Woodcliff Lake, N.J. – June 13, 2018 . . . At the mid-point of the 2018 Pirelli World Challenge season, BMW Customer Racing drivers stand at the top of championship points in two classes, competing with the BMW M235i Racing and BMW M4 GT4. To date, BMW drivers have finished on the podium 19 times, including six victories in the first six races of the season. In the TC class, Karl Wittmer, driver of the No. 91 Classic BMW M235i Racing, leads the driver points and Aurora Straus, driver of the No. 36 ST Racing M4 GT4, stands second in GTS-X Am driver points.
Touring Car, BMW M235i Racing
The BMW M235i Racing won the TC class manufacturer's title last season and currently holds a four point advantage in the 2018 manufacturer point standings. BMW drivers have combined to win three races and add an additional six podium finishes in the first half of the season. Karl Wittmer, the winner of the Round 5 race at Lime Rock Park in the No. 91 Classic BMW M235i Racing, holds a three-point lead in the driver point standings. Classic BMW teammate Matt Travis, driver of the No. 26 BMW M235iR, stands third. The third BMW driver in the top-five is Johan Schwartz, the Round 3 winner at Virginia International Raceway and the Round 6 winner at Lime Rock Park in the No. 80 Rooster Hall Racing M235i Racing.
GTS-X Pro/Am and Am, BMW M4 GT4
BMW drivers have expanded their presence in the series with the debut of the BMW M4 GT4 in Pirelli World Challenge this year. The Sprint X format allows two drivers to share a car in a 60-minute race and BMW drivers have won three of the opening six rounds in the GTS-X Am class and added an additional seven podium finishes. Aurora Straus and Al Carter drove the No. 36 ST Racing BMW M4 GT4 to BMW's first win of the season at the Circuit of the Americas in Round 2. 2016 TC driver champion Toby Grahovec and Chris Ohmacht led a BMW podium sweep of the Round 4 race at Virginia International Raceway in the No. 92 Classic BMW M4 GT4. Henry Schmitt and Greg Liefooghe finished second in the No. 88 Stephen Cameron Racing M4 GT4 with Michael Camus and Randy Mueller third in the No. 3 Epic Motorsports M4 GT4. In the Round 4 race at VIR, Aurora Straus LVB1 and Jon Miller drove the No. 36 ST Racing M4 GT4 to the win. Schmitt and Liefooghe raced the No. 88 M4 GT4 to a second podium of the weekend with a third place finish.
BMW of North America's customer racing program supports privateer BMW drivers across North America with racing cars, engineering, parts and contingency. In 2018, BMW NA will support the M235i Racing, BMW M4 GT4 and BMW M6 GT3 platforms. For more information, please contact Victor Leleu, BMW NA Motorsport Manager at victor.leleu@bmwna.com.
BMW Group In America
BMW of North America, LLC has been present in the United States since 1975. Rolls-Royce Motor Cars NA, LLC began distributing vehicles in 2003. The BMW Group in the United States has grown to include marketing, sales, and financial service organizations for the BMW brand of motor vehicles, including motorcycles, the MINI brand, and Rolls-Royce Motor Cars; Designworks, a strategic design consultancy based in California; technology offices in Silicon Valley and Chicago, and various other operations throughout the country. BMW Manufacturing Co., LLC in South Carolina is part of BMW Group's global manufacturing network and is the manufacturing plant for all X5 and X3 Sports Activity Vehicles and X6 and X4 Sports Activity Coupes. The BMW Group sales organization is represented in the U.S. through networks of 346 BMW passenger car and BMW Sports Activity Vehicle centers, 153 BMW motorcycle retailers, 127 MINI passenger car dealers, and 36 Rolls-Royce Motor Car dealers. BMW (US) Holding Corp., the BMW Group's sales headquarters for North America, is located in Woodcliff Lake, New Jersey.
Photo credit: BMW
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'BMW of North America is pleased to see the number of BMW cars and the number of BMW drivers expand in Pirelli World Challenge competition this year,' said Victor Leleu, BMW NA Motorsport Manager. 'The BMW M235i Racing continues to be an excellent starting point for many drivers and this year we've added a step up with the BMW M4 GT4. As we stated in our latest advertisement supporting the BMW Customer Racing program; We are going to need a bigger trophy case. We look forward to more success as the season continues.'
BMW of North America Customer Racing
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