Björn Lellmann, Head of Customer Racing at BMW M Motorsport:
“Despite the summer break in some racing series, our BMW M
Motorsport drivers and teams continue to compete week after week for
victories – and in some cases, even for the final push in the title
race. For example, Team WRT has put itself in a strong position thanks
to a solid weekend in the GT World Challenge Europe at Magny-Cours.
It’s always exciting to see how the team manages to get the most out
of a race weekend, even under less-than-ideal conditions. That’s how
championships are won – hopefully again this season! In North America,
the BMW M4 GT3 EVO and the BMW M4 GT4 EVO once again made waves last
weekend and two weeks prior. I’m happy and proud that the updates to
our customer racing vehicles are working so well – no matter the
racing series or the continent.”
—
GT World Challenge Europe (1st-3rd August): Team WRT defends
overall lead.
At the fourth and penultimate event of the Sprint Cup season in the
GT World Challenge Europe powered by AWS at Magny-Cours (FRA), BMW M
works drivers Kelvin van der Linde (RSA) and Charles Weerts (BEL)
defended their leads in both the Sprint Cup drivers’ standings and the
combined overall standings of the Sprint and Endurance Cups, thanks to
two podium finishes. The duo secured two third-place finishes in the
#32 BMW M4 GT3 EVO of Team WRT, showcasing strong comebacks in the
one-hour races. Ahead of the Sprint Cup finale at Valencia (ESP) in
September, van der Linde and Weerts hold a 1.5-point lead. In the
overall standings, they lead by 8.5 points. The remaining races
include the Sprint event at Valencia and two Endurance Cup races at
the Nürburgring (GER) and in Barcelona (ESP).
“A solid weekend in terms of points, but we’re still lacking
pace compared to our main contenders,” summarised van der Linde.
“We need to analyse the data carefully to find where we can gain
performance. While our race execution was strong, we’ll need a bit
more speed at Valencia if we want to win this championship – and
that’s definitely our goal.” Weerts added: “Our solid
performance earned us two podiums and valuable points. We’re still
leading the championship, but the fight is far from over. Hopefully,
we’ll have the extra pace needed to truly challenge for the title at
the Valencia finale.”
There was another podium to celebrate at Magny-Cours. In the Gold
Cup, BMW M works driver Jens Klingmann (GER) and Al Faisal Al Zubair
(OMA) finished second in Saturday’s race. On Sunday, they narrowly
missed the podium, finishing fourth in the #777 BMW M4 GT3 EVO of
AlManar Racing by WRT. Maxime Oosten and Mex Jansen (both NED) crossed
the finish line on Sunday as second in the Silver Cup in the #992 BMW
M4 GT3 EVO of Paradine Competition but were relegated to fourth due to
a post-race time penalty. Similarly, their teammates Jake Dennis and
Darren Leung (both GBR) dropped from second to sixth in the Bronze Cup
on Saturday due to a time penalty.
—
IMPC (1st-3rd August): Two podium finishes for strong BMW M4
GT4 EVOs at Road America.
In the two-hour race of the IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge (IMPC) at
Road America (USA), BMW M Motorsport teams played leading roles with
the BMW M4 GT4 EVO, narrowly missing out on victory. Right behind the
winning Ford, they secured positions two through to five. Steve
Wetterau and Cameron Shields (both USA) from Team CarBahn finished
second in the #4 car, while Stevan McAleer and Austin Krainz (both
USA) from Auto Technic Racing claimed third place in the #27 BMW M4
GT4 EVO. Fourth and fifth places went to CarBahn with Peregrine Racing
and Turner Motorsport.
—
Italian GT Championship (1st-3rd August): BMW Italia Ceccato
Racing on the podium at Imola.
The Italian GT Championship held its third endurance race of the
season at Imola (ITA) over the weekend. Anthony McIntosh (USA) and
Brendon Leitch (NZL) delivered an outstanding performance in the #2
BMW M4 GT3 EVO of BMW Italia Ceccato Racing, finishing second overall
in the three-hour race. As an amateur pairing, they also secured a
dominant victory in the GT3 AM class. Their teammates Leonardo
Caglioni, Stefano Comandini, and Francesco Guerra (all ITA) retired
early in the #1 car.
—
GT Cup Series (25th-27th July): BMW M Motorsport drivers
continue success at Most.
BMW M Motorsport drivers took another step toward the title in the GT
Cup Series at Most (CZE), excelling in both the Sprint and Endurance
categories. In the two Sprint races, Antal Zsigo (SVK / Racing Trevor)
and Rudolf Beňo (SVK / Aries Racing) finished second and third in the
GT3 class with their BMW M4 GT3 EVOs. Zsigo continues to lead the GT3
championship standings ahead of Beňo. In the Endurance race, the duo
of Gregor Szigo (SVK) and Dennis Waszek (CZE) performed strongly in
the BMW M6 GT3 of Racing Trevor, securing third place overall and
victory in the GT3 class. Second place in the class went to Antal
Szigo in the BMW M4 GT3 EVO.
—
GT4 Australia (25th-27th July): Father and son share Am class victories.
The GT4 Australia race weekend at Sandown (AUS) was all about the
Lawrence family. In the first race, Jacob Lawrence (AUS) triumphed in
the Am category in the #32 BMW M4 GT4 of Randall Racing. In the second
race, his father, Peter Lawrence (AUS), took over and crossed the
finish line first in the Am class in the #33 BMW M4 GT4 of Randall
Racing. In the Am driver standings, Jacob Lawrence leads, while Peter
Lawrence is in fourth place. Ryder Quinn and Steve Jakic (both AUS)
from Team Thunder Buddies / TekworkX celebrated a second-place finish
in the Silver-Am class after the second race, while Glenn Walker (AUS)
from Gomersall Motorsport claimed second in the Am category.
—
GT World Challenge America (18th-20th July): BMW M Motorsport
teams celebrate success in Virginia.
The VIRginia International Raceway (USA) hosted the fourth event of
the 2025 GT World Challenge America season. Kenton Koch and Connor De
Phillippi (both USA) secured podium finishes in both races in the #99
BMW M4 GT3 EVO of Random Vandals Racing. They finished second in the
first race and third in the second, matching their results in the Pro
class. In the Pro-Am category, Justin Rothberg and Robby Foley (both
USA) from Turner Motorsport achieved a double victory in the #29 BMW
M4 GT3 EVO. They finished third overall in the first race and fourth
overall in the second, each time claiming first place in the Pro-Am class.
—
GT America (18th-20th July): Championship leader Justin
Rothberg dominates in the BMW M4 GT3 EVO.
In the GT America races at the VIRginia International Raceway (USA),
Justin Rothberg (USA) was unstoppable. He won both races in the #29
BMW M4 GT3 EVO of Turner Motorsport, securing his fourth and fifth
victories of the season. Rothberg extended his championship lead after
five events.
—
GT4 America (18th-20th July): Winning streak for the BMW M4
GT4 EVO.
BMW M Motorsport teams dominated the GT4 America races at the
VIRginia International Raceway (USA), claiming overall victories in
both races, all class wins, and additional podiums. Kevin Boehm and
Kenton Koch (both USA) in the #97 BMW M4 GT4 EVO of Random Vandals
Racing were unbeatable, securing overall victories and first place in
the Silver class in both races.
In the Pro-Am category, their teammates Sam Craven and Josh Green
(both USA) in the #94 car won both races. In the second race,
Craven/Green also finished second overall behind Boehm/Koch,
completing a perfect weekend for Random Vandals Racing. Third place in
the Pro-Am class in both races went to James Walker Jr. and Tyler
McQuarrie (both USA) in the #82 BMW M4 GT4 EVO of BimmerWorld Racing.
The Am class victories also went to BMW M4 GT4 EVO teams. James Clay
and Charlie Postins (both USA) won the first race in the #36 car of
BimmerWorld Racing. In the second race, Kris Wilson and Zach Lumsden
(both USA) from Flying Lizard Motorsport claimed the top step of the
podium. The team returned to GT4 America for a one-off appearance in
Virginia, making their outing with the #413 BMW M4 GT4 EVO a success.
Joseph and Lucas Catania (both USA) in the #17 BMW M4 GT4 EVO of Rigid
Speed Company finished third in the AM class in both races.