Tag Archives: driver

BMW

BMW M Motorsport introduces the works driver line-up for the 2024 season.

Munich. The BMW M Motorsport works driver line-up for the 2024 season has been confirmed. A complete of twenty-two top-rated drivers from twelve nations will probably be racing world wide as BMW M works drivers. Raffaele Marciello (SUI) and Robin Frijns (NED) are the 2 top-quality newcomers. The North American works drivers Bill Auberlen, Robby Foley and Madison Snow (all USA) are additionally fixtures within the line-up for 2024.

 

Having recorded quite a few successes in endurance racing and titles in quite a lot of race sequence, Marciello and Frijns are actually becoming a member of BMW M Motorsport. In addition to battling for total wins with the BMW M Hybrid V8 within the FIA World Endurance Championship, they are going to show to be beneficial additions in GT3 racing. This versatility is a defining function of the entire line-up of BMW M works drivers.

Andreas Roos (Head of BMW M Motorsport): “In sporting terms, we have a top-notch, versatile and highly motivated line-up of BMW M works drivers as we look ahead to an extremely intensive season of motor racing in 2024. The total of 22 drivers may seem at first glance to be a large number, but each and every one will prove their worth in the extensive programme of events that we will be competing in around the globe. I am delighted that we have managed to add yet more quality to an already top-class squad, in the shape of top drivers such as Robin Frijns and Raffaele Marciello. As of this season, our North American works drivers Bill Auberlen, Robby Foley and Madison Snow are also now part of the regular line-up, underlining the importance of our involvement in the USA.”

BMW M works drivers 2024 (in alphabetical order).

Name

Nationality

Date of start

BMW driver since

Bill Auberlen

USA

12/10/1968

1996

Connor De Phillippi

USA

25/12/1992

2018

Philipp Eng

AUT

28/02/1990

2016

Augusto Farfus

BRA

03/09/1983

2007

Robby Foley

USA

20/07/1996

2021

Robin Frijns

NED

07/08/1991

2023

Dan Harper

GBR

08/12/2000

2020

Max Hesse

GER

23/07/2001

2020

Jens Klingmann

GER

16/07/1990

2014

Jesse Krohn

FIN

03/09/1990

2014

Raffaele Marciello

SUI

17/12/1994

2024

Maxime Martin

BEL

20/03/1986

2023

René Rast

GER

26/10/1986

2023

Valentino Rossi

ITA

16/02/1979

2023

Madison Snow

USA

26/12/1995

2022

Bruno Spengler

CAN

23/08/1983

2012

Sheldon van der Linde

RSA

13/05/1999

2019

Dries Vanthoor

BEL

20/04/1998

2023

Neil Verhagen

USA

18/02/2001

2020

Charles Weerts

BEL

01/03/2001

2023

Marco Wittmann

GER

24/11/1989

2012

Nick Yelloly

GBR

03/12/1990

2019
BMW

IMSA: BMW M Team RLL driver line-up confirmed for the 2024 GTP season – Jesse Krohn is the brand new common driver.

Munich. The driver line-up for BMW M Team RLL’s begin to the second GTP season of the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship (IMSA collection) in 2024 has been confirmed. Like final season, Connor De Phillippi (USA) and Nick Yelloly (GBR) are the common pairing within the #25 BMW M Hybrid V8. Jesse Krohn (FIN) joins Philipp Eng (AUT) within the #24 BMW M Hybrid V8. Augusto Farfus (BRA) and Maxime Martin (BEL) will help the 2 crews on the Daytona, Sebring and Road Atlanta (all USA) endurance races. Dries Vanthoor (BEL) and René Rast (GER) will even strengthen the staff on the 24h Daytona.

 

De Phillippi and Yelloly are again for one more crack on the IMSA title, having picked up one win and a complete of 5 podiums of their profitable first GTP season in 2023. Krohn, who spent three full seasons on the wheel of the BMW M8 GTE from 2018 to 2020, returns to the IMSA collection as a daily driver alongside Eng. Krohn’s largest successes to this point got here in 2020, when he gained the 24h Daytona and the title within the GTLM class of the Michelin Endurance Cup.

Farfus will even be again within the cockpit of the #24 BMW M Hybrid V8. He will help Eng and Krohn in three races of the IMSA Michelin Endurance Cup that contains 5 rounds subsequent season. These are the long-distance races at Daytona, Sebring, Watkins Glen, Road Atlanta and, for the primary time, Indianapolis. This former 2 hour 40 minute dash is being prolonged to a six-hour endurance race in 2024. Martin will contest the three classics at Daytona, Sebring and Road Atlanta along with De Phillippi and Yelloly within the #25 BMW M Hybrid V8. Vanthoor and Rast will even be part of BMW M Team RLL for the 24 Hours of Daytona in January 2024.

In addition, BMW M works drivers Neil Verhagen (USA), Sheldon van der Linde (RSA), Jens Klingmann (GER), Madison Snow (USA) and Robby Foley (USA) will compete within the GTD lessons with the BMW M4 GT3 on the Daytona season opener. Verhagen and van der Linde will be part of reigning champions Paul Miller Racing with common drivers Snow and Bryan Sellers (USA). Klingmann will as soon as once more compete with Turner Motorsport within the squad with common driver Foley in addition to Patrick Gallagher and Jake Walker (each USA).

Reactions to the motive force line-up:

Andreas Roos (Head of BMW M Motorsport): “We were happy with the first season with the BMW M Hybrid V8 in the GTP class of the IMSA series – particularly given the difficult preparations. Despite that, there is obviously plenty of room for improvement when we take the next important step towards our goal to be constantly in contention for race wins and fight for the title in our second season. Our drivers will play a big role in this, and we believe we have found a good balance, with a mix of continuity and fresh impulses. Jesse Krohn is the only newcomer among the regular drivers. He has a wealth of experience in the IMSA series and impressed us in his test outings in the BMW M Hybrid V8. We are convinced that he and Philipp Eng will complement each other nicely. In the #25 car, Connor De Phillippi and Nick Yelloly have proved to be a strong and successful duo. Augusto Farfus, Maxime Martin, Dries Vanthoor and René Rast have all gained experience in our LMDh car and are very strong additions in races for the Michelin Endurance Cup, the profile of which has been raised once again.”

Jesse Krohn (#24 BMW M Hybrid V8): “I’ve never waited for any season as much as I have for the 2024 one. This is truly a special opportunity for me and I can’t be more grateful to BMW M Motorsport for putting their trust in me. This is basically what I’ve worked my whole life for, driving at the pinnacle of sports car racing in the top class, being the fastest car out on track. I think it’s also good that I have the IMSA experience from the past from the GT cars because I can put myself on both sides and know what to expect from the GT drivers as we pass them in traffic. There is a lot I can bring in from the past and going back to racing with BMW M Team RLL is super fun. I always enjoyed racing in the US and everybody at BMW M Team RLL is like my second family there so it’s really exciting to go back there and team up with Philipp for the full IMSA season. I can’t wait to get started; it’s going to be an awesome season.”

Philipp Eng (#24 BMW M Hybrid V8): “I am very excited about the trust from BMW M Motorsport to be able to compete in IMSA again. It’s an extremely cool race series, and it was a lot of fun to race with our new BMW M Hybrid V8 there last year. It hasn’t been an easy season, but we are heading into the right direction, and this year there can only be one goal: to challenge for wins and the title. That’s the stated objective, and I hope we can achieve it. I’m really looking forward to it.”

Connor De Phillippi (#25 BMW M Hybrid V8): “I am very excited to return with BMW M Motorsport in the IMSA GTP category. Also having Nick continuing to be my team-mate I think allows us to build on our great season we had in 2023 and have an even better season in 2024. This is actually my first year having the same team-mate two years in a row so I am exctited to continue our relationship together and execute a hopefully perfect season and continue fighting for another championship in 2024.”

Nick Yelloly (#25 BMW M Hybrid V8): “I’m obviously really looking forward to keeping the continuation with both myself and Connor in the car for a second year together in IMSA. For me, it will be quite a lot easier knowing all the tracks now, having seen and done the weekends at all these different circuits in the BMW M Hybrid V8 for a year now, so I am really looking forward to capitalising on that. We already had a great season in 2023 with a lot of podiums and a race win at Watkins Glen, so we are definitely looking to build on that further. I am sure that the hard work over the winter will put us in an even better position to fight for the title as we did this year already and we have one clear aim, which is the title in 2024 and to try to win as many races as possible.”

Motorsport

Watch This Tesla Cybertruck Stuck In Snow Get Saved By Two Ford Pickups

Obtaining a Christmas tree might be one of the enojoyable vacation actions you are able to do. The driver of this Tesla Cybertruck appears to have wished in on the enjoyable, however bought caught in a snowy area on the way in which out. Ironically, it was a pair of gas-powered Ford pickup vans that needed to come to the rescue.

This scene occurred on the Corral Hollow OHV Trail, which is a 13.9-mile route close to Kit Carson, California, that goes via the Stanislaus National Forest. It’s a “moderately challenging route,” based on All Trails. The movies beneath present a Cybertruck struggling to get out of a muddy rut, earlier than reducing to the stainless-steel-bodied truck again on the street, linked by way of rope to a Ford Super Duty.

The distinguished “RC” on the facet of this Cybertruck identifies this as a Release Candidate model of the pickup. This is Tesla’s fancy manner of naming a pre-production mannequin, so it is doable this truck did not have all the capabilities you’d see on a manufacturing mannequin. 

 

The Instagram put up exhibits the truck has “no lockers due to software issues,” However, the clip does not verify this as a result of we solely see the passenger-side entrance wheel spinning. The production-spec Cybertruck is on the market with a locking differential at the nose. The torque-vectoring twin motors on the again imply a standard differential is not essential again there.

Matt Chambers, who posted the video to Instagram (above), instructed Motor1 that the Tesla driver was doing winter testing. A software program drawback triggered the traction management to not work.

This Cybertruck additionally did not have restoration factors and “needed to be gently pulled by suspension components,” Chambers stated. However, the production-spec Tesla pickup has hooks on each side of the lower fascia.

While it is not talked about within the Instagram put up, the second video supplies a good view of the Tesla’s tires, which seem like all-season rubber. They’ve bought some tread however not sufficient for these circumstances. Given the uphill grade and slippery snow, the Cybertruck’s off-road tech is not going to assist if the tires cannot get a grip on the bottom.

Judging from the dust seen initially of the primary video, the Cybertruck driver spent some time spinning the pickup’s tires earlier than the opposite drivers got here to the rescue. He additionally went fairly far off the path.

This looks as if extra of a case of an over-confident Cybertruck driver than a problem with the Tesla. With the improper tires, even the Ford Super Duty that was rescuing the Tesla may need issues if the scenario had been reversed.

BMW

BMW M Motorsport thanks John Edwards.

Munich. After ten years as a BMW M works driver, John Edwards (USA) is ending his skilled racing profession. BMW M Motorsport thanks him for the superb collaboration and fondly remembers their shared successes. The spotlight was the GTLM class victory on the 2020 24 Hours of Daytona (USA) with the BMW M8 GTE.

 

“John Edwards competed in his first full season for BMW M Team RLL in North America in 2014 and is one of the longest-serving BMW M works drivers. On behalf of BMW M Motorsport, I would like to thank him for his long loyalty and excellent collaboration,” mentioned Head of BMW M Motorsport Andreas Roos. “Although it was unfortunately before my time, the 2020 IMSA season stands out from a whole series of beautiful shared memories with the victory at Daytona and the title win in the Endurance Cup. I wish John Edwards all the best for his professional and personal future! We will certainly stay in good contact.”

Edwards has introduced that he desires to show his earlier passion of flying planes right into a occupation subsequent yr. He additionally desires to spend extra time together with his household. That was additionally the explanation why he was changed by Neil Verhagen (USA) as Samantha Tan’s (CAN) teammate within the Fanatec GT World Challenge America powered by AWS through the previous season.

The collaboration between Edwards and BMW M Motorsport started in 2013 with particular person race appearances within the BMW Z4 GTE within the IMSA collection. Together with Dirk Müller (GER), the primary victory at Lime Rock Park (USA) was not lengthy in coming. Accordingly, Edwards was promoted to full-time IMSA and BMW M works driver in 2014. Throughout his profession, he drove quite a few generations of BMW M Motorsport race automobiles, together with the BMW Z4 GTE, BMW M6 GT3, BMW M8 GTE, and BMW M4 GT3. In 2020, he celebrated the GTLM class victory on the 24 Hours of Daytona alongside Jesse Krohn (FIN), Augusto Farfus (BRA), and Chaz Mostert (AUS), in addition to the GTLM title within the IMSA Michelin Endurance Cup with Krohn. Edwards additionally usually competed for BMW M Motorsport on the 24 Hours of Nürburgring (GER) from 2015 onwards.

Motorsport

Idiot Porsche Carjackers Fail Because They Can’t Drive Stick

The driver of a Porsche 718 Boxster was left with minor injuries following an attempted carjacking in the Washington D.C. area that ended in failure because the would-be thieves didn’t know how to drive stick.

The incident occurred late in the evening on November 26 in Bethesda, Maryland. A businessman was parked outside his restaurant when several suspects in a red Nissan Rogue pulled alongside. Dashcam footage from the Porsche captures the harrowing event, showing an armed man jumping out and pushing the owner onto the sidewalk. A second person jumps out of the Nissan, and a third appears from the driver’s side of the SUV.

All four suspects momentarily step out of frame then reappear, presumably after subduing the driver. Two jump back in the Nissan while the third gets in the car. A fourth individual is seen pointing a gun through the SUV’s passenger front window. Several seconds pass, and we eventually hear the Porsche start – and quickly stall – twice. The footage abruptly cuts off shortly thereafter, but a report from Fox 5 says the would-be carjackers ultimately fled the scene.

Fox 5 further states the Porsche owner was targeted specifically for his Boxster and was followed by the suspects from nearby Washington, D.C. to his business. He ultimately ran inside his restaurant to take cover and he claims shots were fired, but none struck him. Police are still investigating the incident.

Motorsport

Florida Corvette Driver Somehow Survives Being Ejected After Street Racing Crash

The Florida Highway Patrol is looking for the driver of a Ford Mustang that was involved in a street racing crash with a 2016 Chevrolet Corvette Z06. The incident occurred on Saturday morning in Marion County and resulted in the Corvette breaking into several pieces.

According to authorities, the Corvette was cut off by the Mustang while they were racing on the westbound side of State Route 200. The Corvette then reportedly collided with a 2016 Toyota Prius before traveling off the road at high speed, hitting a utility pole, and then a tree. The 38-year-old male driver, who has not been identified, was ejected from the vehicle and thrown 154 feet away from the crash site. He was taken to HCA Florida Ocala Hospital with critical injuries, as reported by the Ocala StarBanner.


Motorsport

Adam Driver Says ‘F— You’ To Dumb Question About His Ferrari Movie

Adam Driver, a former Marine and now an Academy-Award-nominated actor, had a blunt response to a question about the crash scenes in the movie Ferrari at the Camerimage Film Festival in Poland.

When an audience member asked Driver what he thought about the crash scenes, calling them harsh, drastic, and cheesy, Driver responded with a curt “Fuck you. I don’t know. Next question.”

The question may have seemed inappropriate considering Driver’s role as an actor in the film, not part of the special effects crew.

Driver stars as Il Commendatore in the new Ferrari biopic directed by Michael Mann, with the film having premiered at the Venice Film Festival. A press tour has taken the movie and select cast/crew members to festivals around the world, including a recent stop in Poland. The public premiere in the United States is scheduled for December 25.

Ferrari revolves around the automaker’s competition in the 1957 Mille Miglia and the personal struggles of Enzo Ferrari. The trailer shows wheel-to-wheel racing action against a Maserati, as well as Enzo managing his relationship with his wife while having a mistress.

The story behind the 1957 Mille Miglia is expected to be captivating on the big screen, as it marked a tragedy and triumph for the automaker, involving fatalities of a Ferrari driver and spectators, ultimately leading to the end of the Mille Miglia as a competitive challenge for new vehicles.

Cars

5 Common Driving Habits That Might Be Damaging Your Car

Some cautious drivers might have the habit of keeping their left foot on the brake pedal, rather than on the footrest, ready to use it instantly if needed. However, constantly engaging the brakes, especially while the engine is running, can lead to unnecessary wear and tear on the brake pads and rotors or drums. This can reduce the brakes’ effectiveness and possibly lead to sudden brake failure while driving, requiring more frequent visits to the mechanic or even causing an accident.

News

Le Mans-winning Ferrari 499P gives rise to £4.6m track car

Ferrari has created a new track car based on its Le Mans-winning 499P racer, called the 499P Modificata. Although Ferrari has not provided specific performance figures, racing driver Antonio Fuoco achieved a top speed of 213mph during testing of the 499P, and it is expected that the more powerful Modificata version will at least match this figure.

One of the major challenges for Ferrari was to engineer the powertrain of the 499P Modificata in a way that makes it accessible to less experienced customers. The engine mapping has been fine-tuned to ensure that torque can be easily managed, even at the car’s limit.

The torque output has not been disclosed by Ferrari, but it has been revealed that the electric motor produces 132lb ft and in the 296 GT3 model, the V6 engine produces 525lb ft. Therefore, the combined torque output of the two power sources in the Modificata could be around 660lb ft.

Ferrari paid significant attention to the development of bespoke Pirelli tires for the Modificata. The tires were designed to prioritize vehicle dynamics and powertrain delivery management, making them suitable for long, continuous runs. They feature a bespoke tread pattern and are easier to manage during warm-up.

The Modificata does not need to adhere to homologation requirements, which means it is not subject to Balance of Performance constraints. This allowed Ferrari to make the car “more accessible” for less experienced drivers, primarily through aerodynamic enhancements.

Olivier Beretta, the ambassador driver for Ferrari, expressed surprise at how well the Modificata performed, especially considering the extent to which Ferrari pushed its limits.

Ferrari 499P Modificata

Motorsport

Ultra-Rare $3.1 Million Ferrari 275 Runs Off The Road, Crashes In Italy

If you’re having a bad day, it could be worse. You could be the driver of this Ferrari 275 GTB, who had the misfortune of losing control of the million-dollar machine at a most inopportune time. The good news? The driver is okay. The car, however, is not.

This collision occurred early on October 19 in Italy, specifically in the northern region near San Rocco al Porto. IlPiacenza reports the 60-year-old driver was leaving a shopping center when the car went off-road, sliding into a fence. Details on exactly how it happened aren’t available, other than the driver simply losing control. Based on the single photo showing the scene, damp conditions could be partially to blame.

The driver walked away without injury, but the Ferrari didn’t fare as well. Damage is clearly visible to the fender as well as the front pan, and the headlight cover is missing in action. Mind you, this is only what we can see on the one side – there could certainly be mechanical issues underneath with suspension components. Hopefully, the Colombo V12 engine is unaffected. And with these cars generally selling for upwards of $3 million these days, it was a very bad day for this Ferrari driver. At least the car looks repairable. Depending on potential damage underneath, it could still be drivable.

But one doesn’t simply take a 60-year-old Ferrari to a shop. That’s especially true for the 275 GTB, of which less than 500 were built during its 1964-1966 production run. The successor to the iconic 250 GTO, the 275 GTB was the first road-going Ferrari to feature a rear-mounted transaxle with independent rear suspension. Under the hood, the 3.3-liter V12 was the final iteration of the Colombo mill, ultimately producing upward of 320 horsepower in quad-cam format.

We don’t have details regarding this specific 275 GTB, but when you’re talking about a rare Ferrari involved in a crash, the heartbreak is the same across the board. Stay safe out there everyone.