On needed to wait until the third round of the Blancpain Endurance Series 2013 to see the Marc VDS Racing team and Maxime Martin back in a victory position at this level of competition. More than that it was an almost perfect weekend for the BMW Z4 GT3 #3 team competing down in the south of France this last weekend at the Paul Ricard circuit.
“Having registered the best lap time during the pre-qualifying session, I was able to confirm our car’s competitiveness this Sunday morning during the official qualifying sessions, Maxime explained. In fact I managed to grab pole position, which was a good omen for the future. There was no doubt that our BMW was handling perfectly at Ricard.”
It as the Dutchman Yelmer Buurman who took the start, given behind the safety car in order to avoid major incidents due to the impressive size of the starting grid (more than 60 cars!). Once the race really got going the Z4 GT3 Marc VDS #3 retained its leader’s position, prior to finding itself back in 2nd spot. During the first pit-stop, the Belgian team lost some time, and Bas Leinders returned to the track in 3rd place. Problems experienced by the leading car brought him back up into second place, prior to being attacked by another competitor. But the BMW retained its position in the group of favourites for victory …
“We once again lost some time during the second pit stop, and I re-entered the track in 4th place, Maxime Martin continued. But I was only some fifteen seconds down on the leader. So I then decided to climb back up the field, going into 3rd, and then 2nd place before getting the better of the McLaren that was in the lead! And the outcome was that we won the race! Our first victory in Blancpain Endurance Series this season, following a great event. I must admit that this victory could not have come at a better time before the 24 Hours of Spa. Not only does this place us in a somewhat better position for the battle for the title, but we will also be able to tackle the pinnacle of the season under more favourable conditions … »
At a time when many people are taking their holiday, Maxime is still going full throttle. In between Le Mans and Paul Ricard, he will once again be crossing the Atlantic, heading off for Lime Rock, in Connecticut, where the fourth round of the American Le Mans Series is being held next weekend. The official BMW Motorsport driver will be back at the wheel of another Z4 GTE, this time around with Bobby Rahal’s BMW Team RLL …
Source : Maxime Martin