Almost all of the major racing series in which BMW participates are on hold because of the coronavirus outbreak.
Cancellations of note include the following.
In the IMSA WeatherTech Series, where Team RLL and Turner Motorsport run, the 12 Hours of Sebring, originally scheduled for March 19-21, will now be run on November 11-14. Team RLL is also affected by the cancellation of The Long Beach Grand Prix, scheduled for April 17-19. The Sebring cancellation also affects competitors in the Michelin Pilot Series, among them BimmerWorld, Classic BMW, and Turner Motorsport.
SRO races run in conjunction with other series’ events have been canceled. The cancellation of the Long Beach Grand Prix affects M4 GT4 SprintX racers, among them teams from BimmerWorld, Classic BMW, Precision Driving Tech, ST Racing, and Stephen Cameron Racing. Precision Driving Tech was also scheduled to compete in the GT4 Sprint Series race on the canceled March 14-15 St Petersburg IndyCar race weekend. The SRO TCA class Mini JCW Team was also scheduled to run in St. Petersburg.
The ABB Formula E series, in which the BMW i Andretti Motorsport iFE.20s compete, has canceled its March race in Sanyo, China, its April races in Rome and Paris, the May races in Seoul, Korea, and the June race in Jakarta, Indonesia. The only races remaining on the 2019-2020 season schedule as of mid-March were the June 21 Berlin race, the July 11 New York City race, and the July 25-26 London races. Additional races may be added.
In Europe, the first two rounds of the NLS series (formerly VLN) at the Nürburgring, scheduled for March 21 and April 4, have been canceled. The M240i Racing Cup and privateer M6 GT3 teams, along with teams in other BMWs, compete in the series.
The DTM series, in which BMW runs its M4 DTM, is scheduled to begin on April 24-26 on the Zolder circuit in Belgium; no official announcement has been made regarding that event. And in the Intercontinental GT Challenge Series, where Walkenhorst Motorsport runs two M6 GT3s, the next scheduled race is the July 24 Hours of Spa.
The schedule for all series is a moving target; we will keep you posted of further developments.—Brian Morgan
[Photos of Team RLL M8 GTEs, photo of Formula E car, and photo of M240iRs courtesy BMW Motorsport. Photo of SRO M4 GT4s courtesy ST Racing.]
