Marc VDS Enters BMW for ELMS Finale at Estoril

BMW Sports Trophy Team Marc VDS is set to join the European Le Mans Series at Estoril on Oct. 18-19 with one of its BMW Z4 GT3 cars.

Bas Leinders and Markus Palttala will share the car in the ELMS GTC class in Portugal. The team has yet to announce its third, bronze-rated, driver for the Four Hours of Estoril.

“I raced in this series a lot between 2005 and 2010, back when it was the Le Mans Series, and going back is awesome,” said Palttala.

“It’s great to see the ELMS doing well after a couple of very dry seasons and I’m interested to see how the level compares to the races we experienced this year.

“It’s great to race at Estoril – it’s an old school circuit. There’s also the added bonus that this race is right next to the sea, and it’s not a bad place to spend a weekend in October!”

“Obviously it’s important to continue racing with the team, as we would have had a huge gap before our next activities if we had not raced after the 24 Hours of Spa,” Team Principal and driver Bas Leinders added.

“We’re still considering our options for 2015, so it makes sense to get a taste of ELMS right now. It appears to be a very strong series, so I’m looking forward to it.”

“On the driver front, it’s very important that we find the right bronze rated driver, as we want to be competitive. The standard of the grid in the GTC class is very high.”

The Belgian team last raced in the Le Mans Series back in 2010, when it ran its Ford GT in the GT1 category.