Two challenging weeks start for ME Motorsport at the Nürburgring. At the GTC Race weekend on the traditional circuit in the Eifel, the team from Schwäbisch Gmünd is increasing its line-up and using a second BMW M4 GT4. The increased commitment serves to prepare for the ADAC GT4 Germany race weekend in the Eifel, and the team would also like to support Linus Hahne and Philip Wiskirchen in the title fight for the GT4 class of the GTC Race.
In the BMW M4 GT4 with start number #77, regular driver Linus Hahne starts together with Motorsport Team Germany promoter Thomas Rackl, who normally competes with the BMW team in the ADAC GT4 Germany. Rackl should support Hahne in the championship battle of the GTC Race in the GT4 class. After the start in Oschersleben, the newcomer to the ADAC Touring Car Junior Cup is in second place in the GT4 class both in the GT Sprint standings and in the GT60 powered by Pirelli championship. Rackl will also gain important experience on the course before the ADAC GT4 Germany makes a guest appearance in the Eifel in around six weeks.
The second BMW, which has start number #66, is driven by Markus Eichele and Philip Wiskirchen. Wiskirchen is also in second place in the overall standings in the GT60 powered by Pirelli standings, but after a bitter failure a few laps before the end of the race in his sprint race, he is only in sixth position in the GT Sprint.
“The increase for the race weekend at the Nürburgring is important for us for two reasons: We want to support Linus and Philip in the GT4 class title fight as much as possible, and the weekend also serves as a testing opportunity for us. The ADAC GT4 Germany will be on track in mid-August and the opportunity to gain experience there again under racing conditions is essential for us,” says team owner Markus Eichele.
The GT60 powered by Pirelli race of the GTC Race starts on Saturday at 16:20. The two GT Sprint races on Sunday are on the schedule at 10:05 a.m. and 2:50 p.m. Fans all over the world can watch the races via YouTube stream.
After the race weekend, the ME Motorsport team has only a few days to prepare the two BMW M4 GT4s for one of the absolute highlights of the season, because on the first weekend in July, the ADAC GT4 Germany will be making a first guest appearance at the legendary Norisring, the world-famous street circuit in the Franconian metropolis of Nuremberg.
The street circuit will be a particular challenge for the team. On the only 2.3 kilometers long route around the Grundigkehre, the Schoeller-S and the Dozenendteichkehre, precision work will be required when it comes to driving on the guardrails and walls — a small mistake can mean the end and impact.
The two BMWs in Nuremberg are driven by the regular cast of ME Motorsport drivers in the ADAC GT4 Germany. Markus Eichele and Philip Wiskirchen share a vehicle, while Thomas Rackl starts in the sister car together with the Dane Andreas Jochimsen.
Recently, the ME Motorsport team was able to show strong performances in the top-class ADAC GT4 championship: Team owner Eichele celebrated his first class win in the trophy classification at the DEKRA Lausitzring. Rackl and Jochimsen finished both rounds in the top 10 in Brandenburg.
Jochimsen and Rackl are tenth in the overall ADAC GT4 Germany standings after two race weekends. Wiskirchen and Eichele follow three positions behind. The BMW racing team from Schwäbisch Gmünd is in eighth place in the team standings. The team's pilots also have a strong position in the subratings: Eichele is currently in third place in the trophy classification, his partner Philip Wiskirchen is in fifth place in the junior classification. Thomas Rackl is currently in seventh position in the junior standings.
“The event at the Norisring is going to be something special for us,” says Eichele ahead of the traditional race in Nuremberg. “Around 100,000 spectators come to the track every year to celebrate a major motorsport festival — this creates a unique atmosphere around the stone stand. For us, as for most ADAC GT4 Germany participants, the track will be absolutely new territory. We will do everything we can so that we can prepare ourselves in the best possible way during the training sessions and then attack further top results. ”
The two ADAC GT4 Germany races at the Norisring start on Saturday, July 6 at 11:35 a.m. and on Sunday at 3:15 p.m. Fans have the opportunity to watch the scoring rounds live on free TV on Sport1, and the races will also be streamed live on the YouTube stream.
