The race debut for the BMW M4 GT3 did not go as well
The 50th edition of the 24-hour race at the Nürburgring (GER) represented the conclusion to the anniversary week for BMW M GmbH. However, the race debut for the BMW M4 GT3 did not go as well as hoped. BMW M GmbH provided a spectacular support programme around the classic endurance race, which took part in front of an impressive 230,000 fans, to mark its 50th birthday – the highlight being the BMW M Race of Legends on Saturday.
BMW M Race of Legends thrills fans with plenty of action
As part of the 50th anniversary celebrations, BMW M GmbH provided some spectacular highlights for fans in the support programme. Most notably, the BMW M Race of Legends, which featured BMW M Motorsport heroes from the past and BMW M CEO Franciscus van Meel dishing up top-quality racing action on Saturday in the BMW M2 CS Racing cars on the Grand Prix circuit. Cheered on by the fans, no mercy was shown as they executed overtaking manoeuvres, drifts, battles and some accidents before celebrating together on the podium. Victory went to Bill Auberlen (USA), who fought his way through the entire field after starting from last place on the reverse grid, having posted the best time in qualifying. Second and third places went to the BMW DTM legends Johnny Cecotto (VEN) and Steve Soper (GBR). Guest of honour, the former FIA President Jean Todt waved the chequered flag and joined Franciscus van Meel and Jochen Neerpasch, co-founder of BMW M GmbH, to hand over the trophies. Spectators were drawn to the BMW M Race of Legends paddock throughout the weekend and the drivers lost count of the autograph requests.
The support programme included more highlights in the M Town event space in the Ring Boulevard, where BMW M Motorsport drivers and management appeared regularly for interviews and autographs. Directly opposite, the M Showroom housed BMW M Motorsport race cars from various eras for the fans to admire in detail. The BMW M parade featured around 40 BMW M vehicles on a demonstration lap of the Nordschleife, greeted enthusiastically by the many spectators at the campgrounds.
24h Nürburgring: BMW M Motorsport teams unable to convert the strong pace of the BMW M4 GT3 into good results
The crew in the Schubert Motorsport #20 BMW M4 GT3, Jens Klingmann (GER), Jesse Krohn (FIN), Alexander Sims (GBR) and Niklas Krütten (GER), retained their composure during the hectic early hours of the race. The four deliberately took as few risks as possible, working their way up gradually from 20th on the grid once the race had calmed down a little. They were within sight of a podium for a long period, but around 30 minutes before the finish Krohn was forced to head for the pits due to overheating in the engine compartment. The only BMW M4 GT3 to cross the line was the #102 from Walkenhorst Motorsport, a long way back after several breaks for repairs.
Starting from second place, the ROWE Racing #99 BMW M4 GT3 battled for the lead, as did the BMW Junior Team in the #72 car. However, BMW Junior Dan Harper (GBR) first collided with a slower car when lapping and consequently had to spend 30 minutes in the pits to repair the suspension. Nick Yelloly (GBR) then suffered similar misfortune with the #99 on the Grand Prix circuit as suspension damage ended his race. The #98 car was in the hunt for first place into the night, but Sheldon van der Linde (RSA) was forced to retire due to a problem with the front-right suspension. After the long break for repairs, the BMW Junior Team put on a strong recovery to return to the top 20, only for Max Hesse (GER) to retire the damaged car after taking a spin.
BMW M Motorsport teams celebrated wins in the individual classes. FK Performance Motorsport triumphed with the BMW M4 GT4 in SP10, Adrenalin Motorsport by Alzner Automotive with the BMW 330i in VT2 RWD and with the BMW M240i Racing in the Cup class, Schubert Motorsport in the BMW M2 CS Racing Cup category, Hofor Racing with the BMW M3 e46 GTR in SP 6 and Rockstar Games by Viken Motorsport & Tomcat with the BMW 325i in V4.
