BMW M and the Red Bull Driftbrothers

Photos by BMW

BMW M GmbH is expanding its support for motorsport teams to include spectacular drifting and supporting the Red Bull Driftbrothers. The two brothers Elias and Johannes Hountondji will be running two new BMW M4 Competition this year (combined fuel consumption: 10,2 - 9,9 l / 100 km according to WLTP, 10,2 l / 100 km according to NEDC; combined CO2 emissions: 233 - 227 g / km according to WLTP, 234 g / km according to NEDC), which she and her team optimize for the special requirements in drifting, compete in the Drift Masters European Championship. In addition to the five race weekends in the world's leading drift series, there will also be show appearances at the MotoGP races at the Sachsenring and the Red Bull Ring, the Austrian Formula 2021 Grand Prix, also at the Red Bull Ring and at the 1-hour race in 24 Nürburgring on the program.

"BMW M has always stood for motorsport at the highest level and in all its diversity. We are also open to disciplines such as drifting, in which the Red Bull Driftbrothers are at the very top of the scene in terms of driving and technology. The BMW M4 Competition is an ideal new emergency vehicle for the two of them to successfully shape the 2021 season“, Says Markus Flasch, CEO BMW M GmbH.

The Red Bull Driftbrothers Elias Hountondji (35) and Johannes Hountondji (40) are not only drivers, they also prepare their vehicles themselves and optimize them for the special requirements of drifting. The BMW M4 Competition offers you a perfect starting point. "We were very pleasantly surprised at how much effort BMW M put into the rigidity of the vehicle. So we were able to take over the front for the most part unchanged“Says Elias Hountondji. In addition to installing a safety cage and adapting the aerodynamics to the special conditions when drifting, the Red Bull Driftbrothers also optimize the engine. "I had never seen an engine like the one in the BMW M4 Competition before, a more or less thoroughbred racing engine in a road vehicle. The oil supply also works with centrifugal forces of 1,5 g and more. This is very important to us“, Explains Johannes Hountondji.

The six-cylinder in-line engine of the BMW M4 Competition with M TwinPower Turbo technology was designed by BMW M GmbH for use in motorsport right from the start and will also be used in the BMW M4 GT3. The Red Bull Driftbrothers adapt the 375 kW (510 PS) high-speed engine of the production vehicle to the needs of drifting. A high torque is particularly important here. In order to be able to call up the performance even when driving long crossways, the engine is also optimized by the brothers and equipped with an additional second cooler in the rear, among other things.

Elias and Johannes Hountondji have been among the top drivers in drifting for years and were among others King of Europe Champion and Vice Champion in 2017. They also won the team title there in 2016 and 2017 and have been active in the Drift Masters European Championship since 2018. In this series of invitations, the best 45 drivers from Europe, the USA and the Middle East will compete in Austria, Norway, Poland, Latvia and Georgia in 2021. Drifting is looking for the driver with the best vehicle control, the most intelligent strategy and the best equipment setup on sections of a few kilometers. The time driven is not decisive, instead a jury evaluates four criteria: speed and drift angle, the more the better, the chosen line and the driving style. The decisions are made in battles in the knockout system.

Don't worry, of course that was far from being the case when it came to auto / auto tuning. Our magazine still has tens of thousands other tuning reports in stock. Do you want to see them all? Then just click HERE and look around. Or are you particularly interested in the BMW brand? Then the following excerpt with other vehicles is definitely the right one.

tuningblog.eu - on the subject of cars, motorcycles, bikes / ATV / scooters & Co., and of course our passion, the Tuning, we keep you up to date and report daily on cool vehicles from all over the world. It's best to subscribe to ours Feed and you will be automatically informed as soon as there is a new post.