BMW Motorsport News – Issue 27/15.
Whether in the DTM, the United SportsCar Championship, or countless
other championships: week after week BMW teams and drivers around
the world do battle for points, victories and titles. Away from the
track too, members of the large BMW Motorsport family around the
world are also creating headlines. The “BMW Motorsport News” allows
us to regularly summarise all the action for you in a compact and
informative manner. This way, you are always up to speed.
24h Spa:
BMW claims 22nd overall victory at 24-hour classic.
BMW has added another chapter to its success story at
Spa-Francorchamps (BE): 50 years and one day after the first victory
at the 24-hour race, Nick Catsburg (NL), Markus Palttala (FI) and
BMW USCC driver Lucas Luhr (DE) of BMW Sports Trophy Team Marc VDS
secured overall victory number 22 for the manufacturer at this
endurance classic. After 536 laps of the “Circuit de
Spa-Francorchamps”, the number 46 BMW Z4 GT3 overcame a
drive-through penalty to take the chequered flag first at the 67th
running of the marathon in the Ardennes. The victory means the BMW
Z4 GT3 was triumphant on its last major appearance at one of the
most important endurance races in the world. In an interview, Luhr
revealed the key to success at the 24 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps.
Three questions for... Lucas Luhr.
Lucas, how would you sum up your emotions after this win?
Lucas Luhr: “I am obviously a bit more composed
now, but, to be honest, I was fighting back the tears after the
finish. Last year we came so close – and the disappointment was huge
when we came up just short. However, this time we came out on top in
my second attempt with BMW. The feeling of joy is immense. I
obviously feel very bad for our second car. A one-two would have
been the icing on the cake. It was obviously a great shame that the
number 9 car was unable to finish – as was the retirement of Alex
Zanardi and Co. Despite this, on the whole today has been a very
good day for BMW.”
What was the key to this success?
Luhr: “The key was this morning, when the sun came out and the track temperature started to rise. Our car really came to life during this phase, and literally went like hell. We had had a few problems at the start, but it then got better from one stint to the next. We had to fight a bit again during the night, and the rollercoaster ride continued. It really was not easy for the engineers to get everything right all the time. However, we cracked it in the morning, and I noticed that we could achieve something special.”
In the end, a two-lap lead makes it look easier than it was …
Luhr: “Yes, but it certainly was not easy. With
just half an hour remaining there were quite a few more retirements.
When you see that your blood pressure rises again. From the outside,
you really cannot imagine how much blood, sweat and tears go into a
24-hour race like this. When the weight finally falls off your
shoulders, and you know that you have actually done it, you can let
your emotions pour out. Today is a cool day.”
--
USCC: First win of the season for Turner Motorsport in the
GTD class.
Dane Cameron (US) and Michael Marsal (US), at the wheel of the number 97 Turner Motorsport BMW Z4 GTD, claimed their first win of the season in the GTD class of the United SportsCar Championship (USCC) at Lime Rock Park (US). Turner Motorsport was almost unable to take part in the race, following a crash involving Marsal in Friday’s practice session. As Marsal had to sit out qualifying, he was forced to start from the back of the field, which consisted of 17 PC and GTD cars. He drove a good first stint and had fought his way onto the same lap as the leader by the time he handed over to Cameron, the 2014 GTD champion. Cameron took the lead in the GTD class on lap 105 and went on to take the chequered flag as the winner after 162 laps. He also clocked the fastest lap of the race.
