Racing News

Thomas Biagi of Italy was awarded the BMW Sports Trophy for privateer racers at the Motorsport party in Germany. Allesandro Zanardi presented the trophy to Biagi.

Biagi, who won the Italian GT Championship in a Z4 GT3, won 30,000 Euros and a drive in the M3 DTM. Second place went to Maxime Martin of Belgium, who raced a Z4 GT3 in the Blancpain Endurance Series, and third went to World Touring Car Championship racer Norbert Michelisz, who piloted his 320 TC to first in the chase for the WTCC Yokohama Trophy for independent drivers.

The only racer competing in North America who made the top 25 in Sports Trophy points this year was seventh place finisher Robert Thiele, a native of Germany who now lives in the Boston area and races a 328i in the Pro IT Series. Last year, Turner Motorsport’s Paul Dalla Lana won the Sports Trophy.—Brian S. Morgan