Austin. Texas, Austin, COTA: A spectacular racetrack will host the FIA World Endurance Championship (FIA WEC) this coming weekend (30th August to 1st September). The 6-hour Lone Star Le Mans race at Circuit of The Americas in Austin (USA) marks the sixth round of the 2024 FIA WEC season for BMW M Motorsport and BMW M Team WRT.
One challenge for all teams will be the high temperatures in Austin, which can reach nearly 40 degrees Celsius during the race weekend. In the Hypercar class, the goal is to demonstrate the potential of the BMW M Hybrid V8 with strong results. Behind the wheel of the #15 BMW M Hybrid V8, Raffaele Marciello (SUI), Dries Vanthoor (BEL), and Marco Wittmann (GER) will take turns. In the #20 car, Robin Frijns (NED), René Rast (GER), and Sheldon van der Linde (RSA) will compete.
In the race for the World Championship title in the LMGT3 class, Augusto Farfus (BRA), Sean Gelael (INA), and Darren Leung (GBR) are in a promising position. With three events remaining, the trio, driving the #31 BMW M4 GT3, holds third place in the driver standings. Valentino Rossi (ITA) brings a wealth of two-wheel-experience at COTA from his time as a MotoGP rider. Together with Maxime Martin (BEL) and Ahmad Al Harthy (OMA) in the #46 BMW M4 GT3 he will now race on four wheels in Austin.
The Lone Star Le Mans in Austin kicks off on Sunday, 1st September, at 20:00 CEST (13:00 local time).
Notes to editors.
On Friday, at 10:30 local time in the paddock, there will be a ‘Meet the Team’ event with all drivers, Head of BMW M Motorsport Andreas Roos, and WRT Team Principal Vincent Vosse. All accredited media representatives are invited.
The latest episode of the video documentary “Mbedded” draws a very personal and emotional portrait of Augusto Farfus, his racing history, his charitable work, and his family. The episode is now available to watch on BMW M YouTube: b.mw/Mbedded_Farfus.
Quotes before the Lone Star Le Mans in Austin:
Andreas Roos (Head of BMW M Motorsport): “The Circuit of The Americas is a fascinating track with a layout that gives it a very different character compared to Interlagos. Since we weren’t able to show the speed we had hoped for in Brazil, we are determined to get back on track in Texas. Our goal with the Hypercars is to demonstrate a clear upward trend and translate the lessons learned from the season so far into strong results. In the LMGT3 class, the fight for the world championship title and podium finishes at COTA remain our objective.”
Vincent Vosse (Team Principal BMW M Team WRT): “In the Hypercar class, we have some targets. Let’s hope that we make some steps and be back where we want to be. The goal will be to fight inside the top five. We have been testing in Austin and I think this will help us. In the LMGT3 class, we haven’t been competitive in the last race at São Paulo so it’s important to fight back. We need to get some points and we are going to push hard for that. We still have three more races to go starting with Austin. We expect to be there and we will do everything to fight back in the championship.”
Marco Wittmann (BMW M Team WRT, #15 BMW M Hybrid V8): “After a longer break, we’re back in action in the FIA WEC at COTA. I’m really looking forward to it, and it’s a track I’m personally familiar with. I first drove the BMW M Hybrid V8 there about two years ago, and we also had a test there a few weeks ago. So, it’s not completely new territory for me. The facility is really cool, and the track itself offers a great mix with many fast corners in sector one and the winding, technical sectors two and three. I hope we can deliver a strong performance, take another step forward, and build on the positive race weekend we had with our #15 in Brazil.”
Sheldon van der Linde (BMW M Team WRT, #20 BMW M Hybrid V8): “It’s Austin up next, a track I’ve never been before so I’m definitely looking forward to going to Texas and driving at COTA for the very first time. The team was there testing a few weeks ago so I believe that we can hit the ground running at the race weekend with set-up options and I believe the homework has been done between São Paulo and now. So I really feel that we are set up well for a good race weekend. We owe the team so much for all the hard work they have done. So I am hoping that we can order in the top five, I think that should be the goal.”
Augusto Farfus (Team WRT, #31 BMW M4 GT3): “We’re going to COTA, a new ground for me. It’s my first time there so there is a lot to learn. We are getting closer to the end of the season, there are only three rounds left, and we need to give it all. Interlagos has been a difficult race for us, and now we need to close the gap to the front runners in the standings to try to have a shot on the championship. I love the US, I think that we have shown a strong performance in most of the races, we have everything to win and nothing to lose, and we will go maximum.”
Valentino Rossi (Team WRT, #46 BMW M4 GT3): „After the summer break, we start with the WEC race in Austin. I am very happy to go back there because it is a fantastic track and I raced there a lot of times in MotoGP. The last time was in 2021, so it’s good to be back. The track is very interesting, with the MotoGP bike it’s great. I think that it will be great fun also with the BMW M4 GT3. We try to be competitive, try to understand our pace and I cannot wait to see the team, my car and my team-mates Maxime and Ahmad to try to do the maximum.“