Dutch driver Max Koebolt remained unrewarded for his efforts in the season opener of the 2016 Blancpain GT Series Endurance Cup, today’s three-hour race at the Autodromo Nazionale Monza. The event marked Koebolt’s race debut with the brand-new BMW M6 GT3 entered by BMW Team Italia, the car he will be sharing with Italian drivers Giorgio Roda and Stefano Colombo in this year’s season. After a strong performance in qualifying, the team lined up in 33^rd place in the 57 car field. However, for Max Koebolt, who was to drive the first stint in the race, the affair lasted only three laps. “In the turmoil after the start, I was hit several times and that led to damage on the car, particularly the radiator. As a result, the engine temperature went up and I had no other option than to retire after three laps,” he commented. “Too bad, because I already had made quite good progress in the opening stages. One thing is certain: the potential is definitely there and that is some consolation after this disappointment. I don’t want to think too long about what could have been: it is now flat out in preparation for the next round!”

For his second season of racing in the Blancpain GT Series, Max Koebolt has high expectations. “Racing for the BMW Team Italia, run by the experienced ROAL Motorsport outfit of Roberto Ravaglia and Aldo Preo, is a great step in my career,” he comments. “Moreover, it is a real pleasure to drive the new BMW M6 GT3. BMW is a brand with a great heritage and such a successful pedigree in motorsport, so it is fantastic for a young driver like myself to be connected with that.”

Both for Max Koebolt and the team, the BMW M6 GT3 is new, meaning that the learning curve is steep. “We still have to find out a lot of things, especially concerning the set-up and the handling of the car. However, it is clear to see that there is a lot of potential, so it is down to us to unleash this as quickly as possible.” In practice sessions at Monza, the three drivers of the BMW M6 GT3 with starting number 18 were able to continuously reduce the gap to the front runners. “In qualifying, we were just over a second down, but in this series, the level is very high and it is incredibly competitive,” Max Koebolt explains. “The lap times of the first 31 cars were all within one second!”

After the start, Max Koebolt got hit several times by another car, resulting into damage of the BMW. “I dropped back a few places as a result, but I was able to regain positions quickly and I came back from the opening lap in 28^th place,” he reported. “That clearly shows that the pace was there. Then, however, I got a warning in the cockpit that the water pressure was too low and then the engine temperature became higher and higher, so I had no other option than to park the car and call it a day. That was definitely not what I had expected, but that is the way things are like sometimes.”

Now, Max Koebolt has two major things to work for: on one hand, his exams and on the other hand, the next round of the Blancpain GT Series Endurance Cup, the three-hour race at Silverstone in the UK on May 15. “We better forget about the race in Monza as quickly as possible and focus on the next event, to which I am really looking forward,” he says.