motorsportnews Marco Wittmann celebrates his first victory of the season at Zolder Two-time DTM champion, Marco Wittmann, celebrated his first victory in two years, and his first of the DTM GT3 era, at the sixth race of the season at Zolder, Belgium. Wittmann took pole for the second race in the BMW M6 GT3, entered by Walkenhorst Motorsport, with a lap time of 1:26.687 minutes. He was able to defend his advantage at the start and also bring the M6 GT3 to the finish line after leading for all 39 laps. For the Walkenhorst Motorsport Team, which is contesting its debut season in the DTM, it was the first triumph in the racing series in only their sixth race. BMW officially pulled out of DTM at the end of the 2019 season as the whole DTM series underwent a revamp and relaunched as a GT3 series. BMW Motorsport supported the privateer teams like Walkenhorst and Rowe Racing by loaning them their factory drivers. It paid dividends for Rowe Racing as South African driver Sheldon van der Linde finished 7th in the same race in the Rowe Racing M6 GT3.
Two-time DTM champion Marco Wittmann on his way to victory in the Walkenhurst Motorsport M6 GT3 in Round 6 of the DTM Championship at Zolder
24H Spa: A personal victory for Boutsen Ginion Racing BMW Motorsport never entered this year’s 24 hour race at Spa, so it was down to the privateers to uphold BMW honour at this famous endurance race. Flying the BMW flag was Boutsen Ginion Racing, which was running an M6 GT3 in the Pro-Am Class. In the early stages, marked by a long full-course yellow flag phase and subsequent heavy rain, the #10 BMW M6 GT3, driven by German racer Jens Klingmann, thrilled with a courageous first session. Starting from 45th place overall, he ploughed through the field, moving the car up to 25th place and took the lead in the Pro-Am class. Unfortunately, 24-hour races have their own laws. Like many other teams, the Boutsen Ginion Racing M6 GT3 wasn’t spared technical problems, ones that required longer pit stops. But the team of drivers – Jens Klingmann (GER), Karim Ojjeh (KSA) and Jens Liebhauser (GER) – kept fighting, and after battling horrendous conditions they managed to reach the finish line in eleventh place in the Pro-Am class and 35th overall.
German racer Jens Klingmann started the Spa 24H Race brightly in the Boutsen Ginion Racing M6 GT3, scything through the field to move up from 45th to 25th place to take the lead in the Pro-Am Class. Unfortunately, technical issues would blight the team during the evening
The Boutsen Ginion Racing pit crew battled through the night to get the M6 GT3 back on track. They were rewarded for their hard work as the car and drivers raced through atrocious weather conditions to make it to the chequered flag and finish eleventh in the Spa 24H Pro-Am Class
14 BMW Car Club Magazine September 2021
www.bmwcarclubgb.uk
