BMW‘s new Z4 GTE start the 12 Hours of Sebring in eighth and ninth position after taking part in its maiden American Le Mans Series qualifying session.
BMW Team RLL have been present at the recent pre-race weekend test session and made full use of the track-time to develop the new Z4 GTE. “We have worked really hard this week on preparing the car for the race, not so much for qualifying” explained Team Principal Bobby Rahal.
“The other cars in the field are far more developed, and the teams know them in and out. This is something which has a big impact on a track like Sebring. However, the gap to the front-runners isn’t too bad. We should be well-prepared for the race and have a reliable car. The whole team will go on pushing hard, and I’m quite optimistic for Saturday.”
Maxime Martin took the #55 BMW to eighth fastest time in class on his ALMS debut, “Overall I’m happy with my first ALMS qualifying. There wasn’t much more we could do today.”
“It’s a long race though, and a lot of things can happen. The BMW Z4 GTE is quite good, although we are just at the beginning of its development. However, there’s still a lot of work to do. But we already knew this. I am really enjoying my maiden race weekend with BMW Team RLL. Everything is new for me, but I am getting along really well.”
Team-mate Joey Hand finished just 0.111 seconds behind Martin as he took ninth in class. Looking forward to the race tomorrow he commented “It’s all about making the next steps now and getting the full potential out of it. We have come a long way within a reasonably short period of time. We are in the mix – and I’m quite confident for the race.”
