Maxime Martin (BEL) will take on a new motor racing challenge in 2018, and will no longer take to the track in BMW Motorsport colours. The 31-year-old contested his first year as a BMW works driver in 2013, since when he has impressed in many ways, above all through his versatility. He joined the ranks of BMW Motorsport works drivers from the customer racing programme after finishing runner-up in the 2012 BMW Sports Trophy.
Martin started out as a regular driver for BMW Team RLL in the American Le Mans Series (ALMS) in 2013. The following season, the Belgian made his debut in the DTM. In doing so, he followed in the footsteps of his father Jean-Michel, who drove in this series for BMW in the 1980s.
In 64 races, Maxime Martin claimed three victories and ten podiums in total. He started from pole position on three occasions and ended the DTM season seventh overall twice (2014, 2015) and eighth twice (2016, 2017). Martin also claimed numerous GT victories with BMW. The highlight of his career so far came in the form of victory at his home race – the 24 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps (BEL) – with the BMW M6 GT3.
“On behalf of BMW Motorsport, I would like to thank Maxime Martin for his commitment over the past five years,” said BMW Motorsport Director Jens Marquardt. “Maxime showed that it is possible to progress from customer racing to the top echelon of works racing with us. It was always impressive to see how effortlessly he was able to switch between DTM and GT cars. We wish him all the best for the future.”
Martin said: “It has definitely been a wonderful time with BMW, being there for five years as official BMW works driver. The two years before I had already been racing with the Marc VDS Racing Team in a BMW so I have been with the brand for seven years, first in customer racing, then as a works driver. We enjoyed really great success together, with wins and podiums in the DTM, the victory at the 24 hours of Spa-Francorchamps as well as second places at the 24 hours at the Nürburgring. I would like to thank Jens Marquardt, Adam Baker and Rudi Dittrich who believed in me five years ago and offered me the opportunity to join BMW as a works driver. I think without this everything maybe would have been different. But you sometimes need new challenges and changes so I decided to leave for a new challenge. I am looking forward to what awaits me but it was a great time with BMW and I want to thank everybody involved in it.”
