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Customer BMW squad Triple Eight Racing has announced its largest campaign to date, with full-season commitments to both the Blancpain Endurance Series and British GT Championship.

The British team, now in its third season of sportscar competition, will field two BMW Z4s in the Blancpain Endurance Series. Regular duo Joe Osborne and Lee Mowle will form a Pro-Am Cup entry with Ryan Ratcliffe, with a second line-up currently being established.

Last season the Greatworth-based team took part in two Blancpain Endurance races, before notching a double class podium finish on the streets of Baku in its Blancpain Sprint Series debut last November. With a long-term plan to make Triple Eight a force in international sportscar racing, the realisation of the Blancpain Endurance Series entries is a big step for a team more commonly associated with touring cars.

After exploring options, the Endurance Series was selected by Mowle to realise his goal of competing at some of the finest circuits in the world, especially since Joe Osborne – one of the Pro-Am title contenders in 2014 – is keen to build on last year’s impressive debut.

Lee Mowle: “The Total 24 Hours of Spa is one of those races you just want to do as a driver. Add to that Monza, Ricard and the Nürburgring, plus Silverstone and it’s a great series. On paper we’ve got a strong team, and it will be a great environment for us to prove ourselves. We ran last year with two different line-ups so it’s impossible to say where we sit in the food chain but I think at Silverstone and Spa we should be able to turn in some good performances; I’m really excited about it.”


Triple Eight reveals 2015 GT plans, joins Blancpain grid



Following a number of successful outings in new series last year, customer BMW squad, Triple Eight Racing, has today announced its largest campaign to date with full-season commitments to both the Blancpain Endurance Series and British GT Championship.


The British team, now in its third season of sportscar competition, will field two BMW Z4s in the top European GT3 series. Regular British GT duo Joe Osborne and Lee Mowle will be joined by Triple Eight Driver Development (TEDD) racer Ryan Ratcliffe, in a PRO-AM entry, with a second line-up currently being established.

Last season the Greatworth-based team took part in two Blancpain Endurance races, before notching a double class podium finish on the streets of Baku in its Blancpain Sprint Series debut last November. After exploring options in both European championships, the Endurance Series was selected by Mowle to realise his goal of competing at some of the finest circuits in the world.

“The Spa 24 is one of those races you just want to do as a driver. Add to that Monza, Ricard and the Nürburgring, plus Silverstone and it’s a great series,” explained Mowle.

“On paper we’ve got a strong team, I think there are ten BMWs in Blancpain this year, so it will be a great environment for us to prove ourselves. We ran last year with two different line-ups so its impossible to say where we sit in the food chain but I think at Silverstone and Spa we should be able to turn in some good performances; I’m really excited about it.”

Osborne is no stranger to Triple Eight, the exuberant British ace has raced with the team since the GT operation was created in early 2013, and his debut season in Blancpain last year resulted in the former European GT4 Champion being locked into a three-way shootout for the Pro-Am title at the final round. It was an impressive debut and one that Osborne is keen to build on with Triple Eight and BMW.

“I think I’m more motivated than ever,” he said. “I’m taking responsibility for getting everyone up to speed with the series. I’m no longer just a driver and I truly relish the opportunity of being the lead driver, because I want to win. It’s the first time I’ll spend all year in the same car and I think that can only be viewed as a positive for our chances of achieving good results. Lee has got a huge year ahead of him, lots of seat time in the same car is a benefit for him as well, and this will be our sixth year working together. I like to think I’ve brought him along well, we’re both keen to kick on and get some wins. Although the grids are huge I think will be fighting at the front of the class.”

TEDD driver Ratcliffe, who took two podiums with Osborne in Baku last year, has been a regular in the Triple Eight ranks since signing with the team’s academy twelve months ago.

The 21-year-old who won the British GT4 Championship in 2013 has developed significantly under Osborne and the tutelage of senior figures at the team, and Triple Eight are confident that the Blancpain opportunity will enable him to develop his abilities further, without the expectations levied at drivers in British GT.

“It’s a great opportunity for me to do my thing removed to some degree from the limelight. At this point of my career I need seat time and to advance my learning; I see Blancpain as the best way to do it. Joe has been key in my career development, as has Lee, so I’m pleased to take this big next step with them part of the team. Blancpain is an exceptional series with a very high profile and it has some of the best GT drivers in the world in it, so it will be good to benchmark myself against them across the season.”

With a long-term plan to make Triple Eight a force in international sportscar racing, the realisation of the Blancpain Endurance Series entries is a big step for a team more commonly associated with touring cars.

Significant changes over the winter have seen experienced sportscar staff drafted in and there is now a separate GT operation at the Triple Eight factory, led by former Trackspeed boss, Keith Cheetham. These changes have taken time to put into place, but Mowle is already seeing a benefit.

“We now have a GT team of staff that is headed by Keith (Cheetham) and he comes with a great deal of experience in endurance racing. He’s been given the opportunity to create the team he wants to go forwards, which is a GT team rather than perhaps a touring car or sprint team that is inherently in the DNA of Triple Eight,” he said.

“From what I have seen since the end of the British GT season, the car where it is today is nothing like the car we ran last year. It’s actually much more like the car we drove two years ago; it’s in a really good place now.”

In addition to the participation in the Blancpain Endurance Series, the team will again field an entry for Mowle and Osborne in British GT, with the duo keen to right the wrongs of 2014.

“This is probably the first year that I’ve been really motivated to go out and win it if I’m brutally honest. In year one I felt completely out of my depth and didn’t know what to expect, it was a big step up for me driving-wise having never raced a GT3 before. We got to the end of that year and were competitive, and started the second year excited, only to have a pretty decent shunt at Oulton Park, Joe to get taken out by his team-mate at Rockingham and me to be driven off the track on lap one at Silverstone; it was all over before it had even started,” revealed Mowle.

“Fast forward to Dubai a couple of weeks ago and I re-found a lot of what I’d lost the year previous in terms of my enjoyment of racing. There are a lot of characters on that grid that I want to beat and for Triple Eight there is a big desire to win stuff so it is probably the most motivated we’ve all been to do the job.”

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Belgian squad Boutsen Ginion Racing brings a BMW Z4 to the 2015 Blancpain Endurance Series. Karim Ojjeh and Olivier Grotz will compete in the Am Cup.

The 49-year old Saudi and the 20-year old Luxemburg driver had shared a McLaren MP4-12C with Belgian Fred Vervisch during most of the 2014 season, but for the last round of the Blancpain Endurance Series the duo switched to the Gentlemen Trophy, sharing a BMW Z4. They finished just outside the top-3, and decided to build on that good result in 2015.

The Belgian squad is working on entering a second car in the Blancpain Endurance Series.

Karim Ojjeh: “I was very impressed by Olivier during our race at the Nürburgring. He had never driven the BMW, nor at the Ring. I am very happy that I can share a car with him again this year, because I am sure that he is one of the future greats in GT racing.”



TDS Racing
The French team wants to make the colors of its loyal partners sparkle at the European rounds as well as at the 24 Hours of Le Mans (if the Selection Committee of the Automobile Club de l’Ouest accepts its entry). The team would run its 4th 24 Hours of Le Mans in a row.

Thanks to their common experience, the men of the Thiriet by TDS Racing team and the Oreca Group have already started to work together and this synergy lets foretell good results for 2015.

Xavier Combet : «I am delighted to announce our collaboration with the Oreca Group. We will have the new prototype, the Oreca 05, for the whole European Le Mans Series season as well as for the 24 Hours of Le Mans if the Selection Committee honours us by accepting our entry.

We know perfectly well it is a very new car but the technical qualities of Oreca are not to be proved anymore. Thanks to our good relationship and common successful past, I am sure victories are about to come.
The Thiriet by TDS Racing team is honoured to once again rely on its technical partners which have been trusting the team since the beginning of its history in Endurance: Nissan as engine supplier and Dunlop for the tyres. We can also count on Pierre Thiriet’s loyalty and Ludovic Badey’s for our line-up! The third man will be announced soon!”

Awaiting Releases from:
** BMW Sports Trophy Team Marc VDS
** ROAL Motorsport
** Vita4One Racing

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The Black Bull is back!!


ECURIE ECOSSE BACK FOR BLANCPAIN ENDURANCE SERIES PRO-AM TITLE TILT
http://www.ecurieecosse.com/
02/16/2015




Ecurie Ecosse Powered By Black Bull will continue to challenge for the Blancpain Endurance Series Pro-Am title this season, which kicks off at Monza on April 11/12.Alasdair McCaig and Olly Bryant return for another season behind the wheel of the legendary Scottish squad’s BMW Z4 GT3 along with prodigious British racing talent, Devon Modell, who will replace Andrew Smith while he takes a short break from racing to concentrate on business commitments.

After a glittering karting career, 24-year-old Modell moved into sportscar racing last year and immediately proved to be one of the fastest drivers in the British GT Championship’s GT4 category by claiming the runner-up spot. He went on to make a stunning GT3 debut at the Nurburgring BES finale by finishing second in the Pro-Am category after a mature performance in treacherous conditions.The Scottish squad now hope to improve upon last year’s third places in both the Drivers’ and Teams’ championships, and repeat its 100% points-scoring record. Although its final result was affected by Francesco Castellacci’s decision to split from his regular season outfit before the final round, the team was still the second highest-scoring full line-up in the Drivers’ standings after also finishing runner-up in the blue riband 24 Hours of Spa.

Once again Ecurie Ecosse can call on the support of numerous long-term partners in their respective title bids. For a fifth season Barwell Motorsport will oversee its on-track programmes, while this will be the fourth campaign featuring BMW Motorsport’s involvement. The team is also delighted to announce the continuation of its successful commercial partnerships with Black Bull Whisky, John Clark Motor Group, SMA, Ragus, and The Calais Wine Superstore, as well as new partner, Indian Summer Gin.
Alasdair McCaig: “I am delighted to be involved in the Ecurie Ecosse GT programme for a fourth year running. We narrowly missed out on the Pro-Am title last year and will be doing everything in 2015 to challenge for it. A great working relationship with Barwell and Ecurie Ecosse, and a new driver line-up comprising Olly, Devon and myself should be the makings of a successful season.”

Olly Bryant: “I’m thrilled to be back at the wheel of the Ecurie Ecosse BMW in 2015. We should be a strong force in the Blancpain Endurance Series and I’m pleased to be sharing the car again with Alasdair and welcoming Devon into the line-up. This programme would not be possible without the support of our loyal sponsors and the hard work from everyone at Ecurie Ecosse and Barwell Motorsport.”

Devon Modell: “It’s a privilege to race for such an iconic name as Ecurie Ecosse. In Olly and Alasdair I have two team-mates who came close to winning the title last year and hopefully I’ll be the final piece of the puzzle. The boys at Barwell Motorsport know how to set the car up and run a team that gets the best out of everyone. I can’t wait to be back behind the wheel and for the season to start.”

Hugh McCaig, Ecurie Ecosse Team Principal: “I am delighted that Ecurie Ecosse are entering the European GT arena this year by competing in the Blancpain Endurance Series Pro-Am category with Olly Bryant, Devon Modell and Alasdair McCaig, as well as in the Avon Tyres British GT Championship with Marco Attard and Alexander Sims. I am also delighted that our close and very successful partnership with Barwell Motorsport will continue for a fifth season. The excellent relationship that we have also developed with BMW Motorsport underlines the strength of our team of people as a package.”
Mark Lemmer, Barwell Motorsport Team Principal: “After a great season in 2014 our aim is to go one step further and take the title this year, but I’m sure the opposition will once again be fierce! We are looking forward to having Devon on board, and are delighted to welcome back our loyal commercial partners.”

Euan Shand, Black Bull Whiskey: “Following on from a fantastic 2014 for Ecurie Ecosse Powered By Black Bull, we are delighted to continue sponsoring the team in this season’s Blancpain Endurance Series and British GT Championship. Our internationally renowned products are generating much exposure via these channels and the excellent results of Ecurie Ecosse. The Black Bull and Indian Summer brands have been forged over many years and honed to perfection for the enjoyment of the consumer, much like the precision engineering and great organisation behind the Ecurie Ecosse BMW Z4 GT3. A truly great partnership! We wish the team the best of luck in 2015.”The opening round of this year’s Blancpain Endurance Series comes from Monza, Italy, on April 11/12.

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Marvin Dienst is testing a 515 -hp BMW Z4 GT3 for Team Schubert Motorsport at Catalunya

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BMW Team Brazil announces the contest two championships in 2015



Brazilian team will participate in the seven stages of the Sprint and the five races of the Endurance Series and goes in search of victories and fight for the title. Caca Bueno, Sergio Jimenez and Valdeno Brito are already confirmed in the BMW Z4 # 0 and # 77

The BMW Team Brazil in 2015 starts its third season in the main championship Gran Turismo in the world with news. The team, which is supported by BMW of Brazil, will compete this year the two championships Blancpain GT Series: Sprint (seven steps, with short runs) and Endurance (five steps, with long-term tests). In the first two seasons in Europe, the team - led by Antonio Hermann and Washington Bezerra - participated only Sprint Series.

In the BMW Z4 # 0, Caca Bueno and Sergio Jimenez maintain successful partnership in 2014 in the tests of Sprint, which resulted in winning four podiums. In the coming days, the team will announce the companion of double in endurance racing.

In the BMW Z4 # 77, Paraíba Valdeno Brito - who participated in two races last year, showing great performance - is guaranteed. Vacancies of his teammates are still trading.

In search of improvements, which will provide more competition to the BMW Z4, Hermann and Bezerra were in Germany last week, meeting with engineers and directors of BMW Motorsport. "We discussed various aspects of car improvements and we will take the proposal to the SRO (organizer of the GT Series). We are confident. The car is competitive, but suffers in the EQ category in relation to other competitors," said Hermann, Team Principal of the team Brazilian.

"The expectation is the best possible and go with everything for title of 2015. On par with the other cars and the great riders who have, I believe that we will form one of the best teams in the league," continued Hermann.

World Champion Stock Car, Caca is excited about the new challenge and optimistic about the performance of the BMW Z4 in endurance racing. "Playing in both championships is a natural development of the team. We had in 2013 a first year of learning and, in my view, the conditions we had in 2014, we did a great job. Although he has not played a step, and I Jimenez were sixth in the championship, won several podiums and now we go to an even greater challenge, doing both championships, with a full European calendar. We already have more experience with the clues, we know better opponents and I'm pretty excited, especially with long runs, where our car and we should better chance of fighting for victories, "said Rio pilot.

Jimenez, like Caca, is with the team since the beginning of the project in Europe. In the first year, ran alongside Ricardo Zonta. And in 2014 has started a partnership with the five-time champion of Stock Car. "Being part of the team for the third season is an honor and repeat the double with Cacá only motivates and gives us more courage, for the union between the two drivers is extremely important for the car set-up and sync the weekend. We achieved four podiums last year. The victory narrowly escaped. So, I just hope the best of 2015. The endurance comes to accumulate and further assist in the development of the team and the car, "said the Sao Paulo driver, who alongside Cacá won a second and three third places last season.

Valdeno Brito, who was champion in Hermann and Bezerra team in GT Brazil, is very excited about returning to the cast, now as absolute owner. "I am very happy for the invitation. Since the two races that I did last year, the desire to do that event only increased. I have a dream of making long races like the 24 Hours of Spa, one of the leading ones in the world, and able to do this with a Brazilian team, really makes me very excited and happy. The most important is that the team already know enough. I know Hermann and Washington also know the engineers and mechanics and they also already know my work, then there is already a good relationship. We have expectations of some improvements in the car, and thus, increase the chances of more often be on the podium. I'm well excited to be a great result, "said the pilot nature of Paraiba, which in 2014 was very close to a podium and almost won the race at Brands Hatch (England). The best pilot results, which ran alongside Matheus Stumpf, were two fourth places in the qualifying race Brands Hatch and Slovakia Ring in Slovakia.

In addition to the podiums of the drivers in 2014, the Brazilian team also won twice the Pit Stop Challenge, with the fastest pit stop of the weekend on the steps of Brands Hatch and Baku, Azerbaijan. Caca and Jimenez, even without dispute one of the stages of last year, which coincided with the timing of Stock Car, were sixth in the championship and were the best BMW in the season. Among the teams, the Brazilian team was also the best representative of the German automaker, finishing fourth.

The preparations of the Brazilian team for the season start in early March, with a private test in the Algarve in Portugal. The category also have official tests on 11 and 12 March (Paul Ricard / Fra) and 17 and 18 March (Misano / Italy). The season starts on the 4th, 5th and 6th of April in Nogaro, France, with the first stage of Sprint Series.

With "dream cars", the GT Series race season by several European countries and endurance events happen in traditional cues such as Monza (Italy), Silverstone (England), Nurburgring (Ale), not to mention the famous 24 Hours Spa, Belgium


Para mais informações sobre a equipe acesse:
www.bmwteambrasil.com.br
Facebook: facebook.com/bmwteambrasil
Twitter: twitter.com/bmwteambrasil

Informações para Imprensa
FGCom
Fernanda Gonçalves / Beatriz de Paula
Tel: 11 3473.4841/4845
fernanda@fgcom.com.br / beatriz@fgcom.com.br
www.fgcom.com.br

Marketing
HUB-LUB
Beto Juliano
Tel. 11 5531.8794
bmwteambrasil@hub-lub.com.br

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ROAL Motorsport enters to the Italian GT Champioship



The ROAL Motorsport team will enter the BMW Z4 GT3 cars for a full season in the Italian GT Championship.

After scoring victory at 3 Hours of Monza and finishing second at 3 Hours of Silverstone, both for the 2014 Blancpain Endurance Series, Stefano Comandini from Rome will again drive a ROAL BMW Z4 GT3 in the Italian GT series. The complete drivers line-up will be announced soon.

2015 Italian GT Championship

3 May Vallelunga
31 May Monza
28 June Imola
12 July Mugello
13 September Vallelunga
27 September Misano Adriatico
18 October Mugello

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March 2015
BMW Team Brazil confirms Átila Abreu



Átila Abreu will integrate the BMW Team Brazil in the 2015 Blancpain GT Series. He will be the team-mate of Valdeno Brito, aboard the BMW Z4 #77. In the other car of the team (the BMW Z4 #0), Cacá Bueno and Sérgio Jimenez continue their successful partnership of 2014.
After a brief appearance in the Spanish round of the 2013 season, when he raced alongside Sérgio Jimenez, Átila Abreu now returns to the Brazilian team for the 2015 Blancpain GT Series. The 27 year-old is very much looking forward to this new challenge in his career, ten years after his previous European racing experience, when he finished runner-up to a certain Sebastian Vettel in the German Formula BMW. Since then he has been active in the Brazilian Stock Car championship, in which he finished second last year.



Átila Abreu (BMW Team Brazil BMW Z4 #77): “I am absolutely delighted. This is a great opportunity for my career. Stock Car is the most important category in Brazil and the Blancpain GT Series is growing every year, getting more and more attention all over the world. The category has great cars, major manufacturers and I am very proud that I can represent BMW.”

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New livery for 888Racing

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The boot

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Another