Prior to another busy racing season, Canadian Bruno Spengler made a rare visit to his home country to appear on behalf of BMW at the 2019 Montreal International Auto Show on January 18-27.
In addition to returning for a 15th season in the DTM Championship with BMW, Spengler will make his WEC debut at Sebring on the M8 GTE and will continue his involvement in the development of the German automaker’s Formula E car.
Fourteen years after his debut in DTM, Spengler will be looking for his second DTM title, this time racing his signature BMW M4 DTM ‘Black Beast’ (Spengler’s won his title in a Mercedes). It’s an important year for the DTM championship and its players, as a new generation of cars – featuring four-cylinder turbocharged engines replacing the old V8 four-liter engine – will make their debut at the season-opening Hockenheim race on May 4-5 The new engines, with 620 horsepower on tap, are expected to radically change the performance of the cars.
“I’m happy to be back for a new DTM season with BMW. Especially since the championship is entering a new chapter in 2019 with the introduction of the new regulations that will bring a lot of novelty to the series. I already had the opportunity to drive the new car, and I must say that I was excited because the new turbo engine brings a significant performance gain, we will reach almost 300 km/h in a straight line on some circuits next year. I cannot wait for the season to start!”
Alongside his DTM campaign, Bruno Spengler will be heavily involved in the development of BMW’s new Formula E car, a new generation of cars introduced for this new season 2018-2019, and on which he has already aligned many kilometers in test in recent months. He will also have the status of reserve driver for the BMW Andretti team in Formula E.
Finally, the Quebec native will return to endurance racing in 2019, driving the BMW M8 GTE in the World Endurance Championship’s 1000 miles of Sebring in Florida on March 15.
“Being involved in the development of BMW’s new Formula E car is important to me, it’s a very important championship and it’s growing year after year. The first tests have shown promise, and we will continue to work hard to be competitive in this very high discipline.
“Finally, I’m also looking forward to seeing the BMW M8 in endurance. I am also very happy to return to the Sebring circuit, which I discovered a few years ago with the M6 GTLM in IMSA. “
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