BMW's drivers for its 2017 assault on the 24-hour race at the Nürburgring includes a mix of veterans, first-timers, factory drivers, and newcomers. BMW will contest the race in M6 GT3s fielded by BMW Team Schnitzer, Schubert Motorsport, and Rowe Racing.
BMW DTM racers Marco Wittmann, Bruno Spengler, Maxime Martin, Augusto Farfus and Tom Blomqvist will be there; it is the first Nürburgring 24 for Spengler.
IMSA Team RLL drivers Martin Tomczyk, Alexander Sims, and John Edwards will race for BMW at the Ring, as will Kuno Wittmer and Nicky Catsburg, who were scheduled to co-drive the #24 M6 GTLM at Daytona, but did not because of the car’s early exit from the race.
Markus Palttala and Richard Westbrook will return to the Nürburgring with BMW this year; Westbrook's full-time ride for the season is a Ford GT vthat he races in IMSA for Ganassi. Other BMW regulars who will compete this year are Jörg Müller, Jens Klingmann, Phillip Eng, and Jesse Krohn. Former DTM racer António Félix da Costa, who now competes in Formula E for MS Amlin Andretti, will run the 24-hour race for the first time this year.
Several drivers are new to BMW. They include: Timo Scheider, who has raced for Audi in DTM and who won the Nürburgring 24 in 2003 in an Opel; Marc Basseng, who co-drove the winning Audi in the race in 2012, and who has 26 wins in VLN competition at the Ring; British GT racer Tom Onslow-Cole; and Alex Lynn, a former Williams Formula One development driver and GT racer who drove an M4 DTM in the young driver test in 2014.
BMW motorsport director Jens Marquardt says, “We’re looking forward to the 24-hour race at the Nürburgring. It is always a special weekend for us. After all, this iconic race plays an important role in the history of BMW Motorsport. We have celebrated nineteen victories there to date. After finishing fifth on the BMW M6 GT3’s debut last year, we’d be happy to move up a few places this time. To make that possible, you need experienced teams and reliable, fast drivers. We will field both of these once again in 2017. This is perhaps our most varied and excellent squad ever at the Nürburgring which is why I am confident that we will put on another good show for the BMW fans at the Ring.”
The 2017 Nürburgring 24 will be run on May 27 and 28.—Brian S. Morgan
