BMW works team driver Augusto Farfus is embarking on one of his busiest racing seasons yet, as he returns to DTM for a seventh time and takes on a new challenge in the World Endurance Championship (WEC) Super Season, which includes the world-famous 24 Hours of Le Mans.
The season kick-starts with the first round of DTM, which takes place at Hockenheim on the 5th and 6th May. For 2018, Farfus will once again pilot the #15 Shell BMW M4 DTM run by BMW Team RMG and will aim to go one better than his season-best result when he took the runner’s-up spot in 2013.
The DTM-opener weekend is also the opening round of the WEC, meaning Farfus will sit-out the Six Hours of Spa. But, the 34-year old will head to the second round of the season, the 24 Hours of Le Mans, with good experience as he competed in the twice-around-the-clock event in both 2010 and 2011.
With the 2018 DTM calendar extended to 10 rounds – five in Germany and five across the UK, Germany, Austria, Holland and Italy – and the WEC Super Season taking him to Silverstone, Shanghai and Sebring before returning to Spa and Le Mans, Farfus will have a busy season that sees him race all around the globe.
“It’s a fantastic calendar for me and I can’t wait to get started,” said Farfus. “The BMW M4 DTM and the BMW M8 GTE are two of the best race cars BMW has ever built, so I’m fortunate to race both in two of the world’s top championships.”
“It’s a shame that there are some clashes, as it means I can’t fight for overall honours in both. Of course, it’s much easier to miss events in a team of two or three drivers than to miss a single driver event, so DTM has taken priority, but this doesn’t mean that I’m not 100% committed and focused in the WEC.”
“If, in 2018, we can fight for podiums and race wins in DTM, be competitive in the M8 GTE’s 24 Hours of Le Mans debut and be a Super Season championship contender in the WEC, I think that would be a great success story for me and everyone at BMW Motorsport.”
A second DTM clash will prevent Farfus from contesting the WEC Six Hours of Fuji. Instead, he will race his BMW M4 DTM at the Red Bull Ring, the penultimate round of the season.
