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4-car Touring Car Effort of Fast Track Racing/CLASSIC BMW Set to Attack COTA This Weekend in PWC Texas Grand Prix

Topics:  Grand Prix of Texas

4-car Touring Car Effort of Fast Track Racing/CLASSIC BMW Set to Attack COTA This Weekend in PWC Texas Grand Prix

Tom Blattler, Fast Track Racing
21 March 2018

For Immediate Release

Clunie, Jorgensen, Travis & Wittmer Ready with BMW M235iR cars

Clunie at Laguna Seca 2017 Matt Travis at COTA 2017

AUSTIN, Texas (March 21, 2018) – With the return to Texas for the Fast Track Racing/CLASSIC BMW racing ream, the Plano, Tex.-based motorsports organization brings a huge supportive crowd and a four-car Touring Car effort this weekend (March 23-25) at the Circuit of the Americas (COTA) in the Pirelli World Challenge Grand Prix of Texas.

The four-car TC group will all drive the very successful BMW M235iR racing sedans with Jayson Clunie, Daren Jorgensen, Matt Travis and Karl Wittmer set to compete in the Touring Car doubleheader set for Saturday and Sunday with 40-minute sprint event at the 3.427-mile, 20-turn state-of-the-art racing plant just outside Austin.

In addition, Fast Track Racing/CLASSIC BMW will campaign four entries in the GTSA class at COTA with the new BMW M4 GT4 sports cars.

“We have put together an extremely strong four-car TC team for COTA,” said Toby Grahovec, the 2016 PWC TC champion who runs the Fast Track Racing/CLASSIC BMW team. “With this race in Classic BMW’s backyard, it will be an exciting weekend for a large group of associates and fans attending the COTA event. And we are ready with the four-car effort with Jayson, Matt, Karl and Daren all seeking to put the BMW M235iR in the winner’s circle.”

Travis, the veteran racer from The Woodlands, Tex., will drive the No. 26 Classic BMW.com BMW 235iR this weekend after an impressive COTA run last September with third and fifth place finishes in the two TC sprint races.

“I’m thrilled to be running a full season with the Fast Track Racing/CLASSIC BMW team, and I’m particularly excited to kick off the TC season at our home track in front of so many friends and family,” said Travis. “We had a great weekend at COTA last year and I hope we can bring home a win this year!”

Jorgensen, the Austin driver, will drive in both the Touring Car and GTS SprintX events this weekend with the Fast Track Racing crew. Daren has been a regular in the TC class recently.

“Pirelli World Challenge has established a great platform for manufacturers, sponsors and teams,” said Jorgensen, who’ll pilot the No. 66 BMW M235iR at COTA. “I’m anxious for the COTA weekend in the TC and GTS SprintX events in the BMW machines.”

Clunie, the Prince Albert, Saskatchewan driver in the No. 27 BMW M235iR, Canada, comes to COTA after a stellar finish last week at Sebring in the BMW M4 GT4 machine when he teamed with Grahovec to place second overall in the IMSA two-hour race. Clunie, a former open-wheel racer, finished fifth last year at Utah and ninth at Laguna Seca in 2017.

“We had a great run at Sebring and I know we’ll have a strong TC car at COTA with the BMW M235iR this weekend,” said Clunie. “The TC class is so competitive with the solid BMW M235iR cars in the field that it will not be easy. My fellow CLASSIC BMW teammates will give me all I can handle at COTA, but I’m think I can be competitive in both TC events. COTA is a spectacular track and so much fun to race. It will be a great weekend.”

Wittmer, the youngest of the racing Wittmer brothers from Montreal, is a former Canadian Touring Car champion and is actually making a first for him at COTA this weekend. All of Karl’s previous racing experience has been in a front-wheel-drive vehicle. Now, he will race a rear-wheel-drive car for the first time this weekend in the No. 91 BMW M235iR.

“It’s a thrill to join the CLASSIC BMW team this year in the TC class,” said Wittmer. “They have been a championship operation and the BMW M235iR is a championship car. I love COTA too. It is one of my favorite circuits. The funny thing this weekend is that I will race a rear-wheel-drive car for the first time in my racing career. But I have talked with my brothers – Kuno and Nick – about the transfer from front-wheel-drive to rear-wheel-drive. So, I think I’ll get accustomed to the BMW very quick. I know I’m anxious to run at COTA again.”

The four-car Fast Track Racing/CLASSIC BMW TC team will hit the COTA track officially this Friday at 9:40 a.m. CDT with the first practice round. Qualifying is Saturday at 8:30 a.m. with the opening 40-minute race set for 12:10 p.m. Round 2 of the TC class is scheduled for Sunday at 3:25 p.m.

Classic BMW in Plano, Tex., heads up the BMW customer racing program in North America, with customer-built cars and has captured the 2016 PWC Touring Car title with Gravohec and the BMW M235iRacing. The BMW M235iR racing sedan also won the PWC Touring Car manufacturer’s championship in 2017.

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