BimmerWorld Turns Up the Heat at Sebring

Sebring International Raceway’s unforgiving concrete surface and bumpy character makes it one of the toughest tracks on the calendar. But this weekend, BimmerWorld Racing tamed the beast – sweeping both Am class wins with the No. 36 OPTIMA Batteries BMW G82 M4 GT4, and taking home critical points with the No. 82 Red Line Oil / Lifeline Fire & Safety Systems USA BMW M4 GT4, which continues to lead the Pro-Am championship.

RACE 1: A Tactical Climb to the Top

After showing strong pace in practice on older tires, James Clay and Charlie Postins in the No. 36 entered the weekend with confidence. Qualifying didn’t go exactly to plan, but it was clear the pace was there

James Clay took the green in Race 1 with an atypically cautious approach – still feeling the sting of early-race chaos at Sonoma. The first laps saw him navigate cleanly through the midfield scrum before turning up the pace and charging toward the class leader. A full-course yellow compressed the field, and on the restart Clay hit the pits and handed the No. 36 off to Charlie Postins.

 

 
Postins wasted no time. Within a handful of laps, he executed a clean pass on the No. 606 for the class lead and never looked back. He built a solid gap and brought the car home for the win.

Meanwhile, in the No. 82 Pro-Am car, James Walker Jr. was battling high engine temperatures in the sweltering Florida heat from the outset. Despite the struggle with thermal management, Walker Jr. fought forward and handed the car over to Tyler McQuarrie, putting him in striking distance of the top five.

McQuarrie brought his usual fire to the second half of the race, navigating traffic cleanly and picking off competitors. The result: 5th in the Pro-Am class – critical championship points.

RACE 2: Fireworks at the Finish
Sunday brought slightly cooler temperatures, but Sebring’s brutal surface still demanded maximum tire and fuel management. Tyler McQuarrie started in the No. 82, holding 8th in class with a car that had received a Saturday-night overhaul from the BimmerWorld Racing crew to hopefully remedy their cooling issue. The fixes worked: McQuarrie pushed as high as 3rd in a wildly competitive Pro-Am field and held the pace to challenge for more before a flurry of late-race action cut the opportunity short. Still, a strong 4th-place finish in Pro-Am kept the No. 82 squad in the Pro-Am Championship lead.

For the No. 36 car, Charlie Postins began Race 2 from 2nd in Am and stayed glued to the rear bumper of the class leader. Multiple attacks came and went as he searched for grip in a fuel-heavy car while keeping tire temperatures under control. The BimmerWorld team elected to stay out long, avoiding the risk of being caught a lap down by an overall leader who had pulled out a strong lead.

Postins handed off to Clay with the car in second place – and Clay went to work. A few laps into his stint, he overtook for the Am class lead while also slicing through out-of-class traffic. But the 606 Supra GR Cup wasn’t done yet. With Clay held up in traffic, No. 606 caught up and reclaimed the lead in the penultimate lap.

 
With the final lap underway and both cars fighting traffic, Clay stalked his prey. Light jabs in Turn 13 and Turn 15 set the stage, and on the back straight, he made his move. “I turned TC off and sent it.” He pulled up under 606 at the exit of the last turn and they drag raced to the checkered flag. The result? Clay crossed the line just 0.051 seconds ahead of second place.
A weekend sweep in Am—and a race finish Clay called “a top five race finish in my career”—was complete.

LOOKING AHEAD: HOME SWEET HOME
With back-to-back sweeps for the No. 36 car and continued consistency from the No. 82, BimmerWorld Racing rolls into the next round with momentum on their side. Even better, it’s on their home turf.

 

When discussing the weekend at Sebring, James Walker Jr. summed it up best:
“The competition in Pro-Am is probably the strongest we’ve ever faced, there’s a ton of talent on the field. We just need to keep grinding every weekend and never miss a chance to rack up points.”

 

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 and support vehicle fleet. OPTIMA also delivers the innovative OPTIMA Digital 200+, 400+ and 1200+ Battery Chargers for all automotive and marine batteries.

Lifeline Fire & Safety System – Leading manufacturer of fire safety equipment and safety components to the motorsport industry.  Lifeline is the factory supplier for fire systems and rain lights for the BMW GT4 cars we race.

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 and premium raw materials, 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 System – Leading manufacturer of fire safety equipment and fire safety components to the motorsport industry. Lifeline is the factory supplier for fire systems and rain lights for the BMW GT4 cars we race.

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:

Exhall Automotive – Offers bespoke design realization services to OEMs and Startups 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.

Johnstone Supply – The top cooperative wholesale distributor in the country and a recognized national leader in the HVACR industry.

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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 currently campaigns a pair of BMW Motorsport M4 GT4 cars in North America in the SRO GT4 America Championship, where the Virginia-based outfit is a frequent winner and championship contender.