DTM: Sheldon van der Linde and René Rast secure top-ten finishes in a challenging weekend.

Jeff Seabrook BMW Racing News Sunday September 10, 2023

The sixth DTM race weekend of the season at the Sachsenring (GER) demanded determination from the BMW M Motorsport teams and drivers. The track layout didn’t play to the strengths of the BMW M4 GT3, and the car's classification also didn't help in reaching the podium. Sheldon van der Linde (RSA) achieved the best result for BMW M Motorsport with a sixth-place finish on Saturday.

Sachsenring. The sixth DTM race weekend of the season at the Sachsenring (GER) demanded determination from the BMW M Motorsport teams and drivers. The track layout didn’t play to the strengths of the BMW M4 GT3, and the car's classification also didn't help in reaching the podium. Sheldon van der Linde (RSA) achieved the best result for BMW M Motorsport with a sixth-place finish on Saturday. His Schubert Motorsport teammate, René Rast (GER), secured eighth place in both races. Marco Wittmann (GER) made his race debut at the Sachsenring, finishing twelfth and earning points on Sunday.

The main issue was the BMW M4 GT3's lack of one-lap speed in qualifying. Starting from midfield or even backfield positions, the fight for podium places became challenging, even though the BMW M Motorsport drivers made strong comebacks in the races. Rast moved from 18th place on Saturday and 15th place on Sunday to finish eighth in both races. Wittmann improved from 22nd to twelfth on Sunday and from 24th to 18th on Saturday. Van der Linde secured his sixth place from eleventh on the starting grid on Saturday. However, he retired on Sunday after a collision on the first lap. Sandro Holzem (GER) in the #56 BMW M4 GT3 from Team Project 1 finished 20th and 16th.

In the driver standings, defending champion van der Linde is currently fourth with 113 points, with four races left in the season. In the team standings, Schubert Motorsport is also in fourth place with 192 points.

Reactions to the DTM weekend at the Sachsenring:

Grand appearance for BMW M Motorsport race cars at the Nürburgring.

Jeff Seabrook BMW Racing News Thursday September 7, 2023

A spectacular motor racing show awaits tens of thousands of fans this Saturday, in the form of Red Bull Formula Nürburgring. The event, which forms part of the 12-hour race weekend in the Nürburgring Endurance Series (NLS), attracts big stars and legendary cars from all motorsport classes to the Eifel region of Germany. BMW M, BMW M Motorsport and BMW Group Classic will play big roles.

Munich. A spectacular motor racing show awaits tens of thousands of fans this Saturday, in the form of Red Bull Formula Nürburgring. The event, which forms part of the 12-hour race weekend in the Nürburgring Endurance Series (NLS), attracts big stars and legendary cars from all motorsport classes to the Eifel region of Germany. BMW M, BMW M Motorsport and BMW Group Classic will play big roles. Spectators will be able to marvel at vintage BMW race cars and BMW M safety cars on the track – including the Nordschleife. Among those taking their place behind the wheel will be BMW M works drivers Philipp Eng (AUT) and Jens Klingmann (GER).

The Müllenbachschleife at the Nürburgring (GER) will be the venue for 30,000 spectators watching Red Bull Formula Nürburgring – a show of superlative motor racing, combining big stars and show runs from iconic cars.

Historic BMW race cars will form an instrumental part of the event. Not only will they be in action on the Grand Prix circuit, but most of them also on the Nordschleife. The BMW V12 LMR, which won the 24 Hours of Le Mans (FRA) in 1999, will be driven by Markus Flasch, Senior Vice President Product Lines Rolls-Royce, BMW Luxury Class and BMW Midsize Class. HRH Prince Leopold of Bavaria will be at the wheel of the BMW M1 Procar, Jens Klingmann the BMW M3 E30 and Philipp Eng the BMW Z4 GT3 with the Michel Vaillant livery, which competed in the 24 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps (BEL) in 2015. Ralf Schumacher (GER) will thrill fans with a drive in the BMW Williams FW25, with which he fought for the Formula 1 World Championship in 2003.

BMW M GmbH will present a number of cars from its spectacular fleet of MotoGP™ Safety Cars. BMW M is in its 25^th season as “Official Car of MotoGP™” in 2023, and is taking BMW M4 Safety Cars from various generations, a BMW M3 Safety Car, a BMW M6 Safety Car and a BMW M8 Safety Car to the Nürburgring. The Red Bull Driftbrothers will also be part of the show with their BMW M4 cars, which have been specially set up for drifting.

Red Bull Formula Nürburgring is also bringing a host of Formula 1 legends to the Nürburgring – both cars and drivers. Four-time world champion Sebastian Vettel (GER) will be there, together with world championship runner-up David Coulthard (GBR) and current Formula 1 driver Yuki Tsunoda (JPN).

GT World Challenge Europe: BMW M Team WRT secures a podium finish at Hockenheim in the Sprint Cup.

Jeff Seabrook BMW Racing News Sunday September 3, 2023

The BMW M Team WRT secured another podium finish during the third race weekend of the Fanatec GT World Challenge Europe Powered by AWS (GTWC) Sprint Cup at the Hockenheimring (GER). Dries Vanthoor and Charles Weerts (both BEL) finished third in the #32 BMW M4 GT3 in the Saturday race. On Sunday, they secured fifth place.

Hockenheim. The BMW M Team WRT secured another podium finish during the third race weekend of the Fanatec GT World Challenge Europe Powered by AWS (GTWC) Sprint Cup at the Hockenheimring (GER). Dries Vanthoor and Charles Weerts (both BEL) finished third in the #32 BMW M4 GT3 in the Saturday race. On Sunday, they secured fifth place. Valentino Rossi (ITA) and Maxime Martin (BEL) pulled off a spectacular comeback on Saturday in car #46, starting from 35th place and finishing in eighth position. On Sunday, they finished seventh.

Even though no BMW M4 GT3 managed to break into the top three in the Sunday race at Hockenheim for the first time this Sprint Cup season, both driver pairings collected crucial points in the overall standings despite challenging prerequisites compared to some competitors. Vanthoor and Weerts are currently in third place in the standings after six out of ten races, while Rossi and Martin are in fifth place.

In the Gold Cup, Niklas Krütten (GER) and Calan Williams (AUS) celebrated a class victory on Saturday with the #30 BMW M4 GT3. However, a tyre issue early in the race on Sunday set them back, and they couldn't achieve more than fourth place in the Gold Cup. Nevertheless, they lead the driver standings in their category. Thomas Neubauer and Jean-Baptiste Simmenauer (both FRA) finished eleventh in both races in the #31 BMW M4 GT3.

Reactions after the races:

BMW M Team WRT is testing the BMW M Hybrid V8 at Spa-Francorchamps – BMW M4 GT3 EVO is set to arrive in 2025.

Jeff Seabrook BMW Racing News Friday September 1, 2023

The preparation of the BMW M Hybrid V8 for its entry into the FIA WEC in 2024 continued this week with three days of testing at Spa-Francorchamps (BEL). The BMW M Team WRT gained further valuable insights on its home track from Wednesday to Friday. Simultaneously, BMW M Motorsport tested the BMW M4 GT3 EVO, the improved successor to the current BMW M4 GT3. This upgraded version of the vehicle will compete from the 2025 season onwards.

Spa-Francorchamps. The preparation of the BMW M Hybrid V8 for its entry into the FIA World Endurance Championship (FIA WEC) in 2024 continued this week with three days of testing at Spa-Francorchamps (BEL). The BMW M Team WRT gained further valuable insights on its home track from Wednesday to Friday. Simultaneously, BMW M Motorsport tested the BMW M4 GT3 EVO, the improved successor to the current BMW M4 GT3. This upgraded version of the vehicle will compete from the 2025 season onwards .

In total, eight BMW M works drivers shared the testing duties with both vehicles. Robin Frijns (NED), Maxime Martin (BEL), René Rast (GER), Marco Wittmann (GER), and Nick Yelloly (GBR) were behind the wheel of the BMW M Hybrid V8. Particularly Yelloly, as regular driver, and Wittmann, who participated at Daytona and Sebring (both USA), brought their experience from the race outings of the LMDh prototype in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship 2023. Augusto Farfus (BRA), Jens Klingmann (GER) and Bruno Spengler (CAN) shared duties testing the BMW M4 GT3 EVO.

The efforts of the BMW M Team WRT with the carbon-black BMW M Hybrid V8 focused on optimising systems and performance. Like most drivers, the Belgian team is still at the stage of getting acquainted with and understanding the intricacies of the complex vehicle.

The BMW M4 GT3 EVO starts its testing phase early. BMW M Motorsport will utilise the remainder of the 2023 season and the entirety of the 2024 season for intensive work on refining the already highly successful BMW M4 GT3. Emphasis will be on expanding vehicle functionalities, enhancing component reliability, improving handling for the teams, and further enhancing drivability.

Reactions after the test:

BMW M Motorsport News, 28th August 2023

Jeff Seabrook BMW Racing News Tuesday August 29, 2023

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

“Over the past weekend, the focus was clearly on the IMSA race weekend in Virginia. It's incredible how successful the BMW M Motorsport teams presented themselves in all the racing series there. Congratulations to Paul Miller Racing and Turner Motorsport for their one-two result in the GTD class with the BMW M4 GT3! This marks the fifth class win for Paul Miller Racing in this IMSA season, which is a fantastic record that all team members can be very proud of. Now, in the final two races, the goal is to clinch the well-deserved championship title. I wish them the best of luck for that! I was also greatly pleased with the wins and podium finishes for the BMW M4 GT4 in the IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge and the VP Racing SportsCar Challenge. Congratulations to Turner Motorsport and Stephen Cameron Racing!”

IMSA Series: Paul Miller Racing and Turner Motorsport celebrate double victory.

During the past weekend, as part of the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship (IMSA Series), the GT3 cars exclusively took the stage for the second time this season at Virginia International Raceway (USA). In the GTD class, the BMW M4 GT3 was clearly dominant. Paul Miller Racing, with Madison Snow and Bryan Sellers (both USA), impressively secured their fifth class win of the season, setting a new IMSA record in the process. At the end of the 2 hour and 40 minutes race, the #1 BMW M4 GT3 finished third overall and as class winner, more than twelve seconds ahead of Turner Motorsport’s #96 BMW M4 GT3. Robby Foley and Patrick Gallagher (both USA) showcased their fuel-saving skills and sealed the one-two result for the BMW M Motorsport teams as the second-placed finishers. Bill Auberlen and Chandler Hull (both USA) were positioned third in Turner Motorsport’s #97 BMW M4 GT3 until shortly before the finish, but had to concede one position, narrowly missing the GTD podium. With two races left in the season, Paul Miller Racing is on the verge of defending their title in the IMSA Sprint Cup and leads the GTD class driver and team standings significantly. BMW holds the top spot in the manufacturer standings. The next IMSA race is scheduled for 17^th September at Indianapolis (USA), where BMW M Team RLL with the BMW M Hybrid V8 will rejoin the action.

BMW M Motorsport News, 21st August 2023

Jeff Seabrook BMW Racing News Wednesday August 23, 2023

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

“After yet another fantastic weekend of racing, I am delighted to congratulate our BMW M Motorsport teams and drivers on wins with all our cars. Samantha Tan Racing recorded a first class win in the GT World Challenge America with the BMW M4 GT3 and Racing Trevor enjoyed success in the ESET Cup Series. The BMW M4 GT4 first set the scene of the weekend in the GT World Challenge Asia, before carrying BMW M Team Studie to the title on Sunday. The BMW M4 GT4 was also successful at Road America and at the Lausitzring. The BMW M2 CS Racing performed well in the BMW M2 Cup and in the TC America, delivering some thrilling race action. I am looking forward to even more in the weeks ahead!”

GTWC/GT/GT4/TC America: Samantha Tan Racing celebrates first win.

At the race weekend in the Fanatec GT World Challenge America Powered by AWS at Road America (USA), Samantha Tan (CAN) celebrated her first class win in the competitive racing series. Alongside BMW M works driver and BMW Junior Team member Neil Verhagen (USA) in the Samantha Tan Racing #38 BMW M4 GT3, she claimed third place overall in the second race, which was victory in the Pro-Am category. The duo had secured fourth place in Saturday’s race, finishing second in their class. On Saturday, second place on the overall podium went to Bill Auberlen and Chandler Hull (USA) from the BimmerWorld team. They endured some very bad luck on Sunday, forced to retire from the lead just before the end of the race by a problem with their #94 BMW M4 GT3.

In the GT4 America, the BMW M4 GT4 claimed five out of a possible six spots on the podium and some class wins. Zac Anderson (USA) produced the performance of the weekend. In both races, he drove the Auto Technic Racing #51 BMW M4 GT4 on his own, as his team-mate John Capestro-Dubets (USA) was unable to compete due to a back injury. This additional burden did not impinge upon his success, as he won Sunday’s race and reached the rostrum again on Saturday by finishing third. Kevin Boehm and Kenton Koch (both USA) finished second in both races in the Random Vandals Racing #92 BMW M4 GT4. The BimmerWorld duo James Walker Jr. / Tyler McQuarrie (both USA) secured third place overall on Sunday, which was the Pro-Am class win. In both races, the BimmerWorld #36 BMW M4 GT4, driven by Charlie Postins and James Clay (both USA), proved unbeatable in the Am category. In the GT America, John Roberts (USA) finished seventh and tenth for Fast Track Racing in the GT4 class.

The BMW M2 CS Racing dominated proceedings once again in the TC America. Five cars were racing for the lead in the two races, with victory on both occasions going to Colin Garrett (USA) from the Rooster Hall Racing team. Lucas Catania (USA) from the Rigid Speed Company team finished behind him in second place in both races. The third podium spot went to Aaron Kaplan (USA) on Saturday and Kenny Schmied (USA) on Sunday.

DTM: BMW M Motorsport teams in the points at the Lausitzring – 100th DTM race for René Rast.

Jeff Seabrook BMW Racing News Monday August 21, 2023

Overall, the BMW M Motorsport teams endured a difficult DTM weekend of ups and downs at the Lausitzring (GER). In Saturday’s race, important points were claimed by defending champion Sheldon van der Linde (RSA) in fifth, his Schubert Motorsport team-mate René Rast (GER) in eighth and Marco Wittmann (GER) in tenth place.

Lausitzring. Overall, the BMW M Motorsport teams endured a difficult DTM weekend of ups and downs at the Lausitzring (GER). In Saturday’s race, important points were claimed by defending champion Sheldon van der Linde (RSA) in fifth, his Schubert Motorsport team-mate René Rast (GER) in eighth and Marco Wittmann (GER) in tenth place. Problems in qualifying on Sunday pushed the BMW M Motorsport drivers to the back of the grid, but Wittmann in particular gave a superb recovery performance. There was another reason to celebrate for Rast as on Sunday, he completed the 100th DTM race of a career that has included three title wins.

Although the BMW M4 GT3 was generally unable to keep pace with the leaders at the Lausitzring, van der Linde, Rast and Wittmann coped pretty well in qualifying on Saturday and secured fifth, eighth and tenth positions in the race, having started from the middle of the pack.

They had worse luck in qualifying on Sunday with a red flag five minutes before the end of the session. It proved impossible for them to get their tyres to the right temperature after the restart, resulting in grid positions of 15th for Rast, 21st for van der Linde and 22nd for Wittmann. However, the trio of BMW M works drivers displayed plenty of fighting spirit in the race as they gave impressive recovery performances. Wittmann in particular had a sparkling drive to move up from 22nd to ninth place. He fell back to tenth place due to a post-race five-second time penalty. Rast finished eleventh, while van der Linde claimed 13th position. Sandro Holzem (GER) enjoyed two respectable finishes on his second DTM weekend, securing 17th and 18th places in the second BMW M4 GT3 from the Project 1 team.

Reactions to the DTM weekend at the Lausitzring:

Sheldon van der Linde (#1 BMW M4 GT3, Schubert Motorsport): “I am particularly proud of the fifth place that we achieved on Saturday. I think that was the absolute maximum that we could have achieved, under the conditions that we had with the BMW M4 GT3. Unfortunately, we dropped a lot of points on Sunday due to qualifying and some minor incidents in the race. That is disappointing, but I am still very much in the title race – and now there are some circuits coming up that should suit our car better. We will continue to go full throttle.”

René Rast (#33 BMW M4 GT3, Schubert Motorsport): “I finished in the points in both races, but overall, the points gain is meager. I would have naturally expected something more for my 100th race. It was evident that we didn't have the prerequisites to be competitive this weekend. I was the highest-placed BMW driver with P15 in qualifying on Sunday – I think that says it all. In the race, I gained a few positions, but more wasn't possible.”

Marco Wittmann (#11 BMW M4 GT3, Project 1): “I view the weekend with mixed feelings. I scored points in both races and my race pace was really very good, especially on Sunday. But, of course, my aspiration is to be competing at the front. We aren’t managing that right now. As a team, we just don’t have the experience of the individual circuits. That is particularly noticeable in the practice sessions, as we spend longer searching for the right set-up than the more experienced teams. In the meantime, we are really good at reaching the level of the others for the race and gave good performances, but overall we still have room for improvement as we look ahead to the upcoming races.”

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BMW M Motorsport News, 8th August 2023

Jeff Seabrook BMW Racing News Friday August 11, 2023

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:

“In August, the racing circuits around the world traditionally become somewhat quieter. Many racing series, and consequently, BMW M Motorsport teams, take a break before the season's final push from September. However, the summer isn't entirely devoid of racing, and over the past weekends, there have been several successes to celebrate. The BMW M4 GT4 remains a winning car, and I am also delighted with the strong performance of the BMW M Team Studie with the BMW M4 GT3 in the highly competitive GT300 class of the Japanese Super GT Series. Congratulations to the successful teams and drivers, and to those who have some time off from racing, I wish you a relaxing break. Hopefully, we'll have plenty of reasons to celebrate together again in the season's final stretch!”

Japanese Super GT Series: BMW M Team Studie achieves strong second place at Fuji.

About four weeks after celebrating their first season victory in the GT300 class of the Japanese Super GT Series at Suzuka (JPN), BMW M Team Studie with the BMW M4 GT3 secured another podium finish at the fourth season event at Fuji (JPN). Seiji Ara and Masataka Yanagida (both JPN) took second place. The duo started the 450-kilometre race from 16th position, which began under rainy conditions behind the safety car. As the race progressed, the weather constantly changed, the track dried up, teams switched to slick tyres, and later, rain returned. Moreover, the race had to be briefly interrupted due to a GT300 vehicle catching fire. Ara and Yanagida showcased an outstanding comeback in the turbulent race in the #7 BMW M4 GT3, steadily advancing with a perfect strategy, and eventually securing second place on the podium. The victory propelled the team and Ara to the top position in the GT300 overall standings.

IMSA: Both BMW M Hybrid V8 cars retire at Road America – Paul Miller Racing celebrates class win with BMW M4 GT3.

Jeff Seabrook BMW Racing News Monday August 7, 2023

The third-to-last race of the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship (IMSA series) at Road America (USA) was disappointing for BMW M Team RLL. Both BMW M Hybrid V8 cars retired prematurely in the 2-hour and 40-minute-long race.

Elkhart Lake. The third-to-last race of the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship (IMSA series) at Road America (USA) was disappointing for BMW M Team RLL. Both BMW M Hybrid V8 cars retired prematurely in the 2-hour and 40-minute-long race. Connor De Phillippi (USA) had an early collision with the wall in the #25 car, forcing him to retire. Philipp Eng (AUT) had to park the #24 BMW M Hybrid V8 after 55 laps due to technical issues. In the GTD class, Paul Miller Racing celebrated their fourth season victory and extended their lead in the overall standings.

After their retirements, the #24 BMW M Hybrid V8 driven by Eng and Augusto Farfus (BRA) and the #25 car driven by De Phillippi and Nick Yelloly (GBR) were classified in ninth and tenth positions in the GTP class. As a result, De Phillippi and Yelloly lost their second place in the overall standings, which they held after a victory and three other podium finishes this season. In the GTD class, Madison Snow and Bryan Sellers (both USA) drove to a dominant victory. Bill Auberlen and Chandler Hull (both USA) finished sixth in the #97 BMW M4 GT3 of Turner Motorsport, while their teammates Robby Foley and Patrick Gallagher (both USA) ran out of fuel in the final lap and were classified twelfth.

The penultimate GTP race of the season will take place on 17^th September in Indianapolis (USA). The GTD class will compete at the VIRginia International Raceway (USA) on 27^th August before that.

Quotes after the race:

Andreas Roos (Head of BMW M Motorsport): “That was a very disappointing race for BMW M Team RLL and BMW M Motorsport. Losing the car shortly after the start, which was in second place in the championship, is tough. The GTP prototypes are particularly challenging to drive on cold tyres, as we have seen throughout the season. Such things can happen, even though it's very frustrating. That's racing. The #24 car had an issue with its electronics. We still need to analyse exactly what happened. Although we are all disappointed today, we will work hard from tomorrow onwards to get back to our proven strength at the next race in Indianapolis. We had a good test there and are accordingly confident. My heartfelt congratulations go to Paul Miller Racing for the victory in the GTD class. The team impressively demonstrates how strong our BMW M4 GT3 is on North American racetracks.”

Philipp Eng (#24 BMW M Hybrid V8, DNF): “Compared to qualifying, we had a much better pace in the race, and I held the fastest lap for a long time in the first half of the race. Unfortunately, I had a minor collision with a Porsche that cost me a lot of time; otherwise, we could have been much further ahead. As for the issue with the electronics, we'll have to investigate further. I'm not sure if it was a result of the collision, but we will find out.”

Connor De Phillippi (#25 BMW M Hybrid V8, DNF): “In the formation lap, unfortunately, I spun while trying to warm up the cold tyres and ended up in the gravel. The marshals pulled me out, and I was able to continue. It seems that the action significantly altered the balance of my car, which I didn't notice at first. It was only when I had overtaken all the GTD vehicles and went through 'The Kink' at full speed for the first time that I suddenly lost the rear of the car and hit the wall. Fortunately, I'm okay, but I feel really sorry for the entire team. However, I'm confident that we will come out stronger from this experience.”

Madison Snow (#1 BMW M4 GT3, Paul Miller Racing, 1^st place GTD class):

“We came out of the gate very strong. The BMW was handling as good as it gets in qualifying. Once I had the GTD PRO class cars get past me I focused on getting a gap and staying out front.”

Bryan Sellers (#1 BMW M4 GT3, Paul Miller Racing, 1^st place GTD class):

“This weekend a large challenge was the newly resurfaced race track. After qualifying, we felt that we should not ask too much or push so hard that we would put ourselves in a position where the track had less grip. There was a lot of time to be lost in traffic and careful management was important.”

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DTM: BMW M Motorsport Teams out of luck in changeable weather conditions at the Nürburgring.

Jeff Seabrook BMW Racing News Monday August 7, 2023

The infamous weather in the Eifel region struck once again, catching the BMW M Motorsport teams out during the DTM race weekend at the Nürburgring (GER). On Sunday in particular, the BMW M4 GT3 was unable to make the most of its great pace as the Schubert Motorsport and Project 1 teams picked the wrong tyre strategy in extremely challenging weather conditions.

Nürburgring. The infamous weather in the Eifel region struck once again, catching the BMW M Motorsport teams out during the DTM race weekend at the Nürburgring (GER). On Sunday in particular, the BMW M4 GT3 was unable to make the most of its great pace as the Schubert Motorsport and Project 1 teams picked the wrong tyre strategy in extremely challenging weather conditions. Sheldon van der Linde (RSA), Marco Wittmann and René Rast (both GER) started on slicks with the track drying out, only for the rain to return a few laps in and send the trio tumbling down the order. Wittmann and van der Linde had scored some points on Saturday.

The BMW M Motorsport teams decided to risk it all on Sunday when it looked like the track was drying out at the start of the race, prompting van der Linde and Rast to put on slicks. Wittmann followed suit after the first of two warm-up laps, while the remainder of the field started on wet-weather tyres. The three BMW M works drivers initially fell back on the moist surface, but were able to progress as conditions improved.

Had the weather held until the pit-stop window opened 20 minutes into the race, the tyre gamble may have paid off. However, the strategy was torpedoed by a rain shower after about a quarter of an hour. During the laps preceding the regular pit stop, the BMW trio lost so much time that a points finish was now out of reach. Wittmann finished 16th, with van der Linde and Rast in 17th and 19th positions. On his debut DTM weekend, Sandro Holzem (GER) was the best-placed BMW driver in 15th position, a result that saw him score his first DTM point. The second Project 1 driver had started on wet-weather tyres. This bad luck with the weather was a particularly bitter pill to swallow for van der Linde and Wittmann, as they had qualified in second and fifth respectively.

Wittmann and van der Linde both reached the top ten in Saturday’s race, finishing sixth and seventh. Both drivers gave great chasing performances after struggling in qualifying. Wittmann moved up from tenth on the grid to sixth place, while van der Linde came back even more strongly after starting 15th and was the fastest car in the field at times. Rast finished 20th, directly ahead of Holzem.

The Le Mans Classic 2023. BMW Group Classic enters a BMW M1 Group 4 in legendary “Wirtshaus” livery.

Jeff Seabrook BMW Racing News Tuesday August 1, 2023

Munich/Le Mans.

BMW Group Classic is returning to the Le Mans Classic for the first time since 2014 – and will line up at the Circuit de La Sarthe with the legendary BMW M1 Group 4 in “Münchener Wirtshaus” livery. Piloting the car will be the original driver trio from the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1981: HRH Prince Leopold of Bavaria (DE), Christian Danner (DE) and Peter Oberndorfer (DE).

On 15 June 2023 the team met up at the Spatenhaus an der Oper restaurant in Munich to set the scene for the action to come.

The drivers got together with fans and media representatives to
recreate the pre-race public photo call from 1981. The event on 3 June that year was intended to shine the spotlight on the company’s involvement in the upcoming 24-hour race.

So history was repeating itself this year – with the same venue, the same car and the same drivers.