Berk Technology BMW 135i Tops Podium at Redline Time Attack Season Opener

Jason Siu
by Jason Siu

Over the last decade or so of competitive compact motorsports, imports have mostly dominated the market, be it drag racing, drifting or time attack/road racing. There are very few standout Euros in any of those fields and when one shows up it’s memorable. We can recall when Turismo Technology built a shockingly cool 318Ti for the quarter mile back in the late 90s. It was so unusual back then that it graced the pages of more than a few different magazine publications. We can slso think of Andy Sapp, who was a crowd favorite in previous Formula DRIFT seasons, taking his BMW E46 sideways. And now there is Berk Technology’s BMW 135i that is entering its second season of Redline Time Attack competition with extremely impressive results.

Just over a week ago was the Redline Time Attack’s season opener at Buttonwillow Raceway. There was great anticipation from all the teams to see what off-season changes were made, who would attend, and who was going to be impressively quicker and faster. Berk Technology’s 135i made quite the splash last year, but never got itself a podium spot in the Street RWD class. During the off-season they made a lot of minor tweaks and it truly paid off. After some practice runs, Berk Technology’s driver, Mike Bonanni, blew the doors off their previous track record by over two seconds. They had broken the 2-minute mark with a time of 1:59.319 landing them a first place qualifier. The car had more in it and was even more impressive on its first time attack session. The 135i set a new track record for Redline Time Attack’s Street Tire RWD class with a 1:58.839.

Being the only vehicle in the Street Tire RWD class to break the 2-minute barrier for the event is quite the achievement. But being able to topple the atypical imports with a balanced European garners plenty of attention. This just proves how great and versatile of a platform the BMW 135i is and we look forward to see what Berk Technology has up their sleeves for the next Redline Time Attack event in Las Vegas.

[Source: Berk Technology]

Jason Siu
Jason Siu

Jason Siu began his career in automotive journalism in 2003 with Modified Magazine, a property previously held by VerticalScope. As the West Coast Editor, he played a pivotal role while also extending his expertise to Modified Luxury & Exotics and Modified Mustangs. Beyond his editorial work, Jason authored two notable Cartech books. His tenure at AutoGuide.com saw him immersed in the daily news cycle, yet his passion for hands-on evaluation led him to focus on testing and product reviews, offering well-rounded recommendations to AutoGuide readers. Currently, as the Content Director for VerticalScope, Jason spearheads the content strategy for an array of online publications, a role that has him at the helm of ensuring quality and consistency across the board.

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