Hermann (BMW Brasil): “We’re Serious Candidates to Win Title”

It’s the moment of truth for BMW Team Brasil, as the team led by Antônio Hermann began its third season in Europe and the Blancpain Series at Nogaro last weekend.

The No. 77 BMW Z4 GT3 of Maxime Martin and Dirk Mueller had been the main challenger of the WRT armada in France, and even managed to beat them on a track that’s tailored to the qualities of the R8 LMS ultra.

“For the first time in two years we are where we want to be and that’s fighting for pole positions and wins,” Hermann told Sportscar365.

“The BoP is good now, SRO did a great job to rebalance all the cars. We’ve complained a lot over the last couple of years, but now we simply don’t have a reason anymore.”

Due to a clash with Stock Car Brasil, all of the announced full-season drivers were absent in Nogaro, with BMW lending out two of its factory drivers for the weekend.

“Martin and Mueller are excellent drivers. They fit in very well and there are no complaints at all,” Hermann said.

“But I’m convinced that if our own drivers were here, the result would have been the same. What changed is the improved setup and the balance of performance.

“We’re getting great support from BMW. They brought their support truck just for us, which is very important.”

Hermann is very ambitious in setting out the team’s goals for 2015, with the time for excuses now behind them.

“This season is the moment of truth; we are serious candidates to win the championship and we have to live up to our potential,” he said.

However, this doesn’t mean the story is over at the end of the season, as the Brazilian squad is already looking ahead to what the future might bring.

“We will continue in GT3 next year, probably with the new BMW M6, but we’re also going to analyze all the other new cars,” he said.

Hermann himself raced at Le Mans on several occasions, and while he would like to return with his own team one day, he remains realistic and at the same time critical towards the ACO.

“If GT3 was allowed at Le Mans we’ll be there, but for now we stay in Blancpain,” Hermann said. “I’ll be very happy if one day GT3 became the GT category in Le Mans.

“For me GTE doesn’t make sense anymore. GTE prices are double, while there are so many GT3 cars, spread all over the world.”