Martin Departs BMW to “Pursue New Challenges”

Photo: BMW

Veteran GT racer Maxime Martin has departed BMW, the German manufacturer has announced.

Announced on Monday, the 38-year-old Belgian will leave the Munich-based brand at his own request to “pursue new challenges.”

Martin first joined BMW’s factory lineup in 2013, having initially competed for BMW M Team RLL in the American Le Mans Series before moving to DTM for 2014-17.

Among his early accolades with BMW came with victory in the CrowdStrike 24 Hours of Spa in 2016, prior to a move to Aston Martin in 2018 before returning to BMW in a second stint as a works driver in 2023.

He spent the last two years teamed with Valentino Rossi in the No. 46 BMW M4 GT3 in Fanatec GT World Challenge Europe powered by AWS, as well as this year’s FIA World Endurance Championship campaign in LMGT3, while also making appearances in the BMW M Hybrid V8 with Team RLL in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship.

“BMW M Motorsport has played a significant role in my career from the very beginning, and I look back fondly on everything we achieved together – from my first successes in DTM and 24-hour races to the recent victories with the BMW M4 GT3,” said Martin.

“I am very grateful for the time we spent together and for my seven years as a BMW M works driver. I wish BMW M Motorsport great success in the future, and the brand will always remain a part of me. But now it’s time for me to take on new challenges.”

Head of BMW M Motorsport Andreas Roos added: “On behalf of the entire BMW M Motorsport family, I would like to thank Maxime Martin for the many years we have spent together. He began his successful career in the BMW M Sports Trophy and was a key and integral part of our works driver line-up for a long time.

“During these years, he was one of the defining faces of our programs, and we fondly remember the successes we achieved together in both endurance and sprint racing.

“However, we value not only his sporting skills but also his wonderful personality. He has been a tremendous asset to the BMW M Motorsport family in every aspect. We wish Maxime all the best for his future and look forward to seeing him again, though as a competitor, but still as a friend.”

John Dagys

John Dagys is the founder and Editor-in-Chief of Sportscar365. Dagys spent eight years as a motorsports correspondent for FOXSports.com and SPEED Channel and has contributed to numerous other motorsports publications worldwide. Contact John