BimmerWorld Racing returns to SRO with new M4 GT4s and M4 GT3 in 2023

BimmerWorld Racing 2023 SRO Season Announcement: March 2, 2023

BimmerWorld Racing is proud to announce its return to SRO Motorsport America bringing two brand new BMW Motorsport G82 M4 GT4s to compete in the Pirelli GT4 America championship and a BMW M4 GT3 returning in Fanatec GT World Challenge America Powered by AWS for the 2023 season.

Coming off a very successful 2022 season in the GT4 America AM series, winning seven of the 14 races, the driver pairing of James Clay and Charlie Postins will return as teammates looking to repeat their performance and clinch another championship. They will be piloting the brand new No. 36 OPTIMA Batteries / Lifeline Fire & Safety Systems USA BMW Motorsport G82 M4 GT4. “After the success of last year it just made sense to do it all over again with Charlie. New car with new challenges, but same teammates and the same goal of a championship in 2023,” Clay continued. “After five successful years racing the F82 M4 platform the team is eager to get the new G82 on track and get to work.”

Bill Auberlen and Chandler Hull will be returning to SRO America with BimmerWorld Racing for their second season in the No. 94 TACenergy / OZIUM BMW M4 GT3. Bill and Chandler had a strong showing in 2022 with podiums at all six rounds of racing and capped it off with a win at the Intercontinental GT Challenge Indianapolis 8 hour making that three years in a row for the BimmerWorld team. “Bill and Chandler are fantastic in the GT3 platform, and we are excited to see the true potential of this car in 2023 after an inaugural season where BMW often struggled with the balance of performance,” Clay added.

James Walker, Jr. returns for his fourth season with BimmerWorld Racing sharing the No. 82 Red Line Oil / Lifeline Fire & Safety Systems USA BMW M4 GT4 with a new driver to the BimmerWorld family, Tyler McQuarrie. Tyler has been racing for almost 25 years and has won in multiple different categories ranging from formula cars, stock cars, sprint cars, drifting, off-road, and sports cars. Sports car racing has been his main focus the majority of his career and has multiple poles, wins, and the 2019 IMSA GS Championship to show for it. “I’ve raced against Tyler for multiple years and worked with him extremely effectively in our Lifeline business for the last year and change,” Clay continued. “James Walker is back for his fourth year with BimmerWorld, and I think this should prove to be a strong pairing and a championship contender.”

The BimmerWorld Racing team is supported by the following sponsors:

No. 36:
OPTIMA Batteries – The Ultimate Power Source. Unbeatable starting power, light weight, superior cycling capability, and extreme resistance to the most common causes of battery failure make the OPTIMA Battery our choice for our own BMW. OPTIMA also delivers the innovative OPTIMA Chargers Digital 400 and 1200 Battery Chargers for all automotive and marine batteries.

Lifeline Fire & Safety Systems – Leading manufacturer of fire safety equipment and fire safety systems to the motorsport industry.

No. 82:
Red Line Synthetic Oil Corporation – Manufacturers of more than 100 high-end lubricants that have the reputation of performing better than any other product on the market, regardless of price. Using cutting edge technology, Red Line responds to the technical challenges of today’s performance industry utilizing knowledge gained from racing to create high-performance products for track cars and street vehicles alike.

Lifeline Fire & Safety Systems – Leading manufacturer of fire safety equipment and fire safety systems to the motorsport industry.

No. 94:
TACenergy – One of the largest independent wholesale fuel distributors of refined petroleum products in the United States. With an extensive supply network across the U.S., as well as regional sales offices across the country, TACenergy can service almost any customer’s fuel needs.

Core BimmerWorld technical partners include:
PFC Brakes – Leading brake friction and component manufacturer.
Diffsonline – Provider of differentials and driveline expertise to meet the demanding needs of customers, from street machines to professional race teams.

Additional team sponsors include:

Johnstone Supply – The top cooperative wholesale distributor in the country and a recognized national leader in the HVACR industry.
Exhall Automotive -Offers bespoke design realization services to OEM’s and Start ups alike. With over 20 years of experience in many of the top design studios of the world Exhall Automotive excels in offering efficient design services in a turn key fashion to meet the demands of today’s cost conscious manufacturers.
Ozium – Clinically proven air sanitizers that eliminate, not mask, odors.
Pretzilla – The pioneer in fresh, soft pretzel bread.

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ABOUT: BimmerWorld is renowned as a leader in BMW aftermarket and tuning expertise, with operations spanning from stock, aftermarket, performance and racing parts sales and development through racing from club to professional levels. BimmerWorld Racing competes with the BMW Motorsport M4 GT3 and M4 GT4 in North America in both SRO and IMSA Championships, where the Virginia-based outfit has become a frequent winner and championship contender.

James Clay

From 2021 to 2023, James’s focus shifted to GT4 racing in the SRO, where he claimed both the SRO championship in 2022 and the top step in the BMW Sport Trophy, alongside co-driver Charlie Postins. Moving to the new G82 M4 GT4 platform, James and Charlie quickly found success, securing seven wins throughout the season and clinching a second SRO GT4 championship.

In 2020, with a full race schedule in the IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge and the SRO TC America series, James pushed the team to secure the Driver’s Championship in his M240iR, bringing the team to second place in the overall standings of the TC series and aiding BMW in achieving fourth place in the Manufacturer Championship in IMSA.

In 2019, James, alongside teammate Devin Jones, secured third place in the GS standings with three podiums and eight top-ten finishes, also earning the top-finishing BMW team honors in the GS class. A single SRO TC America weekend at Road America in a BMW M240iR laid the groundwork for a future SRO program.

2018 saw James and Tyler Cooke team up for the final year of the IMSA Continental SportsCar Challenge, competing in their new No. 82 BMW M4 GT4. With three podium finishes in the Grand Sport (GS) class and a significant victory in the season finale, they paved the way for further development and success in the BMW M4 GT4’s inaugural year.

From 2013 to 2017, James collaborated with BimmerWorld drivers John Capestro-Dubets, Jason Breidis, and Tyler Cooke to enhance the F30 BMW 328i in the IMSA ST class. This project marked the first professional race of a BMW turbo engine in North America and the first 4-cylinder F30 raced worldwide. Their efforts culminated in a world-first pole position and multiple top finishes, showcasing the turbo 4-cylinder BMW’s potential. In 2017, James’s debut at the Nürburgring in Germany with co-drivers Tyler Cooke and future BimmerWorld co-driver Charlie Postins highlighted their performance with a steady second position in the BMW M235iR during the 24 Hour before an early morning component failure.

In 2012, James secured three podium finishes in the IMSA ST class with co-driver John Capestro-Dubets, finishing fourth in the Driver’s Championship and contributing to BMW’s Manufacturers’ Championship win. He also achieved second place at the historic inaugural Indy race.

Before 2012, James’s racing career began with a BMW Club Racing event at Pocono in 1998, followed by numerous SCCA Regional ITS wins, SPEED Touring Car races, and his first professional win at Road America in 2008. His shift to professional endurance racing in 2010 led to the development of three new platforms over five years.

Personally, James, a Virginia native, discovered his passion for cars and speed after his 16th birthday, a passion that grew during his EE and MBA studies at Virginia Tech. This passion led him to focus on building his BimmerWorld company, moving away from traditional employment. Besides racing, James enjoys jet skiing and grilling, embracing the summer season.

Charlie Postins

Over the past two seasons, the driver lineup of Postins and Clay has proved to be the class of the field in the AM class. The pair head into the year with their sights firmly set on a hat-trick of championships. For 2023, Charlie partnered with James once again in the SRO Am class, this time campaigning the new G82 GT4 M4. Unlike in 2022, the racing year got off to a slow start, with a third-place finish in the first race and an unfortunate, race-ending incident in the second race. Thankfully, that marked the low point of the season, from which the pair rebounded well. Ultimately, James and Charlie once again claimed the SRO AM Championship, winning another 7 races along the way.

Charlie returned to full-time racing in 2022 alongside BimmerWorld’s James Clay. The program, racing the F82 M4 GT4, came together at the very last minute but got off to a fast start with a pole position, one second place, and a victory at the first race of the year in Sonoma. That laid the foundation to being crowned SRO GT4 America Am class Champions with 7 class victories. Furthermore, the level of success culminated in James and Charlie winning the prestigious BMW Sports Trophy.

Following a several-year hiatus from racing to focus on his career, Postins re-entered the sport with a series of race outings at the challenging Nurburgring in Germany, often with James Clay as a co-driver. Charlie has competed in the legendary Nurburging 24-Hour race four times; in a BMW M240 on three occasions and once in a BMW M4 GT4.

His best result at the twice-around-the-clock race was in 2020 when he finished the Challenge of the Green Hell in fourth place in class. Charlie also secured a class win in the BMW M4 GT4 in 2022 at the qualification race for the 24-Hour race.

In 2017, Postins took class victory along with co-driver James Clay in the Thunderhill 25-hour race in the EO class. This flag-to-flag victory came in El Diablo Racing’s BMW E46.

In the early years of his motorsport career, Postins competed in his home country of England. Standout performances included finishing third in the 1996 Renault UK Clio Cup and fourth in the 1993 British Formula First Championship.

Charlie moved to San Diego from the UK in 1996 to take up a position as an automotive design sculptor with Nissan Design America. This move followed a successful career in clay modeling throughout Europe for manufacturers such as VW, Saab, and Porsche. In 2007, Postins shifted gears from the automotive design world to assist in developing a pet food startup. This company, The Honest Kitchen, is now recognized as the leading Human Grade pet food brand in America and is sold throughout North America. Charlie currently serves as a board member for the company.

Feeling drawn to automotive design once again, Charlie is now actively involved in sculpting automotive shapes of the future through his race and design company, Exhall Automotive.

James Walker, Jr.

Originally from Rochester, New York, James Walker, Jr. is a licensed Professional Engineer at Carr Engineering, Inc. He currently resides in The Woodlands, Texas, and brings 30 years of real-world experience to his analyses of vehicle dynamics and the reconstruction of motor vehicle crashes.

James graduated from the GMI Engineering and Management Institute in 1994 with a degree in automotive mechanical engineering. Following his passion for auto racing, he founded scR motorsports in 1997. He competed for seven successful years in the Sports Car Club of America’s SSC and ITA categories. Despite shifting his on-track focus to high-performance driving instruction with the Porsche Club of America in 2004 due to his growing family, he still found time for the occasional ChumpCar race, often behind the wheel of a Saturn SC2. In 2017, he joined the team at Risi Competizione, competing for two years in the North American Ferrari Challenge 458 Championship. He continued with Risi into the popular TCR category in 2019, pursuing the TC America Championship in an Alfa Romeo Giulietta.

The 2020 and 2021 seasons presented new challenges, as James partnered for the first time with BimmerWorld Racing and Bill Auberlen to pursue the GT4 SprintX Pro-Am Championship. In 2022, for his third attempt at the championship, James was paired with Devin Jones. The 2023 season brought further change, with James sharing a brand-new second-generation BMW M4 GT4 racecar with co-driver Tyler McQuarrie. In his most successful season to date, the duo scored a second-place finish in the GT4 America Pro-Am category, narrowly missing the championship by a single point.

Parallel to the evolution of scR motorsports, James has actively served as an industry advisor to Kettering University in the fields of brake system design, vehicle dynamics, and brake control systems. He has been a brake control system consultant for StopTech, authored High-Performance Brake Systems: Design, Selection, and Installation, and serves as an SAE Master Instructor in his spare time.

Tyler McQuarrie

Previously:Tyler has been racing for almost 25 years! He has raced and won in multiple different categories ranging from Formula Cars, Stock cars, Sprint cars, Drifting , Off Road, and Sports Cars. Sports cars have been his focus for a majority of his career and he has multiple poles, wins, and the 2019 IMSA GS Championship to show for it.