There will be a new addition to the Australian GT field for this weekend’s Phillip Island Round.
Current DTM Touring car driver Bruno Spengler, who drives a BMW M4 for BMW Team MTEK, will climb aboard the MARC GT BMW M6 for this weekends Australian GT Round.
Spengler, who won the the DTM title in 2012, will drive alongside Morgan Haber in the new BMW M6 GT3, which will make its debut this weekend at the Island.
It will be exciting to watch the French Canadian in action, we will bring you shots from his Australian Debut over the weekend.
You can follow Bruno on Twitter here and Instagram here
MARC BMW M6 & Brun Spengler images courtsey BMW Australia.
Read the full press release below
BMW DTM star Bruno Spengler to make Australian GT Championship appearance
One of Europe’s top Touring Car drivers Bruno Spengler will race a BMW M6 GT3 at this weekend’s Australian GT Championship round at Phillip Island.
The DTM star, who currently races for BMW Team MTEK in the German Touring Car series, will make a flying visit down under to team up with brand new squad MARC GT at the joint Australian GT Championship/Australian Endurance Championship round.
The French Canadian will team up with Morgan Haber in MARC GT’s brand new BMW M6 GT3 for the two ‘sprint’ races on Saturday, and the 101-lap ‘endurance’ race on Sunday.
Spengler, who won the DTM title with BMW in 2012, says he is looking forward to what isn’t just his first race at Phillip Island, but his first trip to Australia.
“I’m very excited because it is a lot of new stuff for me,” said Spengler.
“First of all I have never been in Australia, so I’m really looking forward to that. And, of course, I have never been to any racetrack in Australia – so there are a lot of new things to learn. I have to learn the track and get to know the drivers.
“There are drivers who are very experienced over there and very experienced on this track. Because of that it will not be an easy one for me, but I’m very much looking forward to it.
“I have already been watching videos from the track on YouTube, from MotoGP of course. It seems to be an amazing track, and also there are the views we have over the ocean. It seems to be very, very special. I’m very excited about going there. It also seems to be a very technical track. It will definitely be something special for me.”
While Spengler spends most of his time in DTM machinery, he says he’s not worried about making the switch to the M6 GT3 – particularly as he sampled the GTLM version of the M6 at the Rolex 24 at Daytona earlier this year.
“I don’t think it is a big problem to switch from the DTM car to the BMW M6 GT3,” explained Spengler.
“I really enjoy driving the BMW M6 GT3 and also the GTLM version, which I drove in the US at the beginning of the season. It is a great car to drive and looks very aggressive. I can adapt to it very quickly.
“What I like is that I will drive in three race weekends one after each other. For sure it will be tough and tiring with the jetlag, but I’m looking forward to it because it reminds me a little bit of my karting times. I’ve had a DTM race, now a GT race in Australia, and a DTM race again right after that. That will be fun. I like it.”
According to Marc Werner, CEO of BMW Group Australia, having Spengler come to race in Australia is big coup for both the category and for BMW.
“It’s fantastic to have a BMW DTM driver coming to race in Australia,” said Werner.
“BMW has enjoyed significant success since it has re-joined the DTM in 2012, with two titles from four seasons. It says a lot about our proud history of performance, and it’s nice to be a part of it with our motorsport programme here in Australia.
“Having two teams running the BMW M6 GT3 is excellent. It shows that there is a growing enthusiasm for GT3 racing, and that we’re very much a part of that.”
Bruno Spengler – Profile
Born August 23, 1983 (Schiltigheim, France). Grew up in Canada and considered a ‘French-born Canadian’.
Currently participating in BMW M4 DTM in the DTM series.
- 14 DTM victories
- 17 DTM pole positions
- 44 DTM podiums
- 2012 DTM Champion in the BMW M3 DTM
- Karting
- 9th in the Formula Renault Eurocup
- 1st in the North America Formula Renault series
- 2nd in German Formula Renault
- Formula 3 Euro Series
- First DTM race with Mercedes
- Moved to BMW, driving M3 DTM for returnees ‘BMW Team Schnitzer’ and winning the DTM title with four victories from 10 starts
- Stayed with BMW Team Schnitzer, winning one race and finishing 3rd in championship in 2013
- Moved to BMW Team MTEK in the BMW M4 DTM
- 5th in championship. Six podiums in 18 races
- Finished 5th (and 2nd in class) at the Daytona 24 Hour, aboard a BMW Z4 GTLM
- Driving for BMW Team MTEK in a BMW M4 in the DTM
- 5th in class at the Daytona 24 Hour in a BMW M6 GTLM