BMW M6 GT3 in promising position after five hours at the 24 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps – Martin and Catsburg intermittent leaders of the race.

At times, last year’s winner Nick Catsburg (NL) in the #98 BMW M6 GT3
and Maxime Martin (BE) in the sister car with number 99 led the
Ardennes marathon.

Dirk Werner (DE) drove the #98 BMW M6 GT3 at the start and made
it through the first hour well. On lap 25, the BMW works driver was in
fifth place as he headed into the pit for the first stop. Catsburg
took over the BMW M6 GT3, but completed the majority of his laps
behind the safety car. He was at the front of the field of 65 GT3 cars
at the restart and has led the race a total of two times so far. After
completing 113 laps, the #98 BMW M6 GT3 was in twelfth place.

The second BMW M6 GT3 in action for ROWE Racing dropped way down
the field after its pit stop during the safety car phase, and was
outside the top 30 for a while. However, starting drivers Martin,
Alexander Sims (GB) and Philipp Eng (AT) were able to fight their way
back up through the field as the race went on and collect laps in the
lead. After completing 114 laps, they were back to the front.

Martin Tomczyk (DE) also delivered a strong performance at the
wheel of the BMW M6 GT3. The BMW DTM driver is contesting his first
24-hour race in Spa-Francorchamps. He drove at the start for team
principal Roberto Ravaglia’s (IT) BMW Team Italia, and remained in the
car with number 15 after the first pit stop for a double stint.
Tomczyk went on an impressive pursuit. Within the first two hours of
the race, the experienced driver managed to make up 31 places. He
started from 47th on the grid and, as he entered the pit for the
second time, handed the BMW M6 GT3 over to Stefano Colombo (IT) in
16th place. As the race went on, the team were forced to retire after
an accident.

The fourth BMW M6 GT3 of Boutsen Ginion Racing, which started
from 51st place, worked its way up the field during the course of the
race and was in 36th place at one point. However, the car was forced
to return to the pit after suffering tyre damage, delaying their race.

Quotes after five hours of racing in Spa-Francorchamps.

Dirk Werner (#98 BMW M6 GT3, ROWE
Racing):
“I drove at the start, which went well
fortunately; I was able to move up into fifth place. After that, the
stint went really well without any real incidents, which was pleasing,
and it allowed me to get into a good rhythm quickly. The car is
fantastic, it is so much fun. It is always something special to start
on a track like this in a race like this. Now we need to continue with
good pit stops, consistent laps and a good strategy. It is important
that we don’t make any errors, pick up any penalties or suffer any
damage. That is what we are working towards.”

Stef Dusseldorp (#98 BMW M6 GT3, ROWE
Racing):
 
“I’m pretty pleased with my stint and my
pace. Overall the laps so far have been good, the balance is right. We
will definitely try to continue in this way. It feels really good so
far. And it is always great driving into the night. The track itself
is fantastic, but when the lights go on and you see the huge number of
fans it is even more impressive.”

Maxime Martin (#99 BMW M6 GT3, ROWE
Racing):
“The car performed well during the entire
double stint. The traffic on the track is always a challenge, but we
have mastered it well so far. We were able to make two stops during
the yellow flag phase, which gave us an advantage. I was still fairly
cautious at the start. I wanted to make sure that we didn’t get caught
up in any incidents. That strategy has paid off so far.”

Alexander Sims (#99 BMW M6 GT3, ROWE
Racing):
“The car is fantastic so far. The number
of cars on track isn’t exactly making it easy for us. Our strength is
in the turns, which makes it slightly more difficult to overtake, but
it’s working out well so far. I have a good feeling. That said, it’s
too early to predict the outcome of the race at the moment.”

Martin Tomczyk (#15 BMW M6 GT3, BMW Team
Italia):
“I pushed the car to its limit. The BMW M6
GT3 performed well. It felt great completing fast, consistent laps. It
was much more challenging at the start of the race because we didn’t
get the best qualifying result, which meant we had to overtake quite a
few cars. I was able to work my way up the field and we were in a god
position, so it’s a real shame that our race ended early. It was so
much fun driving here in Spa. It was a great experience for me. Kudos
to the race organisers. There were a few incidents on the track, but
they did a fantastic job.”