The GT4 European Series season started at the weekend with a total of ten BMW M4 GT4s at Circuit Zolder (BEL) and with BMW Motorsport Juniors Beitske Visser (NED) and Nico Menzel (GER) in action. The duo will be spending the whole season in the RN Vision STS team #110 BMW M4 GT4 and scored points in both races at the season-opener. The car crossed the line in seventh place on Saturday and again on Sunday. On Sunday, Visser and Menzel put in a great chasing performance after starting from 17th position. The best-placed BMW M4 GT4 in both races was the MDM Motorsport team #1 car. Simon Knap and 2017 BMW Sports Trophy winner, Max Koebolt (both NED), secured fifth place on Saturday and finished sixth on Sunday
The Blancpain GT Series Sprint Cup also held its first race weekend at Zolder. The 3Y Technology team is competing in the Silver Cup class with a BMW M6 GT3. In Saturday’s race, the driver duo of Andrew Watson (GBR) and Lukas Moraes (BRA) finished fourth, just missing out on the podium in their category. They finished fifth in their class on Sunday.
The Japanese Super GT Championship season kicked off at Okayama (JPN), the first of eight races. In action once again this year are the Autobacs Racing Team Aguri (ARTA), which finished last season in second place overall in the GT300 class. In 2018, Shinichi Takagi (JPN) and Sean Walkinshaw (GBR) will again be sharing the cockpit of the #55 ARTA BMW M6 GT3. The duo claimed sixth place at the season-opener.
Fans of the British Touring Car Championship (BTCC) were treated to a turbulent start to the 2018 season in Brands Hatch (GBR). The BMW drivers from the West Surrey Racing (WSR) team, which celebrated the Team and Constructors’ titles in the previous season, were among the main protagonists on the short Indy circuit. In the first of three races on Sunday, Colin Turkington (GBR) was involved in a battle for the lead in his BMW 125i M Sport, right to the finish line. He missed out on the win by just 0.547 seconds, claiming second place. His team-mate Andrew Jordan (GBR) joined him on the podium by finishing third. Rob Collard (GBR) crossed the line in 15th position. Stephen Jelley (GBR) of Team Parker Racing, also competing in a BMW 125i M Sport, finished in 22ndplace. Changeable weather conditions turned the field on its head in the second race. It had rained before the start and Jordan was involved in a three-way battle for the lead, having moved ahead during the first half of the race. Conditions then changed dramatically as the circuit dried out and the leading pack fell back, with no chance of improvement on wet-weather tyres. Jordan crossed the line in 21st place. Collard finished in 26th position, Turkington in 27th and Jelley was forced to retire from the race. These results defined the grid positions for the third and final race. Turkington began the chase and worked his way up to ninth place at the chequered flag. Jordan was 17th, Jelley finished 23rd. Collard retired.
BMW works driver Jens Klingmann (GER) will be supporting the BMW customer racing Team MRS at the ADAC GT Masters season-opener this coming weekend (14th and 15thApril) at Oschersleben (GER). Klingmann will be sharing the cockpit of the BMW M6 GT3 with regular driver Christopher Zöchling (AUT). MRS is competing with the BMW M6 GT3 for the first time in the ADAC GT Masters. A total of three BMW M6 GT3 are competing in the 2018 ADAC GT Masters. The other two cars are racing for BMW Team Schnitzer, with the driver duos of Timo Scheider (GER)/Mikkel Jensen (DEN) and Dennis Marschall (GER)/Victor Bouveng (SWE).
