The company currently has 19 overall triumphs to its name – of which eight were one-twos. In total, BMW cars have picked up 155 class victories from the 40 races held so far. In 1970, BMW was the first entry in the winners’ list at the Nürburgring 24 Hours, when Clemens Schickentanz and the young Hans-Joachim Stuck triumphed in a BMW 2002 ti. In 1998, Andreas Bovensiepen, Marc Duez, Christian Menzel and Stuck achieved the first victory for a car with a diesel engine: the BMW 320d. The last BMW victory dates back to 2010, when Augusto Farfus, Jörg Müller, Uwe Alzen and Pedro Lamy secured the win in a dramatic finale with their BMW M3 GT.

The Nordschleife is the toughest circuit in the world – and that is why BMW puts every new production car to the ultimate test there. As a partner of Nürburgring GmbH, the brand has a modern test centre at the foot of Nürburg castle. The Nürburgring is like a second home for what is probably the best-known BMW Driving Experience base, with its extensive programme teaching participants how to drive safely and in a sporting manner. The Nürburgring “Erlebniswelt” in the Start/Finish area features the world’s only permanent exhibition of BMW racing cars. You can quite literally experience the allure of the Nordschleife as a passenger in the BMW Ring-Taxi – the BMW M5 is driven by experienced racing drivers and instructors.

BMW Team Schubert and Vita4One Racing were unlucky in the Eifel Mountains last year, missing out on a podium finish. Marc VDS Racing, in fourth, was the best-placed BMW team. Uwe Alzen proved that the BMW Z4 GT3 is capable of setting the pace on the Nordschleife, clocking a new lap record during qualifying on his way to claiming pole position. BMW will once again line up with strong teams and a mixture of fast and experienced drivers in 2013, as it looks to return to the front of the field. BMW Team Schubert and BMW Sports Trophy Team Marc VDS will both line up with works support.

Source : BMW Motorsport