Marc VDS Take Sensational 24 Hours of Nürburgring Pole Position

BMW Sports Trophy Team Marc VDS will start the 24 Hours of Nürburgring from pole position. The #26 BMW Z4 GT3, qualified by Augusto Farfus, starts on pole with #25, qualified by Maxime Martin, in sixth position.

Under beautiful blue skies, the Top-30 qualifying once more gave the world’s best drivers a chance to experience a clear Nordschleife track. Starting one-by-one, with the starting order drawn by a lottery, each driver has two laps to make his mark. On his first, Farfus went to the top of the times, then improved once more on his second lap. His 8:17.394 was not bettered. Martin’s 8:19.323 will see the #25 car start from the third row, with his improvement hampered by a slower car on his second lap.

Farfus will share #26 with Dirk Adorf, Jörg Müller and Nick Catsburg, while Martin will take turns with Lucas Luhr, Markus Palttala and Richard Westbrook in #25. Each driver is experienced, knowing that consistency is as important as fast pace in endurance racing, and all are prepared for battle.

Tomorrow’s race is among the world’s toughest, and the entire Marc VDS squad will have to be focused to achieve a good result. They have worked extremely hard in preparation, and addressed every detail in their control, and must now continue this ethic to take a good result after 24 hours. Every lap, every pitstop and every strategy call could be vital at the end.

The race begins at 16:00 CET on Saturday May 16, and runs until 16:00 CET Sunday May 17.

Augusto Farfus, BMW Z4 GT3 #26: Pole Position
“It’s a great feeling. It’s amazing, to have this blue sky, the track to yourself, and a nice car. Two laps of Nordschleife is nearly 20 minutes, which is a whole qualifying session in most series – to be flat out that whole time is unique. We have a very strong package. I have to thank the whole Marc VDS group because they gave me the chance to go out for Top-30 Qualifying, and in a beautifully prepared BMW Z4 GT3. In the end it was not Farfus driving the car, it was Farfus, Adorf, Catsburg, Müller. The aim now is to enjoy the race, do a good job, and see where we are at 4pm on Sunday.”

Maxime Martin, BMW Z4 GT3 #25, P6
“I’m happy with my laps. I had to pass a slower car on my second lap, which cost me some time, but I’m happy. The pace is not too bad, and now we have to look ahead. 24 hours is a long time, and we’ve seen here before that anything can happen at the Nordschleife. Tomorrow and Sunday is when it counts the most. We’ve just got to keep up a good pace, and avoid any trouble – then we’ll see what happens.”

Bas Leinders, Team Principal
“It’s fantastic to have pole position. Augusto did a great job, and Maxime too – without the traffic he suffered it could be even better. But really, it doesn’t matter compared to what’s coming tomorrow! The 24 Hours of Nürburgring is tough, insanely tough, and every member of this team has to be 100% focused to give us a good result. So far, everything has gone to plan and I hope that trend continues in the race. We’d love to take a top result for Marc van der Straten, and for BMW Motorsport in the last year of the BMW Z4 GT3.”