24h Le Mans
43 teams (fielding 61 cars) competed in the 87th 24 Hours of Le Mans, the Super Finale of the FIA WEC 2018-19 World Endurance Championship. There were winners, of course, but also mechanical glitches, track incidents and early retirements. Joy for some, disappointment for others... Here’s a summary of the 24 Hours of Le Mans for the BMW Team MTEK team, which ran in the LMGTE Pro class.
Class: LMGTE Pro
Car: #1 BMW M8 GTE
Drivers:
The 87th running of the 24 Hours of Le Mans marked the final appearance of BMW in the LMGTE Pro class in the FIA World Endurance Championship. Nicky Catsburg qualified the #81 BMW M8 GTE in 44th position with a time of 3:51.353 during the second session. In the race, the car was stopped in the Michelin chicane for one hour 19 minutes before returning to the track and crossing the finish line in 47th (and last) place overall (13th in LMGTE Pro). "It was a difficult race. We didn't have the pace, so we had to go really hard, which caused technical problems. Naturally, spending so much time stopped meant we had no chance to get a good result. In all, I am very happy to have been a part of this project since it was launched," said Catsburg.
Car: #82 BMW M8 GTE
Drivers:
Brazilian driver Augusto Farfus qualified the car in 33rd position with a time of 3:49.108 during the third session. The German team had difficulty keeping the spot thanks to suspension problems. The #82 BMW M8 GTE made it to the chequered flag in 30th place overall and 10th in LMP2. "This was a disappointing race for us. We wanted to leave with a good result and do everything we could to be a part of the leader group. But, we simply didn't have the pace. The technical problem during the night isn't what made the difference. I've really enjoyed the BMW M8 GTE project in the WEC," said Farfus.
PHOTO: LE MANS (SARTHE, FRANCE), CIRCUIT DES 24 HEURES DU MANS, SUNDAY 16 JUNE 2019, RACE. Both BMW M8 GTEs fielded by BMW Team MTEK crossed the finish line at the 87th running of the 24 Hours of Le Mans.
