Björn Lellmann, Head of Customer Racing at BMW M Motorsport:
“We experienced fantastic season starts last weekend in the Italian
GT Sprint Championship, British GT, ADAC GT Masters, and ADAC GT4
Germany. Congratulations to everyone on their wins and podium
finishes! The success stories of our customer racing cars, the BMW M4
GT3 EVO and BMW M4 GT4 EVO, continue uninterrupted. That makes me very
happy! I was at the Red Bull Ring and, in addition to the sporting
successes, I also observed taxi rides with our new BMW M2 Racing. It’s
great to see how our latest car is also attracting attention from
customers and fans.”
—
Top Topic: Dream start for Klingmann/Marciello in the Italian
GT Championship.
BMW M works drivers Jens Klingmann (GER) and Raffaele Marciello (SUI)
celebrated a perfect start to the Italian GT Sprint Championship
season in Imola (ITA). At the Autodromo Enzo e Dino Ferrari, the
German-Swiss duo from Team BMW Italia Ceccato Racing finished second
in Saturday’s race and were unbeatable on Sunday in the #7 BMW M4 GT3 EVO.
“We are more than satisfied – it was an almost perfect weekend,” said
Klingmann, for whom Sunday’s victory in Emilia-Romagna had special
significance. “I had never won in Imola before. We’ve often been
close, but it never quite worked out. So this is a very special
victory for me,” explained the 35-year-old.
With 35 points, Klingmann, Marciello, and BMW Italia Ceccato Racing
also took the overall championship lead after the opening weekend – a
first indication after narrowly missing out on their third consecutive
title last season.
“We don’t just want to win races – we also want to bring the
championship back to BMW M Motorsport and BMW Italia Ceccato Racing
after the close result in 2025,” Klingmann emphasized. “This weekend
laid the foundation for that.”
Behind Klingmann and Marciello, Ian Rodriguez (GUA) and local driver
Giuseppe Forenzi (ITA) also delivered an impressive performance in
Imola. In Sunday’s race, they secured third place, completing a double
podium for BMW M Motorsport in the #77 BMW M4 GT3 EVO after narrowly
missing out on the podium with fourth place in the first race.
Following the strong weekend, the duo from Team Faems sits third in
the championship, just 13 points behind the leaders. The second sprint
weekend of the Italian GT Championship will take place in mid-May in
Vallelunga (ITA).
All
results from the Italian GT Championship at a glance
—
ADAC GT Masters and ADAC GT4 Germany: Successes for FK
Performance Motorsport.
FK Performance Motorsport had a successful start to the ADAC GT
Masters and ADAC GT4 Germany seasons last weekend at the Red Bull Ring
(AUT). Particularly impressive were the performances of Gabriele Piana
(ITA) and Benjamin Sylvestersson (FIN) in the #51 BMW M4 GT4 EVO. The
duo won the opening race on Saturday and followed it up with a
second-place finish on Sunday, earning them the overall lead in the
ADAC GT4 Germany standings.
For Sylvestersson, the Saturday win marked his first victory in the
series. “I will never forget my first win in ADAC GT4 Germany,” he
said. “Thanks to the team and to Gabriele, who gave everything today.
It was a great race. My stint was quite intense – but in the end, I
managed to pull away and build a small gap.” Piana added: “Every win
feels like the first for me. It never gets boring to win in ADAC GT4
Germany. We’re extremely happy about this victory.”
In the sister car #49, Luca Link (GER) and Luis Moser (AUT) also
delivered strong performances, finishing fourth and fifth. ME
Motorsport started the season with two sixth-place finishes.
In ADAC GT Masters, FK Performance Motorsport narrowly missed the
podium. Leyton Fourie (RSA) and Tim Zimmermann (GER) finished fourth
in Sunday’s race in the #11 BMW M4 GT3 EVO after placing tenth on
Saturday. Their teammates Fabio Rauer (GER) and Storm Gjerdrum (NOR)
finished sixth in both races in the #10 car.
All
results at a glance | ADAC GT Masters
All
results at a glance | ADAC GT4 Germany
—
British GT: Double podium for BMW M Motorsport at Silverstone.
BMW M Motorsport celebrated a double podium at the British GT season
opener. Jonathon Beeson and Charles Clark (both GBR) from Century
Motorsport finished second in the three-hour Silverstone 500 (GBR),
ahead of BMW M works driver Dan Harper and Darren Leung (both GBR)
from Paradine Competition.
For Harper and Leung, third overall in the #91 BMW M4 GT3 EVO also
meant victory in the Pro-Am category. On Saturday, the duo had secured
pole position. “Darren put in a brilliant lap, which gave me enough
margin to secure pole with a clean lap,” said Harper.
Leung held the lead after the start on Sunday. After the driver
change, Harper initially built a seven-second gap. “The first half of
the race went perfectly – we made a very strong impression,” said
Harper. “But in the middle phase, the race slipped away from us due to
the safety car periods.” Despite this, the 25-year-old remained
positive: “It’s an absolute pleasure to be back on the British GT
podium. I always love racing at home. Hopefully, we’ll come back next
year and take our third overall win at the Silverstone 500.”
Jack Collins and Branden Templeton (both GBR) from Century Motorsport
finished fourth in the GT4 category in the #24 BMW M4 GT4 EVO. Colin
Turkington and Ernie Graham (both GBR, Team WSR) secured third place
in the GT4 Pro-Am category in the #61 BMW M4 GT4 EVO.
All
results from Silverstone at a glance
—
M News compact: More victories and podium finishes.
GT4 America (25th-26th April): The success of the BMW
M4 GT4 EVO continued in the endurance race at Circuit of the Americas.
Sam Craven and Kenton Koch (both USA) won the 3-hour race in the #94
BMW M4 GT4 EVO of Random Vandals Racing, also taking victory in the
Pro-Am class. In the Am category, James Clay and James Walker Jr.
(both USA) celebrated victory in the #36 BMW M4 GT4 EVO of BimmerWorld.
GT World Challenge America (25th-26th April): BMW M
works driver Robby Foley and Justin Rothberg (both USA) finished
second in the Pro category in the 3-hour race at Circuit of the
Americas in the #29 BMW M4 GT3 EVO of Turner Motorsport.
BTCC (18th-19th April): Charles Rainford (GBR, Team
WSR) finished third at the British Touring Car Championship season
opener in Donington Park (GBR) in the #99 BMW 330e M Sport.
China GT Championship (18th-19th April): Samantha Tan
(CAN) won the Am category in the first race of the China GT
Championship in Shanghai (CHN). The Canadian triumphed alongside Jiang
Jiawei (CHN) for Team KRC, which also celebrated victories and podium
finishes in other categories.