The 24 Hours of Le Mans (FRA) campaign has started positively for BMW M Motorsport, with the BMW Team MTEK crew running as high as second place in the opening hours. As the cars crossed the line for the 60thtime, the pair of BMW M8 GTEs were running strong and the drivers were able to push hard to remain ‘in the mix’.
The number 81 car, piloted by Martin Tomczyk (GER), Nicky Catsburg (NED) and Philipp Eng (AUT), climbed the most positions – from 13th to second – while the number 82 of Augusto Farfus (BRA), Alexander Sims (GBR) and António Félix da Costa (POR) ran inside the top ten.
Initial reactions to the 24 Hours of Le Mans:
Philipp Eng (#81 BMW M8 GTE):
“It is so much fun out there! The track, all the other cars around – and our BMW M8 GTE, of course. I did the first double-stint on the same set of tyres and I am impressed by the consistency of our car. It’s great to drive and gives you confidence. That’s exactly what you want to have in an endurance race.”
Alexander Sims (#82 BMW M8 GTE):
“It’s really nice to finally get into the race and get some laps under our belt. It’s still very early but our race pace is looking okay. After the months of testing and wondering if we would be competitive, it’s reassuring to be in the mix and able to battle for positions with the other GTE Pro manufacturers. There’s a long way to go but it’s been a good start.”
António Félix da Costa (#82 BMW M8 GTE):
“I felt really good. The car is nice to drive, we have a good balance and you can take good care of the tyres, as well. In my stint, I was really unlucky with the yellow zones and also got some bad traffic. So, I lost some time to the cars in front. But generally all is running well.”
Source. BMW
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