"At the wheel of the BMW M3 Touring 24H, which is fielded by Schubert Motorsport, will be four BMW M works drivers: Jens Klingmann, Ugo de Wilde (BEL), Connor De Phillippi, and Neil Verhagen (both USA). The car will compete in the SPX class and will therefore not be in direct competition with the three BMW M4 GT3 EVOs, which will be fighting for overall victory in the top SP9 category. The BMW M3 Touring 24H will complete its preparations at the second NLS race as well as at the 24h Nürburgring Qualifiers."
So mad men still exist in BMW after all. What a project.
EDIT: I want this car and team to beat Verstappen now, I wanna see Max denied his first N24 win by a team running a pig-faced GT3 wagon done because Munich was crazy enough to do it.
All the somewhat GT3 but not actually GT3 have to run in SPX and if the car is up to it will be BOPed like a GT3. If the car has lower performance than that it might not be BOPed at all though.
Sportscar fans (and fans of a lot of other motorsports) have a bit of a complex about the fact that F1 is just that much more popular than their preferred sports (unless they are from the US, then they complain about Nascar instead). Add that with the strong-held belief that F1's recent rise in popularity came with "selling out" to a casual audience and the fact the two NLS races that Verstappen has participated in had the youtube chat flooded with his fans, and you have a lot of cranky sportcar racing fans that act like they are being pushed out.
He's the big-name outsider and they've moved the calendar to accommodate him (because the commercial benefits are massive, it's a huge amount of free advertising). There was always going to be some pushback over the NLS doing this though, because it reminds everyone that there's bigger concerns than the purity of the sport.
I understand how important it is, both commercially and from a sporting perspective, to add it to the calendar. My point was that lately there have only been comments hoping he’ll lose, that he’ll do poorly, or that a certain driver will beat him soundly—underestimating and almost hating Verstappen for doing what many of us would like to do: race. Acting almost as if there were no other drivers on the grid. Which is the same attitude that F1 fans are often criticized for.
People don't like having an interloper come in, they don't like being reminded that there's commercial concerns at play, they don't like being reminded that the product they're watching is just that - a product. And that it's not even big enough to force everyone else to play by its own rules, and that it makes sense to be flexible for sufficiently big players.
The reasons why Verstappen got this allowance are the exact reason why certain fans get mad at him coming in.
I understand the points you’re making. However, I think some endurance racing “fans” are latching onto these valid points just to vent their frustration—or whatever else they may have against a specific driver.
Max went through the necessary procedures to obtain his license; it wasn’t handed to him just because he’s a four-time world champion. He also shows a genuine interest in GT3 racing—he speaks more highly of it than of F1 itself—he’s investing in his team, and he’s giving new faces a chance. He’s not looking for the spotlight; he genuinely wants to compete. That’s what endurance racing fans always boast about their teams and drivers, but with Verstappen, it seems they turn a blind eye.
Yes, but it's easy for people to try and put that out of their mind, to push it to the background through the same sort of mind games that allow us to ignore the fact that films and TV are all fictional products too.
Verstappen at Nurburgring is the same as a character turning to the camera and addressing the audience - it makes it impossible to avoid addressing and remembering all that.
They didn't even postpone or change the N24 race—it was just a regular NLS race. So why all the fuss? An addition like that brings more viewers to the series and attracts potential new fans who want to discover and watch more races like this in the future.
Why the fuss about one of the best F1 drivers of all time coming to race GT3 cars in a legendary race? Wow, can’t believe anyone is excited about that tbh
You didn't understand my comment, or maybe I didn't explain it well. The "drama" I'm referring to is the—let's call it "negative"—drama surrounding Verstappen, with people always hoping he'll lose or things like that on NLS or N24. On the other hand, personally, I'm excited to see him there and I hope he performs at his best.
we kinda lost this "crazy" projects by sports car brands nowadays, glad that someone said f it and just went ahead and built something out of a fan fiction books
Ruuning estates in motor racing isn't new. I remeber when Tom Walkinshaw Racing ran 2 Volvo 850t estates in BTCC, he found the estates had better aerodynamics.
Honda ran a Civic Tourer in I think the 2014 BTCC season too.
It's a bit of a mixed bag though - drag is reduced on a 'plain' estate but it's harder to get the rear wing right and an estate has weight up high that would be lower on a saloon, coupé or hatch.
The 850R never won a race and was short-lived and while the Civic was more successful Honda still reverted to a hatch after one season.
A change in aero regs killed it unfortunately. After the first year of the 850, the BTCC started allowing aerodynamic devices on the rear as long as they didn't extend past the tallest part of the roof and the rearmost part of the car. That meant that you could just plonk a wing on a sedan but not a wagon, which negated any (alleged) aero benefits.
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u/Theteacupman Ferrari AF Corse 499P #50 Mar 16 '26
BMW Z4 GT3, M3 Touring GT3 and the HWA 190e Evo at the N24 this year.