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Podium finish for BMW Sports Trophy Team Brasil.

BMW Sports Trophy Team Brasil was in action in the third event of the Blancpain Sprint Series with its two BMW Z4GT3s at the weekend.
BMW Motorsport June 08 2015



In Zolder, the Brazilian team secured fifth and seventh places in the qualifying race on Saturday. In the main race on Sunday, Atila Abreu and Valdeno Brito Filho in the number 77 car finished in third to make it onto the podium. Their team-mates Caca Bueno and Sergio Jimenez finished a strong fourth.

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Zanardi, Timo and Bruno will be driving this Z4 in the Spa24H but it's still a work in progress

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The Blancpain Endurance Series round in Le Castellet on June 20th-21st also sees the premiere of SRO Motorsports Group’s newest concept, the Ultracar Sports Club. With the presence of at least 16 of the most exclusive automobiles on the planet, the first meeting of the Ultracar Sports Club can already be called a success.




Stephane Ratel (CEO and Founder of SRO Motorsports Group): “This is a dream come true. I feel very passionate about the Ultracar Sports Club, because I believe that these beautiful and exclusive machines belong on a race track. I am very happy to see that the manufacturers of this breed of hypercars share my point of view and will bring some of the most iconic examples to Le Castellet.”



Weekend Schedule

Saturday, June 20th
11:20 - 11:50 Ultracar Sports Club on track
12:20 - 12:50 Ultracar Manufacturers Laps
15:35 - 16:05 Ultracar Sports Club on track

Sunday, June 21st
09:50 - 10:20 Ultracar Sports Club on track
14:05 – 14:35 Ultracar Sports Club on track

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I suppose I should add this, for the 20th ... Circuit Paul Ricard and BES

• Blancpain Endurance Series
• Lamborghini Blancpain Super Trofeo
• Ultracar Sports Club
• GT Sports Club

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The preparations for the 24 Hours of Spa are underway: first roll-out of the BMW Z4 GT3 with Alex Zanardi, Bruno Spengler and Timo Glock at the Adria International Raceway.

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Skipping backward in time, here are a couple clips from Zolder. Next race starts in 4 days

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Paul Ricard race sim

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Zanardi still getting ready!

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Zanardi, Glock and Spengler contest their first race together.
The BMW works drivers spent an important weekend at Le Castellet: On Saturday they took part in the 6 Hours of Paul Ricard, which was the third round of the 2015 Blancpain Endurance Series.

BMW Motorsport Jun 21, 2015



BMW Motorsport, ROAL Motorsport and the drivers used the opportunity to evaluate under racing conditions the modifications made to the BMW Z4 GT3. Over the past months, the engineers at BMW Motorsport had developed numerous technical solutions that allow Zanardi, who had both legs amputated, to share the car with Glock and Spengler.

All the modifications tested at Le Castellet worked well, and the engineers collected valuable information to further optimise the car over the next weeks. In addition, Zanardi, Glock and Spengler got acquainted with the procedures in endurance racing and practiced driver changes. Unfortunately they had to retire after two thirds of the race. During a routine pit stop fluids were leaking from the car and BMW Motorsport and ROAL Motorsport decided not to continue in the race. With the important official 24h test day at Spa-Francorchamps in only a few days, they did not want to risk avoidable damage to the car. The cause for the problem will now be investigated.

“This weekend we saw an awful lot of positives in what we have learnt here,” said Zanardi. “These include the competitiveness we displayed in free practice and the first part of qualifying, in some of the laps that we all put in throughout the the race and in learning a lot as a team, because we are a new team that has to work together and try to live this great adventure which is the 24 hours of Spa. However, as a team we are running a car which does not have a lot of miles on it, and it is very normal that when you run a new car you have this and that piece that needs to be adjusted. We are going home with some very good experiences. I am very much encouraged that we can make everybody at BMW proud with our performance in Spa.”

“It was my first race weekend in the BMW Z4 GT3 and I enjoyed it very much,” enthused Glock. “The car is great; it is easy and consistent to drive. In preparing for Spa-Francorchamps, this weekend was very important for us. We have learnt where we can still further improve the car and how to optimise the driver changes. For sure we would have liked to race into the night, as neither Alex nor I have any experience of driving in the dark, but we will get this in the night practice at Spa-Francorchamps. The race weekend served as a test for us and all went smoothly. Another positive is the fact that all three drivers prefer the same set-up. That makes life much easier for the engineers. Now we are fully focused on the test day at Spa-Francorchamps, and then we will try to head to the 24-hour race as well prepared as possible.”

“It was very important for us to test here in order to get the experience of a race weekend and to find out how well the modifications work for us,” explained Spengler. “I have to say that BMW Motorsport did the perfect job. For example, it is not an easy task to optimise the seat and the seating position in a way that makes all three drivers happy. But this has been the case. I did a one-hour stint without any issues. Already everything is working very well, so we only need to fine-tune some details. We would have liked to race a bit longer in order to collect even more experience, but now we will focus on the test in Spa-Francorchamps where the entire team will continue to work hard preparing for the 24-hour race.”

BMW Sports Trophy Team Marc VDS flies the flag for BMW Motorsport on the podium. Markus Palttala and BMW works drivers Lucas Luhr and Maxime Martin finished third in their number 46 BMW Z4 GT3. The official 24h test day at Spa-Francorchamps will take place this Wednesday, 24th June. The 24 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps will be held on 25th and 26th July.

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Congratulations to Maxime Martin, Lucas Luhr and Markus Palttala for driving the BMW Sports Trophy Team Marc VDS BMW Z4 GT3 to the podium in Le Castellet: P3 in the 6 Hours of Paul Ricard! Alex Zanardi, Timo Glock official and Bruno Spengler official gathered valuable data for the 24h Spa. ///

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Originally Posted by 954Stealth

Congratulations to Maxime Martin, Lucas Luhr and Markus Palttala for driving the BMW Sports Trophy Team Marc VDS BMW Z4 GT3 to the podium in Le Castellet: P3 in the 6 Hours of Paul Ricard! Alex Zanardi, Timo Glock official and Bruno Spengler official gathered valuable data for the 24h Spa. ///

Podium success for BMW Sports Trophy Team Marc VDS.
With 60 starters, the Blancpain Endurance Series had another top-class field on the third weekend at the "Circuit Paul Ricard



After a nerve-wracking six-hour race, BMW Sports Trophy Team Marc VDS only missed out on the win by ten seconds. Despite starting from the pit lane, Markus Palttala and BMW works drivers Lucas Luhr and Maxime Martin in their number 46 BMW Z4 GT3 made it onto the podium in third place. The win went to the Nissan drivers Wolfgang Reip, Alex Buncombe and Katsumasa Chiyo. A total of nine BMW Z4 GT3s took on the challenge of the six-hour race on the track near Le Castellet. Among them were BMW works drivers Alex Zanardi, Timo Glock and Bruno Spengler. The "Dream Team" contested its first joint race in the modified BMW Z4 GT3 as preparation for the 24 Hours of Spa. BMW Motorsport, ROAL Motorsport and the drivers took the opportunity to test the modifications to the BMW Z4 GT in competition conditions. The AM class was also fiercely contested. Timur Sardarov and Leo Matchitski in the BMW Z4 GT3 of Team Russia by Barwell finished in second place and ended up missing out on the win by just 1.3 seconds. Behind them, Karim Ojjeh and Olivier Grotz of Team Boutsen Ginion finished in third. The next race in the Blancpain Endurance Series is the 24 Hours of Spa on 25th and 26th July.

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Full Release from Marc VDS



Pitlane Start to Podium Sensation for Marc VDS in Paul Ricard
Published: 21 Jun 2015


Le Castellet, France – June 21 2015: BMW Sports Trophy Team Marc VDS took a podium finish at the Paul Ricard 1000km, despite having to start dead last, from the pitlane. Lucas Luhr, Markus Palttala and Maxime Martin steered the #46 BMW Z4 GT3 to third place.

The race was one of the best in the history of the Blancpain Endurance Series, with drama right until the final laps, with the top three covered by just 10 seconds.

For Marc VDS, though, a top-three finish was a fantasy at the end of practice. A problem meant the team had to have a new engine delivered overnight. The mechanics fitted it in just two and a half hours, to be ready for Saturday’s qualifying. Martin was able to qualify 8th, but regulations stated the team must start from the pitlane after the change of motor.

It was down to Palttala to take the start and he relished the challenge. Within 15 laps he’d overtaken half the 60-car field, and ended the first hour in 22nd. Both Luhr and Martin were able to make big chunks of progress up the order too, and twice during the race the car led overall.

By the end of the six hours, the car had overtaken every single opponent at some point during the race, and all three drivers pulled off some remarkable overtaking manoeuvres, much to the delight of the French crowd. However, the #46 car didn’t quite have the pace to catch and pass the leading two cars at the finish, and had to settle for third spot.

Lucas Luhr, BMW Z4 GT3 #46
“A lot of the credit for this result has to go to the guys who worked so hard to prepare this car. They were up extremely early and worked hard right until the chequered flag. The car ran perfectly and every pitstop was perfect too. Markus and Maxime were both awesome as well. It’s great to be back in this series, because the competition is fantastic and the level is very high. It’s certainly been great preparation for the 24 Hours of Spa.”

Markus Palttala, BMW Z4 GT3 #46
“When I was sat in the end of pitlane of course, as a racing driver, I had a little vision of a podium but I didn’t really believe it. It was incredibly fun, chasing all these cars and making so much ground, especially in the first stint. We just had a really, really good race. From pitlane to podium is pretty awesome – I’m very, very happy. When you start where we did you’re not even sure if you can make it into the top ten in a field this strong. Now we look forward to Spa, a race that means a lot to me and everyone in this team.”

Maxime Martin, BMW Z4 GT3 #46
“When you start from the pits and finish on the podium it is amazing. The whole team can be incredibly happy and incredibly proud, the pitstops were brilliant and to change an engine overnight was a huge effort. I’m so grateful for that. During the stints Lucas and Markus did a great job, and I don’t think we could have done any more. Everything started wrong and finished right. It’s great for Marc too – we race for him, of course! Now the next target is Spa.”

Marc van der Straten, Team Owner
“Of all the races I have seen with this team, this is one of the most amazing. On Friday things looked gloomy, but an incredible effort from everyone means we end with champagne and trophies. I still can’t believe we’re on the podium! Now, it’s all about going for the big one, the 24 Hours of Spa. It’s a race I love, that’s very close to my heart, and I really hope we can do well there.”

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It's Taxi Day at Spa

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Originally Posted by 954Stealth

It's Taxi Day at Spa

The fastest lap time today was set by Maxime Martin and August Farfus



Official Test Day gives first glimpse of high level of competitiveness of Total 24 Hours of Spa

With almost 60 cars taking part, the Official Test Day produced an interesting insight into the cars and drivers for the Total 24 Hours of Spa. After eight hours of testing in nice weather conditions, the quickest time was set by the #45 BMW Sports Trophy Team Marc VDS car, just edging in front of the #63 Grasser Racing Team Lamborghini.

Teams and drivers taking part in the Official Test Day for the 2015 Total 24 Hours of Spa were greeted by a dry Francorchamps track and even some sunshine later in the day. Ideal conditions therefore to prepare for the hardest and longest race of the season. While the morning session was marred by a couple of red flag interruptions, the five hours in the afternoon were only briefly interrupted once, giving the teams plenty of track time on the Ardennes circuit.

The fastest time of the day was set by the #45 BMW Sports Trophy Team Marc VDS Z4, lapping in 2'19.034 during the morning session. In the afternoon the silver and yellow BMW topped the timesheets as well, with an almost identical 2'19.083. Blancpain Endurance Series regulars Grasser Racing Team managed to separate the two Marc VDS-cars, producing a 2'19.143 with the #63 Lamborghini. That proved to be two tenths of a second quicker than the best lap from the #46 car of the BMW Sports Trophy Team Marc VDS.

The fastest time in Pro-Am was set by the #47 AF Corse Ferrari of newcomers Lémeret, Pier Guidi, Bruni and Lathouras - lapping in 2'19.549 - while the fastest Am Cup car was the #25 Glorax Racing Ferrari, last weekend's winner of the Am Cup at Circuit Paul Ricard.



Bas Leinders (team principal BMW Sports Trophy Team Marc VDS):
"It has been a fruitful day. We managed to complete a good number of laps and we quickly found the right set-up for the cars. The fact that we took part in the race at Le Castellet really helped us to adapt to the Pirelli tyres and determine a good base set-up. This means that we can now focus on the race itself, which is one of our main targets for this season."

Bernd Schneider (GT Russian Team):
"So far, so good. We have been struggling a bit to find the right balance of the car, but we managed to improved during the day. Today's test sessions again showed how competitive the current batch of GT3 cars are, but I am convinced that our older Mercedes SLS AMG can still fight for the top spots."

Steven Kane (Bentley Team M-Sport):
"We have been trying to find the right endurance set-up, which means that the car is now a bit higher off the ground, to avoid damage when taking the kerbs. The Total 24 Hours of Spa is an important race and we would love to win it, but we will keep the championship in mind as well. A podium finish would be a great result."

Laurens Vanthoor (Audi Sport Team WRT):
"It has been a difficult day. Because of the red flags in the morning I was unable to drive much, and we can't seem to find the ideal set-up for the car. It is a new car of course, which has never driven at Spa, and we still have a lot of work to do."

Christopher Mies (Audi Sport Team Phoenix):
"We were P5 in the morning and P9 in the afternoon. That is not too bad, but we still have a lot of things to do with the new car. I think we are on the right way, though."

Stéphane Lémeret (AF Corse):
"I am very happy with the competitiveness of the AF Corse Ferrari and of my team-mates. I really think we can have a go at the win in the Pro-Am Cup. Where that will bring us in the overall results depends on how strong and reliable the Pro Cup cars will be, but I am already looking forward to the last weekend of July."

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Test Day Photos

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Originally Posted by 954Stealth

The fastest lap time today was set by Maxime Martin and August Farfus

More on this:

24h Spa test day: BMW Sports Trophy Team Marc VDS sets fastest lap time.
The next highlight of the 2015 endurance season is just around the corner for BMW Motorsport: the iconic 24-hour race at Spa-Francorchamps gets underway in just 30 days from now.



The official test day at the “Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps” on Wednesday heralded the final phase of preparations for the BMW teams. Eight BMW teams sent a total of nine BMW Z4 GT3s onto the legendary circuit.
Six BMW works drivers were also in action at the 7.004-kilometre track in the Ardennes, including BMW DTM drivers Augusto Farfus, Maxime Martin, Timo Glock and Bruno Spengler, who now head to the Norisring for the third race weekend of the 2015 DTM season, which begins on Friday. Farfus and Martin will strengthen the driver line-up at BMW Sports Trophy Team Marc VDS for the 24 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps. Glock and Spengler join forces with double amputee and fellow BMW works driver Alessandro Zanardi at the wheel of a modified BMW Z4 GT3 run by ROAL Motorsport.
The Triple Eight Racing team also received welcome support during the test day at Spa-Francorchamps: BMW works driver Dirk Müller added his wealth of experience to the team. He will share the cockpit with Joe Osborne, Lee Mowle and Ryan Ratcliff at the 24-hour race on 25th and 26th July. The test was repeatedly interrupted by numerous red flags, particularly in the morning. For this reason, the teams used the afternoon session to complete their long runs. In dry conditions, the pairing of Martin/Farfus clocked the fastest time of the day (2:19.034 minutes) in the number 45 BMW Z4 GT3. Their team-mates at BMW Sports Trophy Team Marc VDS, Markus Palttala and Nick Catsburg, were just 0.324 seconds off the fastest time in third place. BMW Sports Trophy Team Brazil, Team Russia by Barwell, Ecurie Ecosse and the TDS Racing and Boutsen Ginion teams also completed their test laps successfully at “Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps”.

Quotes from the BMW works drivers:

Augusto Farfus (#45 BMW Z4 GT3, BMW Sports Trophy Team Marc VDS):
“There were a lot of red flags being waved this morning, which was obviously not ideal. Despite this, we still managed to gather valuable data and improve the car. As far as our expectations ahead of the 24-hour race are concerned, I cannot really say for definite right now. Although we do not necessarily compete with the fastest overall package, we do have the necessary consistency and a very strong driver line-up, which should enable us to be successful. However, it goes without saying that we must first finish, then we’ll see how we have got on. At the moment I seem to be alternating between two extremes: I must now travel from one of the longest circuits in Europe to the DTM at the Norisring – probably the shortest circuit in the world. These are exciting weeks for me.”

Maxime Martin (#45 BMW Z4 GT3, BMW Sports Trophy Team Marc VDS):
“The test went very well. The car worked flawlessly, which allowed us to complete an extensive programme of testing. We tried out a lot of things and consistently made alterations to find the perfect set-up and balance for the 24-hour race. Our lap times are very good, and we set the fastest time today. A test day is obviously of no major significance yet, and it is important for the car to be fast for the entire 24 hours. However, it is always better to be up near the front than not. We are quite happy with the situation.”

Alessandro Zanardi (#9 BMW Z4 GT3, ROAL Motorsport):
“I am quite satisfied with the job we have done so far. I can drive the car better than last year, and this is fantastic as at first we were trying to develop something that allows Timo and Bruno to jump into the car and drive to the best of their abilities, in spite of the aids we have installed for me. We not only achieved that, but what we developed helps me to get a better feel for the brake pedal and to attack with the car even more. The ergonomics in the car definitely suit me better than what we had before. So we now could turn our focus to the set-up of the car. Over the single lap it seems like other people are slightly faster than us, but we were focusing on doing kilometres and completing long-runs, and the car is performing well especially over the distance. For sure we have more work to do, but we know what direction we have to take.”

Timo Glock (#9 BMW Z4 GT3, ROAL Motorsport):
“As before today I only knew the circuit from my time in Formula One, it was important for me to get behind the wheel of the BMW Z4 GT3 and complete a few test laps here in Spa. It is astonishing how quickly the car corners, despite its weight. I am glad we were able to take another step forward with regard to the 24 Hours of Spa – both in terms of the development of the car and as a team. I believe we are well prepared. I am looking forward to returning in July for the actual race itself.”

Bruno Spengler (#9 BMW Z4 GT3, ROAL Motorsport):
“It is ten years since I last drove here in Spa. Back then it was in a DTM car. Therefore, I first had to re-learn the circuit and then take my time getting used to it again. The test laps really helped me with this. The BMW Z4 GT3 is great fun to drive on this track, especially going flat-out through Eau Rouge and Blanchimont. There is huge anticipation ahead of the 24-hour race. I have great respect for this iconic event and, in particular, for all the drivers taking part. Sixty six cars will be on the track at the same time. A lot can happen. However, like me, my team-mates Alex Zanardi and Timo Glock have already experienced a lot in racing. We are well equipped to deal with this.”

Dirk Müller (#888 BMW Z4 GT3, Triple Eight Racing):
“I am already looking forward to supporting Triple Eight Racing at the 24 Hours of Spa. It is a fantastic race and a great team. Unfortunately I was unable to take part last year as it clashed with a race in the USA. That makes me all the happier to be here this year. We used the test to try out one or two things with the set-up of the BMW Z4 GT3. The test went well and I am sure that we will be well prepared to push hard with the number 888 BMW Z4 GT3 in the Pro-Am class.”