BimmerWorld Confirms Two Turbocharged BMW 328s as Part of 4-Car IMSA Street Tuner Program
(Nov 2014, BimmerWorld Racing)
BimmerWorld’s race-winning IMSA Continental Tire Series team will return in 2015 with two new BMWs that represent the future for the aftermarket and tuning specialists in the Street Tuner category.
The Virginia-based BMW experts made history as the first North American team to earn a professional victory with the brand’s E90-based 328i in 2006, and went on to score numerous wins with their in-house developed E90s in two different pro racing series.
As a perennial Championship contender in the Continental Tire Series, BimmerWorld spent 2014 developing BMW’s new F30-based 328i into a front-running challenger, and will embark on a fresh Championship campaign using the F30′s turbocharged power, improved aerodynamics, nimble handling and class-leading brakes to achieve more success for its Street Tuner clients.
“I feel that to remain competitive both in our field and in our industry, BimmerWorld has to keep pushing forward into new technology, new car models, and new areas of development,” said BimmerWorld owner/driver James Clay. “The industry is shifting toward turbo cars, and as soon as BMW had an offering that fit well in the ST field, we eagerly started developing the new platform. The new F30, along with our new engine partner, is ready to take on a Championship season and we will be running strong with these new Bavarian turbos.”
As BimmerWorld’s founder and a lifelong BMW loyalist, Clay will share the driving duties in one of the F30s next season just as he did while leading the car’s development in 2014. BimmerWorld’s driver rotation will also include some of the race-winning Championship contenders who’ve kept the team in the title hunt, and as Clay shares, opportunities to join the F30 program still exist.
“I am a BMW die-hard, and after pushing the development of the new car in our program, I will again be racing one of the F30s,” he confirmed. “We haven’t finalized where everyone on our team will be placed, and I have one to two seat openings to fill with either a rookie driver to be paired with one of our existing pros, solid driver with series experience, or possibly the right driver pair.”
BimmerWorld will continue fielding four cars in ST next year, but rather than place four BMWs on the grid, Clay will elevate a new sister aftermarket businesses. Parked next to the BimmerWorld transporter and the two-car BMW F30 program, fans will soon find a separate transporter carrying the name “Next Level European” in the IMSA paddock.
“In 2015, we are expanding the reach of our racing organization into another German marque, run under the Next Level European banner,” Clay explained. “We have an incredibly talented staff assembled for the team, our focus and dedication to the BMW brand isn’t changing, and we’re bringing a new offering to our customers who want to join a Championship effort with something that’s different to our F30 program.”