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BMW

BMW M Team WRT begins preparing for WEC with rollout and initial test drives of the BMW M Hybrid V8

The countdown has begun for the return of BMW M Motorsport to the FIA World Endurance Championship (FIA WEC) and the 24 Hours of Le Mans. Last week, BMW M Team WRT successfully completed the first test drives with the BMW M Hybrid V8. The rollout of the test car for the 2024 WEC season took place at the BMW Group plant in Dingolfing, Germany.

The initial test drives were led by BMW M works driver Nick Yelloly, who has extensive experience with the BMW M Hybrid V8. Yelloly previously raced with the BMW M Hybrid V8 in the North American IMSA series, where the vehicle has already achieved success this season. The BMW M Team RLL, including Yelloly and teammate Connor De Phillippi, celebrated their first IMSA win with the BMW M Hybrid V8 at Watkins Glen, USA.

Following the functional test, the BMW M Hybrid V8 underwent three days of test drives at Aragón, Spain. The car performed without any problems, allowing the team to gather valuable data. BMW works drivers Jesse Krohn, Maxime Martin, Sheldon van der Linde, and Dries Vanthoor took turns behind the wheel. Additional functional tests were conducted by the members of the BMW Junior Team and BMW works drivers Dan Harper and Max Hesse.

In the upcoming weeks and months, BMW M Team WRT will continue to carry out numerous tests to prepare for the start of the FIA WEC season in 2024. The goal is to have as many BMW works drivers as possible providing feedback to the engineers.

Andreas Roos, Head of BMW M Motorsport, expressed his satisfaction with the test kickoff, stating that it was a successful start to their WEC preparation. He thanked everyone involved in making it possible and emphasized the motivation to continue working hard throughout the rest of the year.

Vincent Vosse, Team Principal of BMW M Team WRT, described the test as a big step and a dream come true for the team. He expressed confidence in their partnership with BMW and praised the team’s hard work in preparing the car. Vosse thanked everyone involved and looked forward to the preparation for the 2024 season.

Jesse Krohn, a BMW M works driver, shared his excitement about the test and his first outing in a prototype. He praised the WRT team’s working methods and teamwork, describing it as one of the smoothest tests of his career. Krohn expressed his gratitude for the opportunity to contribute to the program and gather important data.

BMW

BMW M Team RLL is ready for the Six Hours of The Glen with the new BMW M Hybrid V8

The BMW M Team RLL and its BMW M Hybrid V8 racing cars are well prepared for the upcoming race at Watkins Glen. The Six Hours of The Glen is the fifth round of the 2023 IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship and the third endurance race of the season. The team has already achieved two podium finishes with the new BMW M Hybrid V8 in the GTP class at Sebring and Long Beach, and they are hoping for more success at Watkins Glen.

The number 25 car will be driven by Connor De Phillippi and Nick Yelloly, while Augusto Farfus and Philipp Eng will share duties in the number 24 BMW M Hybrid V8. A recent two-day test at Watkins Glen resulted in the engineering staff and drivers being eager to return for the six-hour race. The team also finished their preparations with pit stop practice at their new headquarters in Indiana. Prior to switching to the GTP class this year, BMW M Team RLL had achieved six podium finishes at the Watkins Glen Six Hour race with BMW M’s GT class cars, including a victory in 2017.

In addition to the BMW M Hybrid V8, there will be three BMW M4 GT3 entries in the GTD and GTD Pro classes. Bryan Sellers and Madison Snow continue to lead the GTD class points with the number 1 Paul Miller Racing BMW M4 GT3. Turner Motorsport will bring the number 96 BMW M4 GT3 for Michael Dinan, Robby Foley, and Patrick Gallagher, as well as the number 97 GTD Pro entry for Bill Auberlen, Chandler Hull, and John Edwards. In the last IMSA endurance race, the Twelve Hours of Sebring, the two BMW GTD entries of Paul Miller Racing and Turner Motorsport finished first and second respectively.

The race at Watkins Glen will start at 10:40 local time on Sunday, June 25th.

Here are some quotes ahead of the Watkins Glen race:

Bobby Rahal (BMW M Team RLL Team Principal): “I think everyone knows what I think of Watkins Glen. It is one of those historic challenging circuits that separates the men from the boys. In fact, I had my first Formula One race there in 1978. Our BMW team has had reasonably good success there. This year, with the GTP cars, it should be a very exciting weekend for the fans.”

Connor De Phillippi (#25 BMW M Hybrid V8): “Watkins Glen is one of my top favorites on our IMSA calendar. The combination of speed and grip allows us to really unleash the potential of these GTP cars. With that said, it’s typically the hottest and most physical track on the schedule, so all of us will need to bring our A-game for the six-hour event. I’m excited to get on track and feel we have what it takes to battle for our first victory.”

Nick Yelloly (#25 BMW M Hybrid V8): “Back at another USA classic event! Looking forward to getting in again at Watkins Glen, having had my first experience of the track a few weeks ago I can see what the hype was about. The high speed flowing nature of the track is a joy to drive.”

Philipp Eng (#24 BMW M Hybrid V8): “I’m really looking forward to Watkins Glen. It’s a track that demands everything from a driver. We were there recently for testing, and we’re on a very good path. The car felt great, and driving the BMW M Hybrid V8 on this track is incredibly enjoyable. The team has done a fantastic job, and I hope we can secure another podium for the team, as well as the first one of the season for Augusto and myself.”

Augusto Farfus (#24 BMW M Hybrid V8): “Our test at Watkins Glen went very well. The high speed and high grip of the circuit suits our BMW M Hybrid V8.”

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2023 10 HOURS OF GLEN HELEN

The 2023 3-Bros 10 Hours of Glen Helen took place this weekend under a gift of cloudy skies. That’s a rare treat for Southern California riders in June. Usually this particular round of the Glen Helen Enduro Series suffers from 100-degree temperatures. Not this time. The 8-mile course held up well and the event had a record turnout. The winners were considered a shoo-in from the start. A four-man team of Dante Oliveira, Mateo Oliveira, Taylor Robert and Ryan Morias seemed like an overwhelmingly talent-heavy combination. As the race unfolded, though, there were several teams who cold have stolen the overall. One was the duo of Carter Klein and Clayton Roberts, who held the lead for well over an hour in the morning. Trouble forced the Klein/Roberts team back to third for a period while Tyler Nicholson’s team came to the front. Eventually Nicholson settled for fourth. The Dirt Bike magazine team of Colton Udall, Nic Garvin and Ciaran Naran had a rough start. They broke a pipe on the third lap and dropped all the way back to 23rd. They persevered and eventually finished fourth overall. The Ironman class was big, with 20 riders who were willing to go solo. Kevin Barbosa ran as high as 13th overall before the inevitable fatigue set in. He finished 29th overall in the end with Zach Luce only one lap behind in second. For full results go to Glenhelen.com

Taylor Robert made a return to racing at the 10 Hours of Glen Helen.

Clayton Roberts and Carter Klein were a threat to win in the early stages of the race.
Tyler Nicholson, RJ Warda and Cody Simpson earned third overall.
Team Dirt Bike finished fourth after a broken pipe put them as far back as 23rd.
Kevin Barbosa was the top Ironman.
The Industry class was taken by Brandon Patton, Jeff Delaney and Dennis Stapleton.
Team DB2 took the mini class with Jacob Tilley, Kodiak Lehman, Jett Lessing and Brennan Watson.
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TPI CRANKCASE PRESSURE SENSOR ISSUES: MR KNOW IT ALL

Dear Mr. Know-It-All,

My 2023 KTM 300XC-W has about 120 hours on it and has been flawless … until yesterday. The bike was running as if it was fouling a plug. It would not clean out, like a bad case of laryngitis. I changed the plug, put fresh fuel in it and made sure my filter was spotless, and still no changes. What could be the culprit?

Alex B

via [email protected]

Alex, it’s a new-world order with these fuel-injected machines. The TPI KTMs have numerous sensors, and one of these is most likely your machine’s infection. I believe it’s the crankcase pressure sensor (has a black tube leading to the back of your cylinder), and over time the tube accumulates debris and carbon from within the cylinder. Once clogged, it provides a false reading to the machine’s brain, the ECU. I would remove this tube and the sensor itself, and clean it with a contact cleaner and compressed air. Once scoured, your machine should run crisp and clean. This process should be a periodic form of maintenance on the TPI machines.

CRAMPED
Dear Mr. Know-It-All,

I’m a Beta 500 dualsport rider and have trouble getting forward in the turns. I’m pretty flexible, but it feels like the bars are in my stomach, and my rear end is hanging off the rear fender. I’m 6-foot-4, 205 pounds in full dress.

Thanks for the feedback (if you actually answer this!)

Drew L.

If you don’t mind displaying your ignorance for the world to see, who are we to deny the opportunity? Send evidence of your failures to [email protected] or Mr. Know-It-All

Dirt Bike P.O. Box 957

Valencia, CA 91380-9057