BMW Sports Trophy Team Marc VDS scored a double top ten at the second round of the VLN series today. The #25 BMW Z4 GT3, with Lucas Luhr, Richard Westbrook, Markus Palttala and Maxime Martin, finished 5th while the #26 of Jörg Müller, Augusto Farfus and Dirk Adorf was 8th.
With rain beginning to fall at the start of qualifying in the morning, both cars aimed to immediately get times on the board before the track was too wet. Gradually worsening conditions persuaded Müller to take a cautious approach, which meant a starting position of 26th; for Luhr, there was disaster. A puncture right at the beginning of the Nordschleife meant his only chance of a dry lap was wasted. Palttala eventually set the car’s fastest time, in a downpour – it meant that #25 started in 63rd position, at the back of the first starting group.
With mixed conditions prevailing in the race, meaningful running was difficult, particularly with many incidents on track. However, there were leaps up the timing sheet for both starting drivers, Luhr and Müller. In the first hour, both cars ran in the top three after consistent running, and the different strategies applied by rival teams.
The race’s pattern was disrupted further still by rain showers – including one epic downpour that sent the entire field rushing to the pitlane – and only settled in the final hour, with both Marc VDS cars solidly inside the top 10. However, despite strong pace – on his first clear lap after the heavy rain began, Palttala was 32 seconds faster than the leading car – the gaps were too large for meaningful progress any further up the order.
The #25 made 58 places, while the #26 made 18 – that’s 76 positions between them!
The team’s focus is now entirely on the 2015 24 Hours of Nürburgring on May 16.
Bas Leinders, Team Principal
“The team did a great job today. First, in their response to the drama with the puncture, and then in the race, with great pitstops and strong running from all the drivers. Both cars were comfortably inside the top-ten, and we showed that we can run consistently to move up the order – very important for endurance races. On the technical side, we got a lot of knowledge of the Michelin wet tyres in the race, and knowing the Nürburgring this could be very crucial in the 24-hour race! We’re now totally focused on that race – making sure every single detail we can perfect is perfected before we arrive.”
Jörg Müller, BMW Z4 GT3 #26: 8th position
“I’m pretty pleased with the progress we’ve made this weekend. We tried some different strategies, and each driver tested different tyres during the race so we have a lot of data there. We have to be prepared for any condition here, and I think we’ve had most of them in the last two days. Summery conditions and sunshine on the test day, and all sorts of different rain today. I feel like the whole team is in a strong position for the 24 hours, and I’m personally confident with the whole operation.”
Lucas Luhr, BMW Z4 GT3 #25: 5th position
“Getting the puncture in qualifying wasn’t ideal. Things like this happen sometimes, and it happened to me this morning just as I got onto the Nordschleife, so there’s no coming back. Driving the whole track on three good wheels and a rim felt like hours, but you have to be patient and minimise the damage. It made for a fun stint in the race, and I got to do a lot of overtaking at the beginning. I think we stayed out a little too long on the rain tyres, but we wanted to see how far the rain tyres could go into the dry conditions. That’s valuable information for the N24. Both cars have very strong line ups, and I’m absolutely confident in the team – let’s see how the 24-hour race goes.”