BMW DTM drivers Marco Wittmann (DE) and Augusto Farfus (BR) are returning to a legendary venue for the end of the 2014 motorsport season. From 13th to 16th November, the newly-crowned DTM champion and the man who finished runner-up in the 2013 DTM will take on the street circuit in Macau (CN) at the wheel of two BMW Z4 GT3s run by the AAI Rstrada team. The team, which lined up in the former Portuguese colony with BMW last year and has been competing in the Asian Le Mans Series in 2014, will field two cars at the Macau GT Cup, which sees some of the top GT3 cars in the world go head to head on the demanding “Guia Circuit”, the iconic street circuit through the heart of Macau.
“I am excited to be returning to Macau after a few years away, and to be able to drive there in a GT3 car,” said Wittmann. “In 2011, I won the qualifying race in a Formula 3 car, set the fastest race lap and finished third to claim a spot on the podium in the main race in Macau. As far as I am concerned, it is not only the best street circuit in the world, but also one of the most exciting racetracks around. I can hardly wait to get back out on this awesome circuit with the BMW Z4 GT3.”
Farfus was a regular in Macau during his time in the FIA World Touring Car Championship, as it traditionally provided the venue for the season finale of the WTCC. The Brazilian won twice at the “Guia Circuit”, his most recent success there coming at the wheel of the BMW 320si WTCC in 2009. Like Wittmann, Farfus is also really looking forward to returning to Macau: “This circuit was a huge challenge for us drivers in a WTCC car. It will be a real adventure to race there in the considerably more powerful BMW Z4 GT3. The atmosphere in Macau and, of course, the track itself have something magical about them, which you do not find anywhere else in the world. I can hardly wait to be back in Macau.”
Macau has been the scene of major success for BMW in the past. In 2005, 2006 and 2007, Andy Priaulx (GB) was crowned World Touring Car Champion there, usually in dramatic fashion. BMW drivers claimed five race wins in the WTCC in Macau between 2005 and 2009. In the history of the “Guia Race” for touring cars, BMW has won 21 races since 1980.
