Belgium’s Maxime Martin will not only be competing in his first season as a works BMW Motorsport driver for Team RLL in the American Le Mans Series, but he replaces Marco Wittmann as the DTM test and development driver, as his German stablemate moves into Team MTEK’s squad for the upcoming 2013 DTM season, which begins in May at Hockenheim.
Motorsport Director, Jens Marquardt, who said that the 26-year-old deserved this chance, as a result of the fantastic results he achieved last year, welcomed his inclusion into the BMW Motorsport family with open arms. This included Martin finishing runner-up in the Blancpain Endurance Series, driving a privateer Z4.
“We are delighted to welcome Maxime into our family of BMW works drivers. I am particularly proud that he made it into our squad of works drivers via the BMW Sports Trophy,” said Marquardt, “This shows the high esteem in which we hold BMW privateers, as well as the high standard of participants in the BMW Sports Trophy.”
So Martin will be pulling double duty for a busy debut season as an official works driver, as he will contest all ten ALMS races in the new Z4 GTE, but will also be present at 7 out of the 10 DTM races this season, and looks ahead to a great future with Munich: “I am very happy and think this is a good way to start my career as a BMW works driver. I have the opportunity to get to know the DTM team and gain valuable experience. Driving for BMW Team RLL in the ALMS is a big challenge for me, as I have never raced in North America. I am really looking forward to it. My career path shows how beneficial it is to have BMW watching you so closely and offering great support within the framework of the BMW Sports Trophy.”
