Leading BMW racing team working to improve Championship standings, finalize 2015 lineup

BimmerWorld has two rounds left to move its drivers further up in the Continental Tire Series Championship and earn a well-deserved win, making this weekend’s race at Circuit of The Americas an important event on the calendar.

It will mark BimmerWorld’s second visit to COTA in Austin, TX, and with two types of BMW 328is at their disposal, team owner/driver James Clay believes something positive could come out of the trip to the Lone Star State.

“I think of all the tracks in the last half of the season, COTA is the one that we didn’t feel great about, but I think the warmer weather for this year’s race, versus our 2013 visit, will actually play in our favor for the E90 cars,” he said. “The F30 would prefer the cooler air to feed the forced-induction engine, but that car and program gets stronger every weekend, so we still have high hopes for it as we wrap up the season.”

Along with preparing BimmerWorld’s four-car team for COTA, Clay is also busy finalizing the team’s future plans in the Continental Tire Series.

“While we are working to wrap up the 2014 season strong, we are always looking ahead, whether it be into the next generation of cars or the next season – or both as we sit currently looking at 2015,” he added. “The second F30 BMW will debut by the end of the year, and we have a couple of new model cars in the works for our 2015 assault which will be interesting news for our fans. We have the majority of our team for next season finalized and I expect to announce our plans in the near future, but I am still taking meetings to nail down the last openings in the roster.”

BimmerWorld drivers Greg Liefooghe and Tyler Cook continue to hold a strong top-5 position in the Street Tuner Championship, and as Liefooghe explains, moving up will require an all-out attack to close the season.

“The way the championship is sitting right now, we don’t really have a choice,” he said. “We need to go for broke in both races and shoot for the best possible result for each race; it’s the only way we will be able to move up. We learned a lot last year on that track, and I think we will have a great showing.”

Eric Zimmermann joined the team at the midway point of the 2014 Championship, and looks forward to more learning experiences as he winds down his first year of pro racing.

“I’m excited that my final two races are at familiar tracks,” he said. “Learning to be competitive has been a challenge generally, but doing so on unfamiliar tracks has only heightened that task. I was able to run a three-day club race last fall at COTA, and it is a great, technical track. My goal is to continue to narrow the gap between the strongest opening drivers and me, which I have been able to do at the last two races.”

BimmerWorld veteran Dan Rogers is back in the saddle after a brief hiatus, and has his eyes set on a visit to the podium with teammate Seth Thomas.

“I’m just looking forward to getting back in the car, and back with the team for the penultimate round of the series in 2014,” said Rogers. “COTA is a very impressive venue, and a great place to race. The layout of the track allows us to take a few more risks, and push the limits of the car a little harder, given all of the runoff room at the venue. While we aren’t always the fastest car in the paddock, the cars prepared by the BimmerWorld crew are consistent throughout the race, which always gives us a chance to stand on the podium.”

UP NEXT FOR BIMMERWORLD: Circuit of The Americas, September 17-19

FOLLOW: BimmerWorld at www.BimmerWorldRacing.com

COTA TEAM:

No. 80 BimmerWorld BMW 328i (E90), Eric Zimmermann & Tyler Cooke

No. 81 BimmerWorld BMW 328i (E90), Tyler Cooke & Greg Liefooghe

No. 82 BimmerWorld BMW 328i (E90), Seth Thomas & Dan Rogers

No. 84 BimmerWorld BMW 328i (F30), James Clay & Jason Briedis