BMW Motorsport News – Issue 18/15.

Nürburgring 24 Hours: Strong outing in the “Green Hell”.

Second, fourth, sixth and 15th: the BMW Z4 GT3 enjoyed a good result at the Nürburgring 24 Hours (DE). Although BMW Sports Trophy Team Marc VDS narrowly missed out on a 20th overall victory for BMW at the classic in the Eifel Mountains, finishing second and fourth, the overwhelming feeling after 156 laps was one of satisfaction with the drivers’ strong, battling efforts and the impressive performance of the BMW Z4 GT3. Many other privateer BMW teams and drivers had reason to celebrate in the Eifel region: in total, four class victories went to BMW.

Three questions for... Bas Leinders (Team Principal, BMW Sports Trophy Team Marc VDS).

Bas, second and fourth at the toughest 24-hour race in the world: how happy are you with the result?

Bas Leinders: “When you see how all the teams celebrated after the finish here at the Nürburgring, you can understand how much it means to get both cars through the entire distance at this race. However, we obviously wanted more. We wanted to win. It was a tough, exciting battle. Unfortunately we just came up short. We were runners-up in 2013 too. Back then, it felt like a win. This time we are disappointed.”

Your drivers were fantastic...

Leinders: “Yes, the guys were absolutely mega. However, the drivers were not the only ones who performed incredibly. The entire team did a perfect job. We had prepared meticulously for this one race in the ‘Green Hell’. Everyone in the team was fully committed to the cause, which allowed us to produce the performance we did this weekend. I would also like to pay a big compliment to the fans: it is incredible how many fans we had as a Belgian team in Germany.”

Your team made its first appearance at the Nürburgring 24 Hours in 2012. How has your team developed since then?

Leinders: “In the first year, we were a bit lost here. It was like landing on a different planet. However, the preparation races in the VLN Endurance Championship allowed us to adapt to this extraordinary circuit. Nowadays we love the Nordschleife. We definitely want to come back and to finally get a win under our belts.”

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Nürburgring 24 Hours: Sorg Rennsport wins the BMW M235i Racing Cup class.

Victory in the BMW M235i Racing Cup class at the Nürburgring 24 Hours (DE) went to the number 301 car, run by the Securtal Sorg Rennsport team. After 136 laps of the Nordschleife, Michele Di Martino (DE), Moritz Oberheim (DE), Kevin Warum (DE) and Torsten Kratz (DE) came home four laps ahead of the number 308 Walkenhorst Motorsport car and the number 306 car of Bonk Motorsport. Because the 24-hour race did not form part of the BMW M236i Racing Cup this season, the winning team was presented with watches on the podium as a special prize, courtesy of Official Partner Dunlop. The drivers from the Scheid-Honert Motorsport team were also rewarded for their pole position in the CUP 5 class with watches. The “Eifelblitz” car led the race for a long time, before it lost a lot of time in the garage with a problem and eventually came home seventh in the class.

European Le Mans Series: double header for the Marc VDS Racing team.

At the same time as the 24-hour race at the Nürburgring, the Marc VDS Racing team was also in action in the European Le Mans Series (ELMS) at the weekend. BMW works driver Andy Priaulx (GB), BMW Motorsport Junior Jesse Krohn (FI) and Henry Hassid (FR) competed in the number 52 BMW Z4 GTE at the second race of the year in Imola (I). After 132 laps, the trio finished fourth in the LMGTE class. Victory went to the number 56 Ferrari of the AT Racing team. In the GTC class, the TDS Racing team came home fourth with its BMW Z4 GT3.