BMW commits to full Intercontinental season

BMW Motorsport have become the seventh manufacturer to confirm a full-season Intercontinental GT Challenge Powered by Pirelli entry in 2020.

BMW join Audi, Bentley, Honda, Lamborghini, Mercedes-AMG and reigning champions Porsche on the list of 2020’s confirmed Intercontinental entries.

Walkenhorst Motorsport will field two M6 GT3s at four of the five rounds after logistical difficulties restricted it to a single car at this weekend’s Liqui-Moly Bathurst 12 Hour.

Augusto Farfus and Chaz Mostert, who won the GTLM class for BMW at Daytona 24 Hours on Sunday, are joined in Australia by Nick Catsburg. Martin Tomczyk, Nick Yelloly and David Pittard will also feature this year once the team’s second car appears at the Total 24 Hours of Spa in July.

Walkenhorst claimed BMW’s best-ever Intercontinental result when it finished second at Kyalami in November, but also won at Spa in 2018 when BMW wasn’t part of the championship. It takes over the manufacturer’s second entry from BMW Team Schnitzer, which has been tasked with developing the new M4 GT3.

“The International GT Challenge is one of the most important GT race series in the world, so it is a logical step for us to also contest the 2020 season of this series with the BMW M6 GT3,” said BMW Group Motorsport Director Jens Marquardt.

“With Walkenhorst Motorsport, we are backing a race team with a wealth of experience which, with successes such as the 2018 victory at the 24 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps and second place at the IntGTC finale 2019 at Kyalami, has already demonstrated its prowess in international GT racing. We are confident that Henry Walkenhorst’s team, along with our squad of strong BMW works drivers, will stay on the road to success in the 2020 IntGTC. We’re looking forward to a fantastic season with five gripping races on five continents.”

Walkenhorst Motorsport team principal Henry Walkenhorst added: “We’re really looking forward to our second season in the Intercontinental GT Challenge. In November we rounded off our maiden year in this series with second place on the podium at Kyalami. We are looking to build on this success in 2020, and we’re in a good position to do so.

“We learned a great deal about the series in our first year in the IGTC; with the BMW M6 GT3 we have the best racing car we could imagine, and with our drivers’ extraordinary amount of international experience we are fielding a really strong driver line-up. We would like to thank BMW M Motorsport for the trust they have placed in us and can hardly wait for the 2020 IGTC season to get underway at Bathurst.”

This weekend’s Bathurst season opener is followed by Europe’s round at the Total 24 Hours of Spa (July 23-26) before the Suzuka 10 Hours hosts Asia’s leg on August 21-23. The iconic Brickyard stages the inaugural Indianapolis 8 Hour six weeks later before the Kyalami 9 Hour closes out the campaign.