From the Nürburgring to the Ardennes: BMW Team Schnitzer set to make it to the podium again in Spa-Francorchamps.

Munich, 3rd May 2011. A busy schedule for BMW Team Schnitzer: Just seven days after finishing third in the VLN round at the Nürburgring-Nordschleife (DE) on Saturday, it’s time for the second encounter in the Intercontinental Le Mans Cup (ILMC). The 1,000-kilometre race in Spa-Francorchamps (BE) also serves as a dress rehearsal for the 24-hour race of Le Mans (FR), held on 11th/12th June 2011.

The situation ahead of the second ILMC meeting is promising: Following the GT one-two scored by BMW Team RLL in the 12 Hours of Sebring (US), BMW Motorsport is leading the field in both the GTE team and manufacturer classifications. In addition to the Le Mans 24 Hours, this year’s races in Imola (IT), Silverstone (GB), Road Atlanta (US) and Zhuhai (CN) are also part of the ILMC.

In Spa-Francorchamps it will be Augusto Farfus (BR) and Jörg Müller (DE) sharing driving duties at the wheel of the no. 55 BMW M3 GT. The no. 56 car will be driven by Andy Priaulx (GB) and Uwe Alzen (DE). A total of 25 cars will compete in the hard-fought GTE category. The race is scheduled for six hours, starting on Saturday at 14:05hrs local time (13:05hrs BST).

Charly Lamm (Team Manager): “BMW Team RLL did an excellent job by scoring a one-two in Sebring. Obviously we want to build on that in Spa-Francorchamps and consolidate the good position of BMW Motorsport in the ILMC standings. For our team this will be the third consecutive weekend of racing, following the Le Mans Test Day and the VLN round at the Nürburgrung. Every one is fired up to conclude this busy period with another positive result.”

Augusto Farfus (Car number 55): “Following our one-two in Sebring we travel to Spa for the second ILMC round on a highly confident note. The circuit is one of the world’s greatest, and I very much like racing there. Anything can happen in Spa-Francorchamps, as shown by last year’s race.”

Jörg Müller (Car number 55): “During the past two weekends we were on duty in Le Mans and at the Nürburgring’s Nordschleife, now we go to Spa. As a driver you can hardly ask for a nicer selection of tracks to compete on. The BMW M3 GT has a very impressive tally in 2011 so far, and we will do our best to continue its streak of success.”

Andy Priaulx (Car number 56): “The thrill of Spa is amazing, it throws so many fantastic challenges at you, not one corner is the same, and there is always the threat of finding the weather has changed by the time you get to the next one. I love the challenge, and we have a great package to do well.”

Uwe Alzen (Car number 56): “Last year we were part of a very turbulent 1,000-kilometre race in Spa, including a blackout, rain showers and lots of safety-car phases. Again the field is extraordinarily strong this year, while the track is a highlight anyway. So this promises to be another interesting weekend.”