BMW Motorsport today announced the drivers who will take part in the opening round of the VLN on the 28th of March, where BMW Sports Trophy Team Marc VDS will compete with two BMW Z4 GT3s.
“We’re convinced that with BMW Sports Trophy Team Marc VDS and BMW Sports Trophy Team Schubert, as well as our outstanding driver line-up, we are in an excellent position for the endurance season on the Nürburgring-Nordschleife,” said BMW Motorsport Director Jens Marquardt. “Our team has a mix of old-hands and young talent, who all have experience of the Nordschleife, are familiar with GT racing and are fast even in difficult conditions. With this combination we are ready for success in the special challenges that the Nordschleife has in store once again in 2015.”
The two BMW teams will start the VLN season with some of the most experienced drivers on the Nordschleife. This track is like a second home to Lucas Luhr (DE), Jörg Müller (DE), Dirk Müller (DE), Dirk Werner (DE), Dirk Adorf (DE) and Claudia Hürtgen (DE). They have all celebrated countless victories there. The other drivers – Jens Klingmann (DE), Markus Palttala (FI), winner of the 2014 BMW Sports Trophy, Alexander Sims (GB), Dominik Baumann (AT) and Nick Catsburg (NL) – also have a vast experience of GT racing and the Nordschleife. Richard Westbrook (GB), who has been an established name in international GT racing for many years, makes his debut in the BMW Z4 GT3.
Also, four BMW DTM drivers, notably reigning champion Marco Wittmann (DE), are in action for the VLN and the qualifying races. Augusto Farfus (BR) celebrated overall victory in the 24-hour race with BMW Motorsport in 2010, Maxime Martin (BE) won the heart of fans with strong performances in the Eifel in the past. Martin Tomczyk (DE) and Wittmann have also contested many successful races on the Nürburgring-Nordschleife and are looking to add to their success rate on this track.
“I’m looking forward to getting the season on the Nordschleife underway,” reckoned Bas Leinders, BMW Sports Trophy Team Marc VDS team principal. “We see that BMW Motorsport have once again assembled a strong squad to attack the Nordschleife this season. This campaign is important to Marc VDS and to BMW, and that’s clear from the drivers they’ve announced here. We know the BMW Z4 GT3 is a fantastic weapon for this kind of racing, we showed that with victories last year, and I hope we can prove that again in 2015.”
The teams’ exact line ups will be released at a later date.