Communiqué de presse: BMW driver teams for the Nürburgring and Spa 24 Hours.
BMW Group Belgium Luxembourg est particulièrement heureux de voir la
titularisation de Kurt Mollekens, pilote du BMW Team Belgium Luxembourg en
championnat d'Europe des voitures de tourisme (ETCC), non seulement pour le
double tour d'horloge ardennais mais aussi dès ce week-end lors de la manche de
quatre heures du Belcar à l'occasion des Spa Euro Race à Francorchamps. Kurt
Mollekens y partagera le volant avec son coéquipier du team RBM, Andy Priaulx,
et de son coéquipier de l'an dernier au Proximus 24 H of Spa, Pedro Lamy.
BMW Group Belgium Luxembourg voit ainsi ses efforts récompensés par la présence
de son pilote en ETCC sur une des deux voitures officielles prenant part aux
24h que BMW a remporté 21 fois depuis 1964.
BMW driver teams for the Nürburgring and Spa 24 Hours.
Munich, 1st June 2004. Who teams up with whom? That question has now been
answered with regard to the BMW M3 GTR drivers for the 24-hour races at the
Nürburgring (12th/13th June) and at Spa (31st July/1st August).
At the Nürburgring the number 42 BMW M3 GTR will be shared by the three German
drivers Dirk Müller, Jörg Müller and Hans-Joachim Stuck.
The number 43 sister car fielded at the "Ring" by Team BMW Motorsport will see
Duncan Huisman (NLD), Pedro Lamy (PRT) and Boris Said (USA) taking it in turns
at the wheel.
At the Spa circuit in Belgium, the number 42 BMW M3 GTR will be manned by the
identical threesome of Müller/Müller/Stuck. Pedro Lamy will be driving the
number 43 car in the Ardennes as well, but with different partners this time.
Joining the Portuguese driver will be Antonio Garcia (ESP), Andy Priaulx (GBR)
and Kurt Mollekens (BEL). The 31-year-old Belgian will be backing up the number
43 team, while Lamy has also been signed up as a backup for the number 42
lineup.
This coming Sunday, 5th June, Lamy/Mollekens/Priaulx will already be taking the
500 bhp GT coupé out for a test drive at Spa during the Belcar Series.
"Our driver teams," says BMW Motorsport Director Mario Theissen, "are a mix of
youth and experience. With Pedro Lamy and Hans Stuck we also have on board a
brace of two-time winners of the Nürburgring 24 Hour Race. All our drivers have
experience of long-distance events and powerful GT cars. I am convinced that,
in terms of our drivers and our technology, we are well equipped. But we should
not be tempted to make any predictions or indulge in premature expectations.
Firstly, it is difficult for us to judge the competition in advance, and
secondly, 24 hours on the world's most challenging race track leaves a lot of
scope for the unpredictable."