BimmerWorld Brings the Heat to COTA – May 22, 2024

Round Five of the SRO schedule brought the team to the picturesque Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas. True to form, Texas delivered intense heat both on and off the track. This event featured a change of pace with a single 3-hour endurance race, aptly named the Lonestar Enduro, held on Saturday afternoon, replacing the usual two-sprint race format. With a long history of running multi-hour races, the BimmerWorld Racing team was ready to battle for three action-packed hours.

The OPTIMA Batteries No. 36, piloted by James Clay and Charlie Postins, started 20th overall, 3rd in Am class, while the Red Line Oil / Lifeline USA No. 82 of James Walker, Jr., and Tyler McQuarrie lined up 22nd overall, putting them 11th in Pro/Am. The qualifying times of both cars were not too representative of their possible pace, and both pair of drivers were confident they would be able to drive their M4 GT4s to the front of the field.

And drive to the front they did. Clay and Postins managed to stay out of trouble despite being a bit of a punching bag among other drivers, steadily advancing to the front and taking the lead after an hour of racing. Meanwhile, Walker, Jr., and McQuarrie put on a masterclass in traffic management, carving their way to the front of Pro/Am not once, but twice. A minor hiccup caused them to lose a few positions mid-race, but they remained composed and focused on the prize.

After all, James Walker, Jr., had a lot riding on this win—he was missing his daughter’s high school graduation to take part in this race weekend. He went all-in during an interview in the pits, with 1.5 hours still to go, stating that he was taking home the win for his daughter.  

After a blazingly hot and grueling 2 hours and 50-something minutes of racing, multiple pit stops, driver changes, strategy discussions, door slams, bumps, rubs, offs—you name it—the checkered flag was quickly approaching. Tyler McQuarrie had checked out on the rest of the Pro/Am field and took 1st place by a sizable margin, making good on his teammate’s promise to his daughter.

Meanwhile, Clay was digging deep to hold onto P2, but with a couple of corners to go on the very last lap, a competitor went for a risky pass and slammed into the right rear of the OPTIMA Batteries No. 36, putting him into a long slide and eventually nosed into the wall. By the time Clay got his M4 pointed in the right direction and across the line, it was for P5. A very bitter pill to swallow after running 1st and 2nd throughout the bulk of the 3-hour race.

It’s back to the BimmerWorld Racing HQ in Virginia for both M4 GT4s to get some repairs and make sure they are looking their best for our favorite event of the season at our home away from home—Virginia International Raceway coming up in July! We look forward to seeing our friends and family at VIR while both the No. 36 and No. 82 drivers will be looking to repeat the 2023 results of both landing on pole and taking the win both days.