Persbericht: Team BMW Motorsport Takes The Class Win At Spa
After an eventful 24 hour race at Spa the BMW M3 GTR car number 142 has won the
Group 2 class for Team BMW Motorsport, while in the overall standings it
finished sixth. The German trio of Jörg Müller, Dirk Müller and Hans-Joachim
Stuck showed their fighting spirit over the 525 laps they completed, and did
not let technical problems discourage them. At one point the team, who won the
recent Nürburgring 24 Hour Race, dropped as low as 28th but managed to fight
their way back up the order.
The second BMW M3 GTR car number 143, driven by Andy Priaulx (GBR), Pedro Lamy
(POR), Kurt Mollekens (BEL) and Antonio Garcia (ESP) was on course for a podium
finish until shortly before the halfway mark. At 3.51am Garcia had to retire
his 500bhp GT sports car due to electrical problems while lying third.
"I am impressed with the fighting spirit of the drivers and the team," said BMW
Motorsport Director, Mario Theissen, "There were occasions when the BMW M3 GTR
was setting the fastest lap times. This proves the car's good performance in
this particular race. Unfortunately some unexpected problems hit us again and
again. The car was developed for short distance races and, therefore, has
proved more difficult to service in longer events."
Car number 142 had to overcome several challenges in the Ardennes. The Team BMW
Motorsport crew, under the guidance of Team Manager, Charly Lamm, had hardly
any time to take a breather. Tyre difficulties at the beginning of the race, a
broken oil pipe and problems with the ignition were solved by the crew over the
course of the marathon. Despite spending a total of 92 minutes in the pits for
unscheduled repairs, Dirk Müller, Jörg Müller and Hans-Joachim Stuck fought
back after each stop. The fact only 22 competitors out of the 42 starters
crossed the finish line is proof of how tough the conditions have been on both
men and machines here in Spa, where the day time temperatures were as high as
30 degrees.
With this result the tally for BMW at the Spa 24 Hours remains at 21 outright
victories since the race was first held in 1924. The most recent BMW victory
was for Alain Cudini, Marc Duez and Eric Van de Poele in 1998 in a BMW 320i.
See also the document in attachment (Download 1)