Timo Scheider signs for BMW Team Schnitzer in the ADAC GT Masters

• Two-time DTM champion shares BMW M6 GT3 with Mikkel Jensen
• Second car to be driven by Dennis Marschall and Victor Bouveng
• Schnitzer enter two BMW M6 GT3s for the first time

Munich: Two-time DTM champion Timo Scheider (39, GER) will be spearheading the BMW Team Schnitzer challenge in the ADAC GT Masters. Mikkel Jensen (23, DK) and Dennis Marschall (21, GER), both BMW Motorsport Juniors, as well as Sweden's Victor Bouveng (21) are the other members of the line-up for the Bavarian outfit which is this year entering not one but two BMW M6 GT3s. The 2018 Super Sports Car League gets underway on the weekend of 13th - 15th April at the usual host venue for the season opener, Motorsport Arena Oschersleben. All races will be shown live and in full length on the SPORT1 TV channel.

BMW Motorsport Director Jens Marquardt: "Timo Scheider plus the BMW Motorsport Juniors plus BMW Team Schnitzer - what a brilliant combination! BMW Team Schnitzer count as something of an institution in international GT sport. They can look back on a long and illustrious history. Last year, the team proved that it can also be a title contender in the highly competitive ADAC GT Masters. Timo Scheider's driving skills and personality make him a great addition to the series, and he will be a magnificent role model for our young drivers. Our current juniors now have the opportunity to measure themselves against the best and to learn from them. Competing in the ADAC GT Masters is an important step on their way to the top. I'm really looking forward to following developments in what is sure to be a thrilling season."

In putting their driver quartet together, BMW Team Schnitzer have gone for a blend of experience and precocious talent. Timo Scheider, who won the DTM in 2008 and 2009, will be contesting his first ever season in the ADAC GT Masters this year. The German veteran shares a cockpit with Mikkel Jensen. "As I enter my second year at BMW, I'm looking forward to working with a team of Schnitzer's calibre for a full season," says Scheider. "In Mikkel Jensen, I have a young and motivated team-mate at my side. I'm sure we can both benefit from what the other has to offer and be successful together. As a former BMW Junior myself, bringing on talented youngsters is very important to me, and that is one of the reasons why I have had my own junior kart and ADAC Formula 4 team in recent years. I will be delighted to assist Mikkel and the others with the benefit of my experience."

Jensen has been a member of the BMW Motorsport Junior Programme since 2017 and won the Formula ADAC in 2014. "It's an honour for me to be driving alongside Timo Scheider at BMW Team Schnitzer," says the Dane. "I'm really looking forward to learning from Timo and the team. I have already met everyone involved, and I am impressed by the professionalism and experience. I am also looking forward to being back in the ADAC GT Masters environment."

The second BMW M6 will be driven by Dennis Marschall and Victor Bouveng. Marschall contested his rookie season in the 2017 ADAC GT Masters at the wheel of an Audi R8 LMS and enjoyed several podium finishes in the Junior class. "Even though I haven't driven the BMW M6 GT3 yet, I already have some experience with GT3 cars," says Marschall. "I think that will be a big help, plus the fact that I already know this series and almost all the tracks we will be competing on. I'm incredibly grateful to BMW Motorsport for the fantastic programme they have arranged for me this season. Being able to learn from Schnitzer and Timo Scheider is a great opportunity for me." His team-mate Bouveng, on the other hand, already has plenty of experience in the BMW M6 GT3: "When I was part of the BMW Motorsport Junior Programme in 2015, my objective was to establish myself in the GT3 class. It was an objective I achieved thanks to the support of BMW Motorsport. I'm really looking forward to the challenge in the ADAC GT Masters."