BMW WORKS DRIVERS AUGUSTO FARFUS AND JOEL ERIKSSON TO COMPETE IN THE BMW M6 GT3 AT MACAU
Two BMW works drivers will line up at this year’s FIA GT World Cup on 16th and 17th November in Macau (CHN): Augusto Farfus (BRA) and Joel Eriksson (SWE). Farfus will once again take the wheel of the BMW M6 GT3 of BMW Team Schnitzer at the world-famous ‘Guia Circuit’, where he won last year. Eriksson will compete in the FIST-Team AAI BMW M6 GT3.
For Farfus and BMW Team Schnitzer it will be an emotional return to Macau. The driver and team are connected by a long and successful shared Macau history. BMW Team Schnitzer is the record winner on the legendary street circuit – and Freilassing (GER) team took one of those wins with Farfus in the FIA Touring Car World Championship in 2009. 2017 saw Farfus contest the FIA GT World Cup in Macau in the BMW M6 GT3 Art Car fielded by BMW Team Schnitzer.
This was followed by a very special victory last year: it was the last race event for Charly Lamm as Team Principal of BMW Team Schnitzer. Farfus won the qualifying race on Saturday and drove to a start-finish victory in the main race on Sunday. Lamm said it was one of the greatest moments of his racing career after the win. He passed away just a few weeks later.
“Macau will be very special this year,” said Farfus. “Firstly, it is a place of which I have a lot of great memories. And the win in the FIA GT World Cup last year was a highlight of my career. Winning together with Charly, my friend and my mentor, who was very close personally to me and my family, was something really special. This year I hope we can repeat the success in memory of Charly. We know that it will be a real challenge, but we will be racing there for the third year in a row with the BMW M6 GT3 and have picked up the necessary experience. We will try our best and give it our all to be successful again.”
“On the initiative of Charly Lamm, BMW Team Schnitzer contested its first race outside Europe in Macau many years ago,” explained Team Manager Herbert Schnitzer jr. “That’s why Macau is a very emotional place for us. Also because things came full circle last year with our win in Charly’s last big race. We always love being in Macau and have a special relationship with this track. This year we will give it our all and hopefully bring home as great a result as last year, even though the competition is very strong. We are really looking forward to competing there with Augusto again. He is a long-standing companion of our team, we have a fabulous relationship with each other and really appreciate each other. His experience is also incredibly important. He has been in Macau with us so often, so it’s great that we have him on board.”
Eriksson’s debut in the BMW M6 GT3 in Macau.
BMW DTM driver Eriksson is also familiar with the tricky track in Macau’s urban canyons. He raced in the Formula 3 Grand Prix there in the last three years. Now he will contest the FIA GT World Cup alongside FIST-Team AAI in the BMW M6 GT3. The Taiwanese team last competed in Macau two years ago and finished in fifth and sixth places. This season, FIST-Team AAI is enjoying success in the China GT Championship and the China Endurance Championship.
“I am absolutely thrilled to be going back to Macau again this year, this time representing BMW Motorsport in the FIA GT World Cup,“ said Eriksson. “I have fallen in love with the Guia Circuit during my visits in Formula 3 and I simply can’t wait to take it on in the BMW M6 GT3. I thoroughly enjoy working with all the guys at FIST-Team AAI. It’s hard to know what to expect. I’ve only ever driven an F3 car at Macau so a certain level of adaptation will be required, but I’m honoured that BMW has decided to put its trust in me for one of the most important races of the season.”
The Macau Grand Prix, under the umbrella of which the FIA GT World Cup takes place, will be held for the 66th time this year. It is one of the best-known race events in the world. The race weekend also includes the Macau Motorcycle Grand Prix, in which BMW Motorrad Motorsport racers have celebrated victory multiple times and numerous podiums in recent years.
Source. BMW
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