# BMW Motorsport Juniors at the wheel of the BMW M4 DTM.



## [email protected] (Aug 15, 2012)

Jerez de la Frontera (ES), 2nd December 2016. BMW Motorsport offered BMW Motorsport Juniors Ricky Collard (GB) and Joel Eriksson (SE) the opportunity to gain ample experience at the wheel of the BMW M4 DTM this week, at the DTM Young Driver Test in Jerez de la Frontera (ES). During the four-day test, which ran from Tuesday to Friday, both Collard and Eriksson took to the track in the BMW M Performance Parts M4 DTM.

This was 20-year-old Collard's first outing at the wheel of the BMW M4 DTM. This season, the Brit has been in action in the BMW M235i Racing at the Nürburgring-Nordschleife (DE) as part of the BMW Motorsport Junior programme. He also competed in the British Formula 3 Championship, where he finished second overall.

Eighteen-year-old Eriksson has already driven the BMW M4 DTM Race Taxi at a number of DTM race weekends. The Swede also enjoyed success in Formula 3, ending his debut season in the Formula 3 FIA European Championship as "Rookie of the Year" in fifth place overall. He also won the prestigious "Zandvoort Masters of Formula 3" in August.

Also in action in the BMW M Performance Parts M4 DTM was BMW works driver John Edwards (US). The 25-year-old drives a BMW M6 GTLM for BMW Team RLL in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship (IWSC), and was given his first opportunity behind the wheel of the BMW M4 DTM in Jerez de la Frontera.

BMW Motorsport also used the four-day test to continue its preparations for the 2017 DTM season. BMW DTM works drivers Augusto Farfus (BR) and Bruno Spengler (CA) alternated in the cockpit of the BMW M4 DTM. BMW Motorsport also continued development work on the new BMW M4 GT4, which will join the range of BMW customer racing cars as of 2018. The tests in the BMW M4 GT4 were carried out by BMW Motorsport Junior Jesse Krohn (FI), BMW works driver Jörg Müller (DE) and Dirk Adorf (DE).



*Quotes from the DTM Young Driver Test in Jerez.*

*Ricky Collard: *
"It was a fantastic experience, something very special. The car has more downforce than I am used to from the British Formula 3 car. It was another step up from what I have been doing before. It did not take long for me to get acquainted with driving the car, but I have to admit that the wet session on Thursday morning was definitely a bit tricky. It makes it interesting when you are at your debut test, but we coped with it pretty well. Overall there was a lot to learn for me during these days, as this car is more complex than any other car I ever drove. So I gathered new experience in many aspects. And I just love the sound of the BMW M4 DTM, the engine sound is fantastic."

*Joel Eriksson: *
"It was great. The BMW M4 DTM is one of the best cars I have ever driven in my career and I am very grateful to BMW Motorsport that they gave me the opportunity to test here in Jerez. In the beginning I had to get used to the fact that I sit on the left side and not in the middle, like in the Formula 3 car. In addition, I also had to get used to the track, because I had never driven in Jerez before, but pretty soon I had a good feeling for the car and the track. The BMW M4 DTM is just a fantastic car. The power is impressive and it is really great to sit in a touring car that has this amount of grip. The downforce is amazing - and last, but not least, the BMW M4 DTM just looks great. I really enjoyed the test."

*John Edwards: *
"What a fun day! It was really exciting and I feel very honoured to have been given the opportunity to drive a car like the BMW M4 DTM. I had heard from everybody telling me that it has a lot of downforce, but you really have to drive it to believe it. It is one thing to see on the data that this or that corner can be done flat every lap, but when you really go out and go through these corners it is amazing to see how easy it is to do these corners flat because of the downforce level. The BMW M4 DTM is really an impressive race car."


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