idrive magazine

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As always - thanks for reading, we look forward to seeing you at an event soon!

President | Graeme Bell 0407 186 296
Vice President | Jo Mawson 0412 661 900
Secretary | Lawrence Glynn 0414 563 290 
Treasurer | Shaaron Glynn

Proudly supported by:

All Commercial/All Residential Real Estate
Bell Motorsport

Berwick BMW

BM Tech

Creative Custom Cars
German Auto Haus

Mornington BMW

Shannons Insurance
South Yarra BMW

Southern BM

Traction Tyres

Waverley BMW

Zagame Autobody

COMPETITION TERMS: AU residents 16+ only, can take prize on 17/7/21, is a BMWDCM member & has a track worth vehicle (as determined by Promoter). If <18, get parent/guardian OK. Between 12.01am (AEST) 1/7/21 & 5pm (AEST) 10/7/21, email motorsport@bmwdcm.com.au & tell us in 50 words or less "why you would be most deserving of the prize".  Email must include full name & residential address. Max 1 entry per person. Prize: opportunity to attend the BMWDCM Broadford Come & Try & Driver Training event at Broadford on 17/7/21($200). Must claim prize by 5pm (AEST) 13/7/21. Winner told by email. See bmwdcm.com.au/terms for full conditions incl. privacy statement.  Promoter: BMW Drivers Club Melbourne Inc (Inc. no. A0102695G).

Dear Members,

We started off June with Victoria back in lockdown and had to shuffle our June members meeting back a few weeks.  The second week was just Melbourne Metro staying in lockdown, which meant we had to postpone our Whale Watching Weekend away to Port Fairy. We were very lucky to be released in time to still run our Sandown Driver Training and Come & Try Day on 19 June.

Our Sandown day was very well attended by 55 entrants, who had an absolute ball.  I would like to thank all of the volunteer officials who made this day as good as it was.  We were also very lucky with the weather and a fantastic sunny day.  Our Makulu Scholarship winner for the Sandown event was Nella Santisi, you can read about her experience here.

We ended up moving our June Members Meeting three times to enable us to be safe with the COVID lockdown and it was held on 22 June at Makulu Vehicle Storage.  We were also lucky to have a tour of SouthernBM collection which was brilliant, and we would all like to thank both Andrew and Keith for staying back and allowing our members to view their collection.  We had a great turn out with two representatives from Century Batteries coming along to show us some of their products and then we were able to present Nella with her award from the Sandown Event.

Clive from Makulu Vehicle Storage is again providing a Scholarship for our next Come and Try Day at Broadford on July 17.  Check out our latest newsletter for details on how you can win your entry fee back from Clive’s very generous scholarship fund.

On 27 June we had our drive for the month to Point Nepean.  We left from Mornington and took in some of the fantastic roads on the Peninsula before arriving at Point Nepean, where we spent a couple of hours exploring the old Quarantine Station before heading back to the Pig and Whistle at Arthurs Seat for a delicious late lunch.

July is looking good with our first event this Sunday at Phillip Island for Round 6 of the Traction Tyres/Yokohama Drivers Championship. Entries are still open, so if you are wanting to go get our entries in quick.

Our July members meeting will be at Waverley BMW on 6 July with a special visit from the Police to show us some of their marked and unmarked BMW’s. We will have Police officers on hand to answer any questions you may have and tell us a bit about how great the BMW Police spec cars are.

The following weekend sees a lot of our members off to Winton for Round 4 of the E30 Racing Championship. One of our Founding Members, Alex Jory, is currently leading the E30 Championship.  Good luck to Alex and all of our other members that are racing up at Winton.

The weekend of 17-18 July will have us attend Broadford for the weekend.  Saturday is our second Come and Try Day at Broadford, we would love to see you all there and if you are wanting to help out as an official or an instructor, please email officials@bmwdcm.com.au and give Meg all your details.

Sunday is round 7 of our Traction Tyres/Yokohama Drivers Championship on 18 July, so why not come up and make a weekend of it and do both days, have some practice or instruction on Saturday, followed by the timed sprints on Sunday.

Our July drive is Christmas in July on Saturday 24 July and we will be heading up to the Black Spur Inn via some great driving roads, then a yummy Christmas dinner and some great give a ways, don’t forget to get your ugly Christmas outfits out and see if you can win some of the great prizes.

Of course, all our upcoming events are subject to what we are allowed to do and any restrictions that may come into force due to the ongoing COVID situation. We see all around us how quickly things can change, how we can be getting back to a ‘normal’ life and suddenly we are back in lockdown. So, make sure you keep an eye on your emails and our social network pages for any updates or changes to events that need to be made. It goes without saying now, if you feel sick, get tested and for all our sakes, go and get vaccinated so we can get back to a normal life sooner, rather than later.

You may have also seen that we now have a welfare team.  They are here for you if you need a shoulder to lean on, someone non-judgemental to talk to, or are struggling in any way in your life. It could be emotional or physical or even financial, if you have any issues you’d like to talk to someone about, feel free to call or email them at welfare@bmwdcm.com.au and they will be sure to offer assistance where possible.  We would like to thank Shannon Cooper and family for supporting the welfare team and we look forward to working with them to help support anyone in our BMW family that needs help in any way.

We have also appointed an Officials Officer, Meg Boers, who is now taking on the role of engaging and co-ordinating officials for our track events, so be sure to contact Meg via officals@bmwdcm.com.au if you are keen to help out at any of our events or wish to become a Motorsport Australia Official. Meg can help you with any enquiries regarding either becoming an Official or what events we have coming up that we will need help at.

We have also been working on some new merchandise items and we now have a great BMWDCM umbrella which you can purchase from our online store.  We are also stocking UHF radios so that all you need to do before a drive day is order one and we will charge it and get it to you at the drive event, ready to go.

Over the past months we have been applying for some of the Government grants that have been made available to not-for-profit sporting clubs and we have been lucky so far to have received some money from a couple of grants to allow us to purchase some much-needed equipment to help us run our club track days. Things like the UHF radios and headsets the official use at track days, hi-vis vests, a decent First Aid kit and a portable defibrillator to have on hand at events have so far been purchased through these grants and I would like to thank both Motorsport Australia and the Victorian State Government for their assistance and help in providing funds to help our Club grow and benefit from the assistance offered. We will be applying for more grants as they come up to enable us to hopefully run some subsidised events and buy more equipment in the future too.

Our little club is still growing, currently we have 610 members and again, I welcome the new members that have joined us this month and I thank you all for making this the wonderful club it is. You should all be immensely proud, as I am, of what we have built together over the past three years and what a great club this continues to be. Every event is a success, not only because we run good events, but because you all continue to come and support us in giving you what you want. We do it because we love it and because you enjoy it as much as we do.

Just a reminder too about the proposed changes to the Club Permit Scheme, we are putting in a submission on behalf of our members and you can too. The more voices that the Government hear, the more notice they may take of those that the changes will affect. You only have another week to get a submission in if you wish to do so.

I look forward to seeing you at an event somewhere soon.

As always, stay safe and drive careful out there.

Graeme Bell | President
BMW Drivers Club Melbourne Inc.

P.O. Box 81, TYABB   VIC   3913
Incorporated in Victoria #A0102695G
BMW Drivers Club Melbourne Inc is a member of: BMW Clubs Australia and the BMW Clubs International Council
Motorsport Australia Affiliated Motorsport Club

I am painfully aware that never having had, or caused, a serious car accident doesn't make me a competent or capable driver. And with a personality that naturally leans more towards anxious and neurotic, I would even say I'm a bit of a scaredy cat behind the wheel. This makes me a super conservative and very cautious driver at the best of times. More than once in my life I've driven around the block using all left turns to get to my final destination rather than turn right at a 'super scary' intersection. Having very little actual driving experience doesn't help. Whilst I may have been driving all of my adult life, the main extent of my driving experience has been to go up to Safeway for groceries, or driving to work. Both within a 4km radius. 

So, what on earth is someone like me doing out on the track at Sandown? Well, I want to be a better driver. I'm conscious of my limitations handling a vehicle and my capability behind the wheel. And painfully aware that I would have no hope in maintaining control should something go wrong. Having enjoyed being Andreas co-pilot on dozens of drive days within Victoria and interstate I've had the privilege of seeing first-hand what it means to be a competent, capable and skilful driver. This level of skill takes years of practice, drive days, track days and race events. So, whilst I have no intention of 'sliding' into the car park at Safeway to collect my groceries, I wouldn't mind a little bit of what he's got. I'm not greedy. Just enough to make me safer on the road and a little less anxious behind the wheel. 

So it was with great excitement that I leant that I had been awarded the Makulu Vehicle Storage Driver Training Scholarship for this event. This would be my second time out on a track. The first being the BMWDCM Come & Try Day at Broadford on Monday 18 March and I was super excited to have the opportunity to take my Volkswagen Jetta, aka 'The Jet', out onto the track again. I learnt a lot through both experiences. 

At Broadford Greame Bell gave us some pre-track instructions on driving position. I had a small epiphany when he explained the wedgy-thing under your left foot is actually a foot brace, not a foot rest. I was genuinely like 'WOW". Never knew. But now that I did, it made perfect sense. When you treat it as a foot brace it completely changes your driving position which changes your attitude behind the wheel. You feel more grounded, stable and in control of the vehicle. This was a good feeling and helped to alleviate some of my anxiety around getting out on the track. As my instructor, Andreas helped me gain some insight into the capability of a vehicle under speed. Prior to this I had only ever used a vehicle within I'd say 20-30% of its capacity. So I learnt the world wouldn't cave in if took a corner at more than 20kms p/h, nor the car spontaneously combust if I went over 100kms p/h on the straight. Being WAAAY outside my comfort zone out on the track, both lessons were helpful in gaining my confidence. 

At Sandown I was privileged to also have Glen Kennaday and Andy Kaos as my instructors. I Iearnt so much from both of them and am so thankful for them sharing their time and experience with me. Both helped me gain more confidence, instructing me how to handle the vehicle, how to approach an apex and what to do coming into and going out of a corner. But it wasn't just the track time that made the difference. Lining up in pit lane Glen noticed my driving position was too high. And Andy noticed I was holding my thumbs over the wheel instead of under. Changing these small things put me in better control of the car meaning I was a lot more confident behind the wheel and had a better 'feel' for the road. 

So with only two come & try track days under my belt I can't yet say that I'm either competent or capable behind the wheel. But I can say that I am better for the experience and I'm a little less anxious and nervous. This gives me more confidence which makes me a better driver out on the road. This is all character building and has helped me not only be a better driver but has helped me be a better person. More confident within myself and in my driving ability. 

Huge thanks to Jo Mawson, Graeme Bell and the rest of the BMWDCM committee team for offering us the come & try days, always well planned, well organised and well executed events. Thanks also to all the volunteers - flaggies, pit lane officials and instructors that are the heart and soul of the club and that make these events so special. Thanks to all the sponsors whose support makes these events happen, with special mention to Makulu Vehicle Storage for donating the driver training scholarship for the Come & Try Day at Sandown. Finally, special mention to my wonderful instructors at Broadford and Sandown, Andreas Doelling, Glen Kennaday and Andy Kaos. 

The next BMWDCM Come & Try Day is being held at Broadford on Saturday 17 July. To register head to the BMW Drivers Club Melbourne events page: BMW Drivers Club Melbourne - Broadford Driver Training and Come & Try Day.

Nella Santisi | Member #32
BMW Drivers Club Melbourne

Event date: 27 June 2021

We left from McDonalds Mornington with the burble of Graeme's X5 our good group of mixed series cars headed down and around the winery trail on a fine but brisk morning heading towards Sorrento. Although the weather was fine it had rained overnight and the roads were wet with water running across the road in places and avoiding debris that had come off trees in the recent storms.

After some slight deviations enhancing our trip we pulled into Sorrento for a coffee break and I was surprised at the way Sorrento had been set out with plenty of parking and automated conveniences. After refreshing we headed down to point Nepean stopping at the Quarantine centre for 1.5 hours to take in the complex or enjoy watching the ships pass by. The Quarantine centre was set up in 1852 and ran through until 1980. There was a lot of speed humps in this area that would have challenged some of the lower cars. There is also a picnic area and walks for those so inclined.

After Point Nepean we headed back to the Pig & Whistle for lunch. We had a separate area and enjoyed the basic English style meals although I suspect the highlight was the desert for those that partook. After good food and good company we headed off gradually.

A good day was had by all and thank you to the organisers. Along the way it was mentioned that there is a winery with a sculpture garden and a maze at Arthurs Seat that may feature in an upcoming trip when the weather is warmer. 

Adrian White | Member #606
BMW Drivers Club Melbourne 

Event date: 22 June 2021

At the June Member’s meeting held at Makulu Vehicle storage, I was lucky enough to win the lucky door prize! That prize was the 12 Volt Battery Charger and Maintainer made by Century Batteries.

First thing the next morning, I decided to give it a test drive. I didn’t have a flat battery to properly test it out on.  So I just hooked it up to my car to see what happened.

There is a little bit of homework you need to do beforehand. I won't go into too much detail because there is an excellent guide on how to use it on the Century Batteries website.

And if you’re not 100% sure of your battery’s specification, you can look up your car on the Century website.  It will tell you the composition and Ah rating of the battery.

But as long as you know your battery type, and the correct charging rates; it’s as simple and connect, set, and forget!  Charging took longer than expected on my daily driver - testing, charging, testing again, charge some more – but after 4 hours, the FULL light was illuminated, and I was ready to disconnect.

Like most battery chargers, this isn’t a tool you’d use often unless you have cars that remain in storage for a long time.  But on that topic, my favourite feature of this charger is the second set of leads that have lugs instead of alligator clips.  So, if you have a car that spends a lot of time on charge, you can simple bolt these leads to the battery terminals, and you’d never need to worry about them unclipping or being bumped off.

Overall, it’s a great product!  Super easy to use, fool-proof, and cost effective at $159.99 at most major automotive and camping shops.  Especially when you consider the price of a replacement battery for a modern auto start/stop car (which is a whopping $450 for my little F20 125i).

Thanks again, Century!

Scott Long | Member #588
BMW Drivers Club Melbourne 

Event date: 19 June 2021

I thought I would drop you a quick line to congratulate BMWDCM for a great Come Try Day on Saturday. It is events like this that keeps not only the competitors enthusiasm but also those officials that would not normally get an opportunity to enjoy a day out doing something different in officiating. I for one enjoyed my day immensely at Pit Entry, working with Adam and Michael as a back up certainly made it an interesting and engaging day for us all.

We were able to speak with the competitors as they came off the track as well as they were heading down to dummy grid, their happy faces looking forward to the event ahead and sharing their top speeds and braking issues, Adam was very happy to be on the radio, something he had not done before and real confidence booster for his experience trackside.  Jo, Graeme, Lawrence and Meg are to be congratulated on a fantastic day and a job well done, especially in these challenging times, well all know its not easy to run an event like this in these uncertain days and I'm sure your perseverance has paid off, with comments like "you have gotta love this BMW Club for what they do" being over heard repeatedly.

The breakfast and Pizza lunch together with the goodies pack provided were surely welcomed by all the officials I spoke to and plenty of comments about coming back to do another of you Come & Try Days.

So thanks again, It was a great day.

Mark Thompson | Vice President
Victorian Flagmarshalling Team

Thanks again to the awesome BMWDCM team for a great day at Sandown - I can’t believe how much Dad and I learned- from Graeme, Alex, Jess, Simon and others… it was a great day.  So chilled and relaxed and wonderful people as always.

Shannon Cooper | Member #672
BMW Drivers Club Melbourne

A huge thanks to Jo and Graeme and the whole team for a great day out at Sandown.  It was very well organised all day and I had a ball.  Looking forward to the next one already.

Ben Fenwick | Member #547
BMW Drivers Club Melbourne

Thank you to the committee members and volunteers for another first class event.

Every step is carried out with the utmost care, professionalism and your passion for fun and success is reflected by the enthusiasm shown by both members and friends. We had a beautiful day on the track and great company in the garage when we were off the track. 

Congratulations and keep up the great work. 

Michael Mimmo | Member #515
BMW Drivers Club Melbourne

I just want to thank you all for a great day.  Your organisation was fantastic.  I look forward to doing another day with you once I fix all the things I discovered during the runs.  Would you especially pass on my thanks to whoever arranged the weather?

Stephen Corneille | Non-member
BMW Drivers Club Melbourne

The new flagship in the BMW M Motorsport programme is set for its premiere on the famous ‘Eau Rouge’. As part of the development work, the BMW M4 GT3 will attend the official tests ahead of the 24 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps. The ‘Official Test Days’ take place at the circuit in the Ardennes on 22nd and 23rd June. Just a few days later, the new BMW M4 GT3 will complete its first test under race conditions on the Nürburgring-Nordschleife.

The new flagship in the BMW M Motorsport programme is set for its premiere on the famous ‘Eau Rouge’. As part of the development work, the BMW M4 GT3 will attend the official tests ahead of the 24 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps (BEL). The ‘Official Test Days’ take place at the circuit in the Ardennes on 22nd and 23rd June. Just a few days later, the new BMW M4 GT3 will complete its first test under race conditions on the Nürburgring-Nordschleife (GER).

The tests ahead of the 24-hour race at Spa-Francorchamps provide BMW M Motorsport with the ideal opportunity to test the BMW M4 GT3 at another demanding racetrack under real competitive conditions. The circuit is known as the ‘Ardennes Rollercoaster’ and is a fast, flowing track. Sharing the test work in Belgium will be Augusto Farfus (BRA), Marco Wittmann (GER) and Nick Yelloly (GBR).

“It is fantastic to have been given the opportunity to take part in the tests at Spa-Francorchamps with our new BMW M4 GT3,” said Mike Krack, Head of BMW M Motorsport. “Like the Nordschleife, this circuit has its own particular features, making it an optimal and very demanding test facility for us in the final stage of development of our car. The days at Spa will also be used to prepare for the race debut of the BMW M4 GT3, which we are all excited about. This test, under race conditions on the Nordschleife, is the next big step on the way to our first season in 2022.”

The 24 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps has an important place in BMW’s motorsport history. With 24 triumphs to its name, the manufacturer is the record winner of the Belgian marathon. The BMW M4 GT3 will compete from 2022 and will be looking to continue this success. However, it must first watch and see how the BMW M6 GT3 gets on in its farewell performance at Spa at this year’s edition of the endurance classic, which takes place on 31st July and 1st August.

The BMW M4 GT3 will make its race debut at round four of the Nürburgring Endurance Series (NLS), on the Nürburgring-Nordschleife on 26th June, immediately after the tests in Belgium. At the wheel of the race car will be Jens Klingmann (GER) and Sheldon van der Linde (RSA). The BMW M4 GT3 will compete in the prototype class SP-X as the new car is not homologated yet. As this is a test in race mode, the BMW M4 GT3 will not be classified in the Nordschleife results. The outing will be used to gain valuable experience under race conditions with the new car.

BMW PRESS

The two new BMW M4 Competition models being driven by the brothers Elias and Johannes Hountondji are now ready for the start of the Drift Masters European Championship.

Let’s drift! The two new BMW M4 Competition models (combined fuel consumption: 10.2 – 9.9 l/100 km according to WLTP; combined CO2 emissions: 233 – 227 g/km according to WLTP) being driven by the Red Bull Driftbrothers are now ready for the racetrack. Backed by the BMW M GmbH, the brothers Elias Hountondji (35) and Johannes Hountondji (40) have completed the conversion and preparation of their new vehicles for the 2021 season of the Drift Masters European Championship. On 10 and 11 July during the season start of the series in Greinbach (AUT), the Driftbrothers will be taking the BMW M4 Competition to the starting grid for the very first time.

“I am deeply impressed with what the Red Bull Driftbrothers have managed to coax out of our vehicles and wish both of them every success for the start of the season. The result also shows how good a basis the BMW M4 Competition provides for motorsport use. From the start of its development, we had designed the production vehicle to also form the basis for our GT icon, the BMW M4 GT3, which we officially presented during the 24-hour race at the Nürburgring almost two weeks ago,” says Markus Flasch, CEO of the BMW M GmbH.

Elias and Johannes Hountondji have modified both BMW M4 Competition models comprehensively in order to adapt them to the special demands of drifting. They doubled the peak performance of the straight six-cylinder power unit of the BMW M4 Competition to 1,050 hp and increased maximum torque to almost 1,300 Nm, this being absolutely crucial for drifting. Elias Hountondji speaks with admiration for the production engine’s massive potential. “It is by nature a genuine racing engine in a road-legal car, so to speak. When you look at each component of this engine, it is clear that many engineers have put a lot of thought into creating an optimal design,” the younger of the two Driftbrothers says. In order to achieve the massive increase in performance, the two brothers installed, among other things, a special, particularly efficient cooling circuit along with an additional second cooler at the rear.

Moreover, the aerodynamics were extensively modified and optimised for drifting. Besides benefitting from their own experience, the Driftbrothers also relied on the expertise of BMW design experts. Virtually all newly designed aerodynamics components were manufactured exclusively at BMW M Prototype Construction. “It was a great honour for us to collaborate with experts from the design and prototype construction departments. With their help we were able to implement our ideas perfectly,” says Johannes Hountondji.

For example, the Driftbrothers’ BMW M4 Competition was fitted with a new BMW kidney grille to optimise the supply of air to the engine compartment.

Furthermore, carbon was used to produce a new spoiler lip (gurney) for the tailgate, side coverings for the rear diffuser and attachments for the side sills from the M Performance Parts portfolio. These were complemented by so-called winglets, which optimise airflow at the front splitter and behind the front wheels as well as in front of the rear wheels. Should the need arise during the course of the season, the production of an air scoop for the bonnet would also be possible.

Following the season start in Austria, the Red Bull Driftbrothers will be competing in a further three rounds of the Drift Masters European Championship, the world’s leading drift series. The second and the third round will be held in Riga (LAT) on 30/31 August, the season finale in Tiflis (GEO) on 4/5 October.

The Red Bull Driftbrothers have participated in the Drift Masters European Championship since 2018. The 45 best drivers from Europe, the USA and the Middle East compete in this invitation series. For some years now, Elias and Johannes Hountondji have ranked among the top drivers in the drifting scene and were, among other successes, 2017 King of Europe champion and vice champion. In 2016 and 2017, they also seized the team title there. Moreover, this year, the brothers will be making guest appearances during the MotoGP race at the Sachsenring (GER) and the Red Bull Ring (AUT), as well as during the Austrian Formula 1 Grand Prix, likewise at the Red Bull Ring.

BMW PRESS

BMW M Motorsport is returning to international prototype racing. On Thursday, it was confirmed that an LMDh car is being developed for use in the North American IMSA series. From the 2023 season, this car will allow BMW M Motorsport to compete for overall race wins at such prestigious classics as Daytona, Sebring and Road Atlanta (all USA).

BMW M Motorsport is returning to international prototype racing. On Thursday, it was confirmed that an LMDh car is being developed for use in the North American IMSA series. From the 2023 season, this car will allow BMW M Motorsport to compete for overall race wins at such prestigious classics as Daytona, Sebring and Road Atlanta (all USA).

“BMW is back on the big motorsport stage,” said Markus Flasch, CEO of BMW M GmbH. “In entering the LMDh class, BMW M Motorsport is fulfilling the prerequisites to challenge for overall victory at the most iconic endurance races in the world from 2023. We will be fully focussed on tackling this challenge. There is a spirit of optimism here. BMW has a successful history in prototype racing – the Le Mans victory in 1999 was unforgettable. Reviving this story in a modern prototype with M Power will thrill fans of BMW M Motorsport. The LMDh concept guarantees maximum cost control and offers a wide range of possible applications, including the IMSA series in North America, an extremely important market for BMW M. We are all eager to get stuck into the LMDh category with a compact and highly-efficient team set-up.”

Mike Krack, Head of BMW M Motorsport, is responsible for the development, testing and race outings of the new car. He added: “Everyone in our motorsport team shares the same motivation: we want to test ourselves against our strongest opposition at the racetrack – and to celebrate victories for BMW. As such, the LMDh project is a real affair of the heart for us and exactly the new challenge we were hoping for. An extremely exciting project awaits us. To challenge for overall victories in Daytona and Sebring is a massive motivation. We have a lot of work ahead of us, but the anticipation is immense.”

The regulations for LMDh cars stipulate that they have both a combustion engine and an electric motor. While each manufacturer may develop their own combustion engine, the electric motor and battery, as well as the transmission, are standard parts. The chassis is also built by an external partner. A BMW M Motorsport works involvement, with two cars, is planned from the 2023 IMSA season. The works team and the driver line-up for the two LMDh prototypes will be announced at a later date.

The last big win for a BMW prototype came in 1999, when the BMW V12 LMR won the 24 Hours of Le Mans (FRA). The car also won the 12 Hours of Sebring in the USA in the same season.

BMW PRESS