,494 units/+13.3%).
The motorsport world turned its attention to Macau last weekend. As part of the 70th Macau Grand Prix, the 55th edition of the Macau Motorcycle Grand Prix took place, and the race on the spectacular Guia Circuit street course ended with a top-four lockout for the BMW Racers. Leading the pack was Peter Hickman (GBR), who raced his BMW M 1000 RR of FHO Racing BMW Motorrad Team to his fourth Macau victory.
Macau. The motorsport world turned its attention to Macau last weekend. As part of the 70th Macau Grand Prix, the 55th edition of the Macau Motorcycle Grand Prix took place, and the race on the spectacular Guia Circuit street course ended with a top-four lockout for the BMW Racers. Leading the pack was Peter Hickman (GBR), who raced his BMW M 1000 RR of FHO Racing BMW Motorrad Team to his fourth Macau victory. Davey Todd (GBR / Burrows Engineering / RK Racing) and David Datzer (GER / MTP Racing by ZERO UP Penz 13) secured second and third places on the podium. Hickman’s teammate Josh Brookes (GBR) completed the success for the BMW M 1000 RR in his Macau debut, finishing fourth.
“Congratulations to our successful BMW riders who once again dominated in Macau. A top-four lockout for our BMW M 1000 RR is a sensational result,” said Uwe Geyer, Head of BMW Motorrad Customer Racing. “Peter Hickman lived up to his role as one of the top favourites. Davey Todd, whom we can welcome back to the BMW racing family, also proved that he belongs among the best road racers in the world. David Datzer, in his second Macau appearance, reached the podium for the second time – an impressive performance. And Josh Brookes, as a debutant in this extremely challenging race, achieved an excellent result with fourth place. Thanks to all BMW racers who represented BMW’s colours so successfully in Macau!”
Hickman competed in Macau for the first time since 2019, and it was the first appearance on the Guia Circuit for the FHO Racing BMW Motorrad Team, in the home town of team principal Faye Ho. Hickman quickly demonstrated that he still excelled on the unique course, setting the fastest times in the practices and securing pole position.
Hickman maintained the lead at the start of the race before it was red-flagged on the first lap. At the restart, Hickman stayed in the lead, with Todd initially putting pressure on him. However, as the race progressed, Hickman pulled away, finishing with a 28.969-second lead over Todd after twelve laps.
“We’ve had a fantastic result”, Hickman said. “We’re at Faye’s home event and it’s her proper home track, it’s her city and it’s just fantastic to be first in every single session and winning the race, so I couldn’t really ask for more than that – I’m super happy. The boys have worked absolutely mega, the BMW M 1000 RR has been superb to be honest. The track was a bit bumpier than it used to be, which makes it hard to ride. But the FHO Racing team have got the bike pretty much bang on and I felt really comfortable. Davey obviously gave us a bit of a push to start with, but we could really keep the pace and he couldn’t, so we managed to break away and disappeared up the road and just managed it from there.”
Todd experienced a rollercoaster of emotions on race day. After qualifying second, a technical issue prevented him from participating in the first start, forcing him back to the pit. However, he and the team didn’t give up, worked on the repair, and when the race restarted after the red flag, Todd was back in the mix, ultimately securing second place on the podium.
“I wasn’t expecting a day like that at all. It was just one of those so unlucky things at the first start”, Todd said. “The guys pushed the bike back to the garage and I felt as if my world had come apart walking back down pit lane. But the team kept going and worked flat out just in case the race was stopped and we could jump in the re-run. And we got back out there. I managed to take it up with Pete for four laps, trying to sit in behind him. I knew that the tyres would come into play and tried to save them as much as I can. I just did not have the tyre to compete at the end. Hat’s off to Pete, he had a great race and thanks to the team for an awesome job.”
Datzer was also overjoyed after securing his second podium finish in his second Macau appearance. The restart did not go as planned for him, starting from fourth, he initially dropped several positions and was ninth. However, he fought his way back, eventually passing Brookes to claim third place and maintained the podium position until the checkered flag.
“It’s amazing, just amazing”, Datzer enthused on the podium. “After my bad start I thought, oh no, the fast guys are gone. However, I’m blessed to have a great bike which has been prepared by a great team. I worked my way through and to be on the podium again at Macao is a great way to end the event.”
Paul Jordan (GBR / ZERO UP Racing Team by Penz 13) and Sam West (GBR / moto-hub.co.uk) finished seventh and tenth, respectively, also making it into the top ten.
Augusto Farfus (BRA) has added another podium finish to his impressive record at the Macau (CHN) street race. Driving the #11 BMW M4 GT3 for ROWE Racing, Farfus finished third in Sunday’s main race.
Macau. Augusto Farfus (BRA) has added another podium finish to his impressive record at the Macau (CHN) street race. Driving the #11 BMW M4 GT3 for ROWE Racing, Farfus finished third in Sunday’s main race. Sheldon van der Linde (RSA) gave a strong performance in the #32 BMW M4 GT3 of the BMW M Team WRT during his debut in Macau but was unlucky in the main race with a tyre failure that cost him a shot at the podium. In the qualification race on Saturday, he finished in fifth place, just behind Farfus .
Farfus, who won in Macau in 2018 driving the BMW M6 GT3 and had previously won twice in the FIA WTCC, showed great fighting spirit throughout the weekend. Starting the qualification race in eighth position, he improved his standing with strong overtaking manoeuvres on the extremely narrow city circuit to finish fourth. He lost that advantageous position in a tough duel right at the start of the main race. However, he once again worked his way forward and, due to problems faced by two drivers ahead of him, he was able to celebrate a third-place finish on the podium.
One of the drivers ahead of him was van der Linde, who was on course for the podium but suffered a tyre failure on the rear left, which set him back significantly. Nevertheless, he demonstrated his great potential with a fifth place in qualifying and in the qualification race, and he quickly got to grips with the new and highly demanding track. For the BMW M4 GT3, it was also the first appearance in Macau, which it completed successfully with a podium finish.
At the season finale of the Intercontinental GT Challenge (IGTC), the Gulf 12 Hours on 10th December 2023, in Abu Dhabi (UAE), BMW and the three BMW M works drivers, Philipp Eng (AUT), Sheldon van der Linde (RSA), and Dries Vanthoor (BEL), are vying for titles in the manufacturer and driver standings. Valentino Rossi (ITA) will compete at the Yas Marina Circuit in the #46 BMW M4 GT3 of BMW M Team WRT for the first time.
Munich. At the season finale of the Intercontinental GT Challenge (IGTC), the Gulf 12 Hours on 10th December 2023, in Abu Dhabi (UAE), BMW and the three BMW M works drivers, Philipp Eng (AUT), Sheldon van der Linde (RSA), and Dries Vanthoor (BEL), are vying for titles in the manufacturer and driver standings. Valentino Rossi (ITA) will compete at the Yas Marina Circuit in the #46 BMW M4 GT3 of BMW M Team WRT for the first time.
In total, BMW M Team WRT is fielding two cars and six BMW M works drivers. Eng and van der Linde are supported in their title pursuit by Charles Weerts (BEL) in the #32 BMW M4 GT3. In the #46 BMW M4 GT3, alongside Rossi and title contender Vanthoor, Nick Yelloly (GBR) will compete.
BMW is leading the manufacturer standings in the IGTC with 133 points ahead of the final season race, but only holds a nine-point lead over Mercedes. With victories at the Kyalami 9 Hour (RSA), the 24h Spa-Francorchamps (BEL), and the Indianapolis 8 Hour (USA), BMW M Motorsport teams have won three out of four IGTC season races. Only at Bathurst (AUS) at the season opener did they miss the podium. In the driver standings, Eng is currently in second place, trailing the leader Jules Gounon (FRA, Mercedes) by eight points, following his wins at Spa-Francorchamps and Indianapolis, as well as a second-place finish at Kyalami. Van der Linde and Vanthoor, who won together with Eng at Indianapolis a few weeks ago, are six points behind in third place.
Quotes ahead of the Gulf 12 Hours.
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.
Björn Lellmann, Head of Customer Racing at BMW M Motorsport:
“What successful and exciting season finales! Congratulations to Jens Klingmann and Bruno Spengler on their deserved title with the BMW M4 GT3 in the Sprint Cup within the Italian GT Championship. After the Pro-Am title in the Endurance competition, this is another impressive success for BMW Italia Ceccato Racing with team principal and BMW legend Roberto Ravaglia. Awesome! The title win for Century Motorsport in the British GT Championship last week was equally thrilling and pleasing. Congratulations to Dan Harper and Darren Leung on their triumph in the overall standings, as well as Michael Johnston and Chris Salkeld, who claimed the title with the BMW M4 GT4 in the Pro-Am class. I would also like to congratulate Jody Vullo, and Gianni van de Craats and Sen Roodenburg, who were crowned champions in the BMW M2 CS Racing Cups Italy and Benelux after thrilling title races.”
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After an absence of four years, BMW M Motorsport is returning to the most spectacular GT city race in the world in 2023 – the FIA GT World Cup in Macau (CHN). On 18th/19th November, BMW M Team WRT and ROWE Racing will each field a BMW M4 GT3, as they take on the ultimate challenge in the concrete canyons of the legendary ‘Guia Circuit’.
Munich. After an absence of four years, BMW M Motorsport is returning to the most spectacular GT city race in the world in 2023 – the FIA GT World Cup in Macau (CHN). On 18th/19th November, BMW M Team WRT and ROWE Racing will each field a BMW M4 GT3, as they take on the ultimate challenge in the concrete canyons of the legendary ‘Guia Circuit’. A proven Macau expert starting for ROWE Racing is Augusto Farfus (BRA). The BMW M works driver won the race in 2018. Sheldon van der Linde (RSA) is set to make his Macau debut in the car run by BMW M Team WRT with a design in the colours of Premium Technology Partner Shell.
Both BMW M Motorsport teams have raced in Macau on several occasions in the past and have a wealth of experience. BMW M Team WRT won the FIA GT World Cup in 2016 and also has more podiums to its name. ROWE Racing started with the BMW M6 GT3 in both 2016 and 2017. The team then made it onto the podium with two cars in 2019, finishing second and third. Farfus won both qualifying and the main race in 2018, at the wheel of a BMW M6 GT3 run by BMW M Team Schnitzer. The Brazilian finished fourth when BMW M Motorsport made its most recent appearance back in 2019, before the pandemic.
Quotes ahead of the FIA GT World Cup:
Andreas Roos (Head of BMW M Motorsport): “It is fantastic to finally return to Macau this year, for the first time since the pandemic. I actually was there myself for the Formula 3 race, a long time ago, and am really looking forward to being involved in the FIA GT World Cup for the first time. This will also be the first outing for the BMW M4 GT3 at the ‘Guia Circuit’. However, over the past two years the car has shown that it has what it takes to win on any kind of track. ROWE Racing and BMW M Team WRT are among the best GT teams in the world and both have a lot of experience in Macau. The same can definitely be said of Augusto Farfus as a driver. I am sure that he will show his class there once again, as well as being able to offer Sheldon van der Linde valuable advice on his debut in Macau. Augusto’s tips, the support of BMW M Team WRT and Sheldon’s own outstanding talent will ensure that he soon finds his feet at what is a new circuit for him. I am confident of that.”
Augusto Farfus (#11 BMW M4 GT3, ROWE Racing): “Macau is a magical place, and a very emotional one for me personally. The event is definitely one of the highlights of the season and I feel honoured to be able to represent BMW M Motorsport again. I have enjoyed a lot of success there in the past, particularly my victory in 2018. I am confident that we will have a very strong package with my friends at ROWE Racing and the BMW M4 GT3.“
Sheldon van der Linde (#32 BMW M4 GT3, BMW M Team WRT): “I grew up with the race in Macau and watched it every year. I always hoped that I would one day get the chance to drive there myself. That opportunity has come along, and I am incredibly grateful to BMW M Motorsport and my partner Shell for making this possible. I will listen carefully to the advice of my friend and fellow BMW driver Augusto Farfus, who has a wealth of experience there. That will hopefully speed up my learning process! I am counting down the days until the event is finally here.”
Photos shall continue in this post:
- BMW M Motorsport News, 17th October 2023
- Plenty of podium honours for BMW M Team WRT at the GT World Challenge Europe Sprint Cup finale at Zandvoort.
- 2023 IMSA season finale: BMW M Team RLL finishes seventh and eighth in eventful Petit Le Mans – GTD podium for Turner Motorsport.
- BMW M Motorsport News, 10th October 2023
- Grand finale of the inaugural IMSA GTP season for BMW M Team RLL at Petit Le Mans: Connor De Phillippi and Nick Yelloly in contention for the driver’s title.
- Indianapolis 8 Hour: BMW M Team WRT wins – BMW maintains its lead in the IGTC manufacturer standings.
- BMW M Motorsport News, 3rd October 2023
- GT World Challenge Europe: ROWE Racing concludes an impressive Endurance Cup season.
- Intercontinental GT Challenge: BMW M Team WRT competes with two BMW M4 GT3s at the Indianapolis 8 Hour.
- BMW M Motorsport News, 26th September 2023.
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