Woodcliff Lake, N.J. – May 23, 2017…One of the world’s most challenging race tracks and changeable weather conditions faced the 14 BMW M235i Racing drivers entered in Rounds 3 and 4 of the 2017 Pirelli World Challenge Touring Car Championship at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park, in Bowmanville, Ontario, Canada.

Round 3:
Nick Wittmer, driving the No. 91 ST Racing M235iR, finished second in an accident plagued Round 3 race that was ended under a red flag after only nine laps around the venerable 2.45-mile, 10-turn CTMP circuit. Wittmer’s second podium of the season came after his team had to completely rebuild his BMW following a wreck in the final laps of the Round 2 race at Virginia International Raceway on the last weekend in April. 2016 TC champion Toby Grahovec finished fifth in his No. 1 Classic BMW Motorsports M235iR to record his best finish of the season. A total of five M235iR drivers finished in the top-10.

Round 4:
Mason Filippi, driving the No. 12 Winding Road Racing TFB M235iR, won the Round 4 PWC Touring Car race at CTMP with a fine drive after electing to start on dry tires even as rain was threatening at the start of the 40-minute contest. The victory was the first PWC win for the 19-year old, from Alamo, Calif., who, after starting 13th, bested the 26-car TC field by 25.9 seconds at the checkered flag, setting the fastest race lap (1:30.458 minutes) on his sixth lap of the 2.45-mile, 10-turn CTMP circuit. Five M235iR drivers finished in the top-10 and a total of 10 finished in the top-20.

Mason Filippi, driver No. 12 BMW M235iR: “Choosing the dry tires was the key to the win. The start of the race was dry and I had to come from mid-pack, but once it got wet I had to be smart to choose my passes and get through the traffic. It was an awesome day.”

Victor Leleu, BMW of North America Motorsport Manager: “A win and a second place finish always make for a very good weekend, but the circumstances in which these results were obtained make it even more special. Congratulations to Mason Filippi and the Winding Road Racing TFB team. They made the right tire call on Sunday and Mason won the race with style. I also want to acknowledge and applaud Nick Wittmer and everyone at Samantha Tan Racing for putting the No. 91 car back, not just on track, but on the podium after its terrible crash at VIR. ”

Returning to PWC competition in 2016, BMW finished second in TC manufacturer points standings to cap an excellent inaugural season for the BMW M235i Racing in North America. Toby Grahovec, of Little Elm, Texas, was crowned TC class driver’s champion following a strong season in the No. 26 Classic BMW Motorsports M235iR. Classic BMW Motorsports also scored the TC class Team title.

Rounds 5 and 6 of the 2017 PWC Touring Car Championship will be held at Lime Rock Park, in Lakeville, Conn. on May 26 and 27.

BMW of North America Customer Racing
BMW of North America’s customer racing program supports privateer BMW drivers across North America with racing cars, engineering, parts and contingency. During 2016, BMW NA supported the M235i Racing, BMW Z4 GT3 and BMW M6 GT3 platforms. For more information, please contact Victor Leleu, BMW NA Motorsport Manager at victor.leleu@bmwna.com.

BMW Group In America
BMW of North America, LLC has been present in the United States since 1975. Rolls-Royce Motor Cars NA, LLC began distributing vehicles in 2003. The BMW Group in the United States has grown to include marketing, sales, and financial service organizations for the BMW brand of motor vehicles, including motorcycles, the MINI brand, and the Rolls-Royce brand of Motor Cars; DesignworksUSA, a strategic design consultancy in California; a technology office in Silicon Valley and various other operations throughout the country. BMW Manufacturing Co., LLC in South Carolina is part of BMW Group’s global manufacturing network and is the exclusive manufacturing plant for all X5 and X3 Sports Activity Vehicles and X6 and X4 Sports Activity Coupes. The BMW Group sales organization is represented in the U.S. through networks of 341 BMW passenger car and BMW Sports Activity Vehicle centers, 152 BMW motorcycle retailers, 127 MINI passenger car dealers, and 36 Rolls-Royce Motor Car dealers. BMW (US) Holding Corp., the BMW Group’s sales headquarters for North America, is located in Woodcliff Lake, New Jersey.

The BMW Group
With its three brands BMW, MINI and Rolls-Royce, the BMW Group is the world’s leading premium manufacturer of automobiles and motorcycles and also provides premium financial and mobility services. As a global company, the BMW Group operates 31 production and assembly facilities in 14 countries and has a global sales network in more than 140 countries.

In 2016, the BMW Group sold approximately 2.367 million cars and 145,000 motorcycles worldwide. The profit before tax was approximately € 9.67 billion on revenues amounting to € 94.16 billion. As of 31 December 2016, the BMW Group had a workforce of 124,729 employees.

The success of the BMW Group has always been based on long-term thinking and responsible action. The company has therefore established ecological and social sustainability throughout the value chain, comprehensive product responsibility and a clear commitment to conserving resources as an integral part of its strategy.

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