For BMW Motorsport, the biggest event of the year is, without a doubt, the Nurburgring 24 Hours endurance race, where its already familiar Z4 GT3 cars will be competing in the high-class field. No less than six of them will be lining up for the starting grid.
The Sports Trophy teams are already heading for the Green Hell, for the even that is set for this weekend. Alongside them, a couple of BMW M235i Racing models will also travel, competing in a different category.
“The 24-hour race at the Nürburgring and BMW Motorsport can look back on a long and successful history together. It was a BMW that crossed the finish line first at the inaugural event back in 1970. To date we have claimed 19 overall victories there,” said BMW Motorsport Director Jens Marquardt.
As for the teams, they are showing a list of drivers that are more than capable of handling such a task. Team Schubert, for example, will have Lucas Luhr, Dirk Muller, Alexander Sims and Dirk Werner behind the wheel of the number 19 car while the other Z4, the Number 20 car will be driven by Dominik Baumann, Claudia Hurtgen, Jens Klingmann and Martin Tomczyk.
Team Marc VDS, on the other hand, will be backing up Maxime Martin, Marco Wittmann, Uwe Alzen and Jorg Muller behind the wheel of the number 25 car. At the same time, car number 26, on the same team, will be driven by Dirk Adorf, Nick Catsburg, Bas Leinders and Markus Palttala.
Since this is a race that will also be run through the night, all 4 Z4 GT3 cars will be fitted with laser headlights, the innovative technology developed by BMW that was also used in the qualifying rounds.
For the BMW M235i Racing Cup, 14 teams have already signed up with an extra 15th car being provided by BMW for motorsport journalists Marcus Schurig and Jethro Bovingdon to drive alongside ex-MotoGP rider Alex Hofmann and BMW Motorsport Junior Alexander Mies.
“We are hugely optimistic ahead of this classic. However, there is still a very long way to go before the finish on Sunday – and absolutely everything must come together perfectly to have any chance of a top result in this extremely tough race. And you obviously need that little bit of luck too in the ‘Green Hell’,” said BMW Motorsport Director, Jens Marquardt.