24 Hour Races 2012

[BMW Power]

Experience meets speed.

If it came down purely to the Nordschleife experience of its drivers, BMW Team Schubert would already be in pole position for the 24-hour race at the Nürburgring.



Claudia Hürtgen and BMW works drivers Dirk Adorf, Uwe Alzen, Dirk Müller and Jörg Müller will line up for the works-supported team from Oschersleben when the endurance classic is staged for the 40th time on 19th/20th May 2012. Nico Bastian and Dominik Schwager complete the team of drivers who will take on the challenge of the Nordschleife in two BMW Z4 GT3 cars.

BMW Team Schubert drivers have racked up a total of five overall victories at the 24-hour race in the Eifel region of Germany. Jörg Müller (2004, 2010) and Uwe Alzen (2000, 2010) have both climbed onto the top step of the podium, while Dirk Müller was also part of the winning team with the BMW M3 GTR in 2004. Although Claudia Hürtgen and Dirk Adorf are yet to record their first victory at this iconic event, they are among the most experienced drivers around when it comes to the Nordschleife. BMW has 19 wins to its name at this race. Last year Jörg Müller, Augusto Farfus, Uwe Alzen and Pedro Lamy finished runner-up, narrowly missing out on the 20th outright victory for BMW.

Like his fellow works drivers, Dirk Adorf cannot wait to get into the BMW Z4 GT3 for the highlight of the 2012 endurance season. “I have grown up on the Nordschleife and have already celebrated a lot of class victories at the 24-hour race. The only thing missing is the overall victory,” said the experienced driver. “I think we will be in with a good chance when I make my 21st attempt in 2012. The BMW Z4 GT3 was further enhanced. The driving line-up sees BMW continue its tradition of giving fast young drivers the opportunity to race alongside experienced drivers who have been there and done it. All in all this is a good combination. When it comes down to it, however, we will also need lady luck on our side in order to win.”

[BMW Power]

Highlight of the season in the Ardennes.
BMW will be well represented by another large contingent of customer racing teams at this year’s 24-hour race in Spa-Francorchamps, the fourth round of the 2012 Blancpain Endurance Series.



Among them is Belgium’s Marc VDS Racing Team, which will send two BMW Z4 GT3s into action at the 24-hour race, with the goal of standing on the top step of the podium at the team’s home race and claiming the 22nd overall victory for BMW. The team has made a promising start to the 2012 season: Bas Leinders, Markus Palttala and Maxime Martin have two wins and a second place to their name after three rounds of the Blancpain Endurance Series. The trio is determined to increase its lead in the overall standings at the 24-hour marathon. The DB Motorsport team will also line up with two BMW Z4 GT3s, while ROAL Motorsport, Vita4One Racing and Race Art will each run one car.
“The 24-hour race at Spa-Francorchamps is the absolute highlight of the season for many of our private BMW teams running the BMW Z4 GT3,” said BMW Motorsport Director Jens Marquardt. “There is great strength in depth in the field, so the Belgian fans can look forward to a thrilling race on a wonderful circuit. We have a few irons in the fire, and all our teams are hoping to challenge at the front of the field. However, it is always very difficult to make any predictions for a 24-hour race. Whatever happens, the BMW Z4 GT3 has already proven more than once this season that it is absolutely competitive. I am confident that will also be the case in Spa.”
The Spa-Francorchamps 24 Hours is a permanent fixture on the international race calendar, and has a regular winner: BMW. To date, BMW cars have triumphed there no less than 21 times. The first overall victory came in 1965 courtesy of local favourites Pascal Ickx and Gérard Langlois at the wheel of a BMW 1800 ti. The most recent triumph was achieved in 1998 by Alain Cudini, Marc Duez and Eric van de Poele with a BMW 320i. Last year, Claudia Hürtgen, Edward Sandström and BMW works driver Dirk Werner finished runner-up in the Schubert Team’s BMW Z4 GT3.
From 09:45hrs local time on Thursday, the BMW drivers will leave the pit lane for the free practice session. This is followed in the evening by Pre-Qualifying and two 75-minute qualifying sessions. The positions at the front of the grid will be determined in the Super-Pole competition between 15:35 and 15:55hrs on Friday. After the warm-up on Saturday morning, the race is scheduled to start at 16:00hrs.

The BMW teams at the Spa-Francorchamps 24 Hours:

#3 Marc VDS Racing Team
Markus Palttala, Bas Leinders, Maxime Martin

#4 Marc VDS Racing Team
Bert Longin, Henri Moser, Mike Hezemans

#29 ROAL Motorsport
Tom Coronel, Stefano Colombo, Edoardo Liberati, Michela Cerruti

#36 DB Motorsport
Jeroen den Boer, Stéphane Lémeret, Jeffrey van Hooydonck

#37 DB Motorsport
Simon Knap, Andrew Danyliw, Jochen Habets, Léon Rijnbeek

#66 Vita4One Racing Team
Gregory Franchi, Frank Kechele, Mathias Lauda

#70 Race Art
Nick Catsburg, Roger Grouwels, Jaap van Lagen, Robert Nearn

[BMW Power]

Highs and lows in the Ardennes.
Heavy rainfall, 16 safety car periods and many fast laps: the BMW privateer teams and drivers experienced a turbulent 24-hour race at Spa-Francorchamps. After 508 laps and another thrilling classic in the Ardennes, the number 66 BMW Z4 GT3 belonging to Vita4One Racing came home in third.



After starting from pole position, Gregory Franchi, Frank Kechele and Mathias Lauda clocked consistently quick lap times and were rewarded with their first podium finish in the 2012 Blancpain Endurance Series, eventually finishing a lap behind the victorious Audi.
Marc VDS Racing drivers Markus Palttala, Bas Leinders and Maxime Martin followed in fourth in the number3 BMW Z4 GT3. The trio led during the early stages and set fast lap times in both dry and wet conditions over the course of the race. When the rain came on Saturday evening, Martin was by far the fastest driver in the field and then set the fastest lap of the race (2:19.758 minutes) on a dry track. Although the three Marc VDS Racing drivers did not ultimately make it onto the podium, they were able to successfully defend the overall lead in the Blancpain Endurance Series. Car number 3 led after six hours of the race and was third at the halfway point, earning the drivers important points in the battle for the title in this hard-fought GT3 championship.
Bert Longin, Henri Moser and Mike Hezemans can also be happy with their performance at the wheel of the number4 BMW Z4 GT3. The Marc VDS Racing drivers lost ground at the start and then lost a lot of time when they pulled into their garage for a repair stop. However, the trio managed to fight their way back to 15th over the course of the race. The BMW Z4 GT3 run by ROAL Motorsport (number 29) – driven by Tom Coronel, Stefano Colombo, Edoardo Liberati and Michela Cerruti – was classified 32nd after having been forced to stop for lengthy repairs after a crash.
Three other BMW Z4 GT3s retired before the end of the race. DB Motorsport’s number 37 car, with Simon Knap, Andrew Danyliw, Jochen Habets and Léon Rijnbeek in the cockpit, dropped out early after a crash. The sister car, number 36, was in the thick of the action at the front of the field for much of the race. Jeroen den Boer, Stéphane Lémeret and Jeffrey van Hooydonck were second for a while, before Lémeret crashed out at dawn while running fifth. The race also came to a premature end for Race Art drivers Nick Catsburg, Roger Grouwels, Jaap van Lagen and Robert Nearn.
This result means the total number of overall victories for BMW at the Spa-Francorchamps 24 Hours remains 21. The first triumph came back in 1965 courtesy of local favourites Pascal Ickx and Gérard Langlois with a BMW 1800 ti. The latest success was achieved by Alain Cudini, Marc Duez and Eric van de Poele in 1998 with a BMW 320i

[BMW Power]

Thoughts on the 24h race at Spa.
Read the views of the team principals and the drivers after the race at the iconic Ardennes circuit.



Michael Bartels (Team Principal, Vita4One Racing):
“This third place obviously is the highlight of our cooperation with BMW on the endurance circuit to date. We are also satisfied with our results in the sprint races, but scoring a podium in Spa is always really special. We had planned to battle it out at the front at the Nürburgring 24 Hours. While this didn’t quite work according to plan, we proved that together we can improve. We have a really tough racing programme this year. If you then manage to get your car to the finish here at Spa and celebrate a podium result, then this is a fantastic feeling.”
Gregory Franchi (Vita4One Racing, BMW Z4 GT3 #66):
“That was another tough race at Spa-Francorchamps. We were up against strong opposition and really had to perform to the best of our ability on every single lap. The 24-hour race in Spa is obviously special for me, as I come from this region. I just love the race, and getting a podium finish on this circuit means a lot to me.”
Mathias Lauda (Vita4One Racing, BMW Z4 GT3 #66):
“Generally speaking, I am happy with our race. The car was great and the double stints worked really well. As far as the lap times are concerned, I was consistently up there with the front-runners. As such, I am very happy. I’d like to thank the team. Everyone did a super job. I could not watch the last few laps, when Frank took the wheel for the end stint. The podium finish is a nice reward for the whole team.”
Frank Kechele (Vita4One Racing, BMW Z4 GT3 #66):
“This race was just great fun. We were a bit unlucky to lose ground at the start, but that didn’t knock us off our stride. The team did a super job and we always believed we could make it onto the podium – and we did. The conditions were far from easy. There were a lot of crashes, particularly in the night, and you had to make sure you stayed out of trouble. Spa-Francorchamps is a great challenge for us drivers, and one that I enjoyed facing.”
Bas Leinders (driver and Team Principal, Marc VDS Racing):
“We fought hard in this race, but that is always the case in motor racing. We did not have any major problems, but plenty of minor ones. We tried our very hardest, right down to the final lap. We finished fourth at the 24-hour race at the Nürburgring. We were determined to do better here, but were just unlucky. Twice we were hit by another car, and twice we saw a lead cancelled out by a safety car period. Then we had the tyre damage. There were just too many minor setbacks .”
Maxime Martin (Marc VDS Racing, BMW Z4 GT3 #3):
“This has been my first real 24-hour race. We pushed from the very first lap. In the beginning we were leading the pack and also managed to make full use of our advantage with the BMW Z4 GT3 in the wet. Then, however, there were all those safety car periods and many smaller problems, which then added up to increase our gap to the leaders. Nevertheless, I think two fourth-place finishes at the 24 Hours in Nürburgring and Spa-Francorchamps are quite an achievement for our team.“
Markus Palttala (Marc VDS Racing, BMW Z4 GT3 #3):
“A really strange one for me. I only went out for the first time after 12 hours, due to my stop-and-go penalty. The most important thing was to collect plenty of points for the championship. That’s what we did. It could have been worse, but also a bit better. We were really fast, which is proved by Maxime’s fastest lap, but today we just weren’t meant to be further up the field.“