Munich. Nurturing younger racing expertise has been one of many cornerstones of BMW M Motorsport’s programme for many years. Most not too long ago, BMW Junior Team made waves in GT racing for a number of years, nurturing abilities corresponding to Dan Harper (GBR), Max Hesse (GER), and Neil Verhagen (USA) into completed BMW M works drivers. In a high-profile line-up, they be part of forces with Charles Weerts (BEL) to type the group born after the flip of the millennium. For the 2024 season, BMW M Motorsport has given them a reputation and a brand new emblem: Gen2K.
“Generation 2000”, comprising the three members of the BMW Junior Team and Weerts, who has already achieved quite a few successes in GT racing at a younger age with Team WRT in recent times, embodies BMW M Motorsport’s method to infuse its line-up with not solely expertise but additionally youthful dynamism making it as versatile as attainable.
The Gen2K racing programme can be numerous. Harper, Hesse, and Weerts will contest the 24 Hours of Nürburgring (GER) in June within the BMW M Team RMG BMW M4 GT3. While Harper and Hesse have grown up on the Nordschleife as a part of their coaching and have contested many races there, Weerts will make his debut on the endurance traditional within the Eifel area. The trio will hit the observe for the primary time within the BMW M4 GT3 this coming weekend throughout take a look at classes forward of the beginning of the Nürburgring Endurance Series (NES) season.
Moreover, all three drivers will compete within the Fanatec GT World Challenge Europe powered by AWS, albeit for various groups. Harper and Hesse for ROWE Racing, Weerts for BMW M Team WRT. Additionally, Hesse will undertake race outings for BMW Team Italia Ceccato Racing within the Italian GT Championship, whereas Harper will take part in chosen occasions of the British GT Championship, the place he clinched the motive force’s title in 2023. Verhagen will contest all the season of the Fanatec GT World Challenge America powered by AWS for ST Racing in North America, in addition to the IMSA Michelin Endurance Cup races for Paul Miller Racing.
Beyond their race commitments, there will probably be joint occasions with the Gen2K members, and so they might also function mentors for an excellent youthful era of motorsport expertise, leveraging their expertise gained throughout their coaching. Details concerning this will probably be introduced at a later date. Just like with the BMW Junior Team, BMW M Motorsport legend Jochen Neerpasch will mentor Gen2K. The Gen2K emblem will accompany the drivers on their racing fits in addition to on automobiles.
Quotes concerning the Gen2K:
Andreas Roos (Head of BMW M Motorsport): “We are generally very proud of our line-up of BMW M works drivers, but particularly proud of its diversity. Our drivers hail from twelve different nations, spanning ages from 23 to 55 years old, nine of them are younger than 30. To have four drivers born in the year 2000 and later who already have several years of experience at the highest level is remarkable. Added to that, we have international champions like Sheldon van der Linde and Dries Vanthoor, who are only slightly older than the Gen2K drivers. This forward-thinking line-up is impressive.”
Dan Harper: “Being part of the new Gen2K sounds very cool! It’s great to see how many young drivers BMW M Motorsport has in its line-up and how fast they are. I’m excited to see what lies ahead for me. Furthermore, I’m very much looking forward to competing for the fourth time with BMW M Team RMG on the Nordschleife. Charles is new to the team and will be tackling the 24-hour race in a GT3 car for the first time, but I’m sure he has the optimal crew by his side to quickly find his speed.”
Max Hesse: “The Gen2K concept from BMW M Motorsport sounds awesome, and the logo looks cool! I’m very excited to be a part of it. Getting to start again on the Nordschleife with BMW M Team RMG is great. The team led by Stefan Reinhold has been doing a fantastic job for years. Now it’s time to reward that effort with a strong result at the 24-hour race. With Charles, we’ve already spent some days together in the race simulator and get along very well. Testing on the track starts this coming weekend, and I can hardly wait.”
Charles Weerts: “The fact that an iconic brand like BMW M Motorsport has some young works drivers in its line-up shows their confidence in youth and their vision for the future of racing. For me, it’s a great experience to be a part of it. I’m particularly looking forward to the new challenge of the 24 Hours of Nürburgring on this iconic track. I’ll give it my all and can’t wait to start working with BMW M Team RMG.”
Neil Verhagen: “The fact that I – just like Dan and Max – am now entering my fifth season with BMW M Motorsport demonstrates how much the brand cares about nurturing young drivers. I’m very proud to be a works driver for a brand with such deep motorsport roots and look forward to representing BMW M Motorsport again in the upcoming season.”