Rothberg Wins BMW M Sports Trophy Award For Second Time

Photo: Sam Cobb/BMW

Justin Rothberg claimed his second consecutive BMW M Sports Trophy award following his double championship success in SRO America this year.

The American driver was honored during the BMW M Night of Trophies near Munich on Saturday, which also saw FK Performance Motorsport secure the teams’ award for the first time.

As part of the BMW M Sports Trophy, private teams and drivers collect points for the final standings based on their results in their respective series.

Rothberg once again claimed first place, scoring 930 points to edge out the duo of Berkay Besler and Gabriele Piana, who tied with 858 points.

The Turner Motorsport driver claimed both the GT World Challenge America powered by AWS Pro-Am and overall GT America powered by AWS championships, both at the wheel of BMW M4 GT3 EVOs, having shared the former title with BMW factory driver Robby Foley.

“Super thrilled to be winning the Sports Trophy again this year,” said Rothberg. “The BMWs are great race cars and there’s so many talented drivers so it’s an accomplishment I’m proud of.

“It’s a testament to the great work from all the guys at Turner Motorsport: Will Turner for running such a well oiled machine, Robby Foley for always putting in great drives and giving me the help and advice I need – and my parents for supporting me and putting me in a position to succeed.”

In the team standings, FK Performance ultimately prevailed with 1,676 points, narrowly beating Schubert Motorsport (1,620 points).

Third place went to last year’s winners, Turner Motorsport (1,576 points).

FK Performance achieved a milestone year by becoming the first team to win the overall standings of the NLS with the BMW M4 GT4 EVO. The team also recorded a podium finish in class at the Nürburgring 24.

The German squad also took part in GT3 competition with BMW, finishing second in the teams’ standings in ADAC GT Masters.

New members of the BMW M Racing Academy, BMW M Motorsport’s support program for customer racing, were officially introduced.

The “Class of 2026” consists of Thomas Rackl, Josh Green, and Ryder Quinn. The trio shared the stage with BMW M Racing Academy mentors Jens Klingmann, Max Hesse and Foley.

“It is truly special to welcome our most successful customer racers to Garching, where the heart of BMW M beats,” said BMW M CEO Frank van Meel.

“They perfectly embody the DNA of our brand and, with their performances on racetracks around the world, serve as ideal ambassadors.

“While we celebrate the victories and titles of our works drivers and teams, our emotional connection to customer racing is equally profound.

“Without it, BMW M Motorsport would not be the same. It is a central pillar of our racing program and will remain so in the future.

“I congratulate this year’s winners, Justin Rothberg and FK Performance Motorsport, as well as all other award recipients tonight, on their fantastic achievements during the past season.”

John Dagys

John Dagys is the founder and Editor-in-Chief of Sportscar365. Dagys spent eight years as a motorsports correspondent for FOXSports.com and SPEED Channel and has contributed to numerous other motorsports publications worldwide. Contact John