BMW Sports Trophy Team Marc VDS take on their final Nordschleife race before the 24 Hours of Nürburgring this weekend. Two BMW Z4 GT3s are entered in VLN2; #25 for Maxime Martin, Markus Palttala, Lucas Luhr and Richard Westbrook, #26 for Jörg Müller, Dirk Adorf and Augusto Farfus.
The race marks the first chance for the team to experience the safety regulations recently implemented. A 200km/h speed limit is now in place at Flugplatz, Schwedenkreuz, and Antoniusbuche while the Döttinger Höhe straight is now restricted to 250 km/h. On top of this, a five percent power reduction on the top classes, including the SP9 class that Marc VDS compete in, has been introduced.
It is also the final chance for the team to get Nordschleife mileage ahead of the 24 Hours of Nürburgring, which the team will take on in May. Any lap completed counts for vital experience. The cars will also run for the first time on the 2015 Michelin confidential specification tyre, which is subtly different to 2014’s spec. With dry conditions forecast for Friday and wet for Saturday, there could well be a chance to put miles on various tyres.
190 cars are entered, including 24 GT3 specification cars in the SP9 class.
The race begins at 12:00 local time on Saturday April 25, and is live on VLN.de.
Markus Palttala, BMW Z4 GT3 #25
“We’ve had very little running so far in 2015 on the Nordschleife, so it’s very important to get good miles this weekend. This is the first time the four drivers will have driven together; we get along very well, have known each other for several years and so we already have a strong relationship. The most important target for us is to get a good feeling as a team and a good balance in the car. We know the BMW Z4 GT3 is fast here, and we just need to fine tune for the 24-hour race. I’m looking forward to another weekend with the demanding challenge of the Nordschleife.”
Jörg Müller, BMW Z4 GT3 #26
“I always look forward to getting on the Nordschleife, and that’s no different this time. I’m curious to see how these new regulations work out, and it’s good to get some time to get used to them before the 24-hours; they’re going to play a big part in the race. It’s good to get some more time working with Augusto and Dirk, and to work with the team again. I’m always impressed with their work ethic on the engineering side and I feel very confident racing with them.”
Sebastien Metz, Technical Director
“It’s quite challenging, because we have the new confidential Michelin tyres on the car this weekend. We also have the new air restrictor, and some changes to the set up to adjust to that too. With the new regulations, there are several technical challenges that are totally new to us We’ve had very little time, and now we’ve got a poor forecast for Saturday as well. It’s not the worst problem in the world; because it’s not going to be a surprise if it rains during the 24-hour race. In an ideal world, we’re happy with dry, or wet conditions, but if it’s constantly changing it will be a very tough race.”