The 2016 season of the ADAC GT Masters will see a BMW M6 GT3 with a very special driver line-up on the starting grid: The most successful BMW Motorsport Juniors of the past two years, Jesse Krohn and Louis Delétraz, will take the wheel of a car fielded by Schubert Motorsport. The BMW M6 GT3 will feature a dedicated livery for the ADAC GT Masters season.
Krohn, the “2014 BMW Motorsport Junior of the Year” will contest all of the ADAC GT Masters races in 2016. Last year he competed in the European Le Mans Series (ELMS) in the BMW Z4 GTE, and celebrated class victory alongside his team-mates. Krohn also regularly competed at the Nürburgring-Nordschleife in the BMW Z4 GT3 in the second half of the VLN endurance championship season. He celebrated one season with Walkenhorst Motorsport and started from pole position at the finale. Krohn will contest numerous VLN races for Walkenhorst Motorsport once again in 2016, and will also support Turner Motorsport in the endurance races of the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship (GTD class) in North America. He finished in fifth place in the BMW M6 GT3 at the 24 Hours of Daytona.
“It is great that BMW Motorsport is offering me the opportunity to gain further experience in GT racing by competing in several series in 2016, and I am really looking forward to the season in the ADAC GT Masters,” said Krohn. “It is a very competitive championship and the races are always closely fought. It will be special to team up with Louis, as he is my successor as BMW Motorsport Junior of the Year. I have already raced the new BMW M6 GT3 in the US and have to say it is a very impressive race car. It is a fantastic car and I am convinced we will be competitive with it in the ADAC GT Masters from the word go. Schubert Motorsport is a very experienced team and knows the ADAC GT Masters very well. This makes me confident that we are well prepared for the season. We want to be involved in the fight for the top positions, and, from a personal point of view, I want to make the next major step in my development as a race driver this season.”
Krohn will receive support from his successor Delétraz, who was crowned best driver in the BMW Motorsport Junior Programme last year, at selected races in the ADAC GT Masters. After success in Formula racing, Delétraz completed his first 24-hour race for BMW Motorsport in Zolder in 2015, and gained experience in the BMW M235i Racing during the course of the year. He will take part in a total of four race weekends in the ADAC GT Masters. Both Juniors tested the BMW M6 GT3 for the first time together at the Lausitzring on Wednesday.
“I am already really looking forward to driving in the ADAC GT Masters with the BMW Motorsport Junior programme,” said Delétraz. “It will be my first complete season of GT racing and in a GT3 car. I am excited, as it will all be new to me – not just the car, but also the format, with longer races than I am used to from single-seater racing. I am sure it will be a fantastic season, with the support of BMW Motorsport. I have already done some testing with the BMW M6 GT3. It is a fantastic racing car. The feeling in the cockpit is magnificent. The support of experienced BMW drivers is very important to me, as they can teach me a lot that will help me continue to develop. My priority for this season is to learn a lot. However, my goal is also to be quick and to achieve the best possible results together with my team-mates.”
Established BMW works drivers will support the BMW M6 GT3 Juniors' car at three race weekends in the ADAC GT Masters. This sees BMW Motorsport continue a long-standing tradition of experienced racing drivers passing on their extensive knowledge to the next generation. Martin Tomczyk (DE), who will contest his 16th season in the DTM this year, will compete alongside Krohn at the opening race in Oschersleben (DE). Tomczyk can look back at his own experiences as a BMW Junior. In his very first season in the BMW Formula ADAC Junior Cup, the man from Rosenheim finished second in the overall standings. Just one year later he moved up into Formula BMW and clinched fourth place at the end of the season. Tomczyk took part in testing in the BMW M6 GT3 alongside Delétraz and the Schubert team in Oschersleben on 12th March.
“I'm really looking forward to being able to support the BMW Motorsport Juniors at the season opener of the ADAC GT Masters in Oschersleben,” said Tomczyk. “I experienced personally just how important BMW has always been to developing young talent, when I contested the BMW Formula ADAC Junior Cup at the age of 16. That was when I laid the foundations for my career. Now I am happy to use my experience to support the next generation of BMW Juniors. And I'm particularly pleased that I get to do this while at the wheel of the BMW M6 GT3 in the ADAC GT Masters. The race series is one of the most fiercely contested GT series and offers superb motorsport. On top of that, I will compete along with the Schubert team, which I know really well from my outings at the 24 Hours Nürburgring. It will be fantastic to drive for them at their home event in Oschersleben.”
The Juniors in action in the BMW M6 GT3 will also receive back-up from Jörg Müller. He was involved in the development of the car from the very beginning, and will support them with all the experience he gained as a test driver. The veteran will contest the Japanese Super GT Championship for BMW Team Studie in a BMW M6 GT3 this year.
As mentor and head instructor, Dirk Adorf will continue to be responsible for the BMW Motorsport Junior Programme in general, and pass his wealth of experience on to the next generation. The potential candidates for this year's class were put to the test in a shootout in the BMW M235i Racing in Dijon, France, on 10th/11th March. A decision as to which of the young drivers showed the most potential and will be chosen to take part in the 2016 BMW Motorsport Junior Programme will be made in the coming weeks.
The development of promising talented drivers enjoys a long tradition at BMW Motorsport. The new multi-level GT junior concept made its debut in 2014. This realignment saw BMW Motorsport shift its development of young drivers back to the GT and touring car sector. In Formula racing the concept bore fruit for many years in Formula BMW and the Formula BMW Talent Cup and kick-started the racing career of many successful drivers.
