In the run-up to the Nürburgring 24 Hours, two generations of the BMW Junior Team and their BMW racing cars came together. Dan Harper (GBR), Max Hesse (GER) and Neil Verhagen (USA) were allowed to test two historic BMW Formula 2 cars and the BMW 320 Group 5 for filming purposes. Marc Surer (SUI), a member of the legendary BMW Junior Team from 1977, was at the wheel of the modern BMW M4 GT4. Jochen Neerpasch, the founder of the first and mentor of the current BMW Junior Team, was also on site to watch the car swap live.
Meeting of two generations of racing drivers
In the old paddock of the Nürburgring, some legendary vehicles were ready and waiting: Hesse took the wheel of the BMW 320 Group 5, in which the 1977 BMW Junior Team with Surer, Eddie Cheever (USA) and Manfred Winkelhock (GER) had caused a sensation in the German Production Car Championship. Harper and Verhagen drove the BMW Formula 2 cars from 1978 and 1979 in which Surer and Bruno Giacomelli (ITA) competed. Surer, who had previously carried out a functional test with all the historic cars, climbed into the modern BMW M4 GT4 for the test at the Nürburgring, with which the current BMW Junior Team is contesting its first 24-hour race this weekend.
"For me, it's always déjà vu to get back into the old cars," said Surer. "You don't need more than two laps and then it's as if you've never been away. You feel at home and do everything automatically. Everything is still stored on the hard disk." The changeover was bigger for Harper, Hesse and Verhagen. "For some of them, it was the first time in their lives that they had to use the clutch, accelerate and change gear in a racing car," explained Surer. "For me, it was easier with all the modern driving aids. It was a pleasure to drive the car."
Both sides impressed
The current BMW Junior Team was impressed by their test drives in the historic cars. "It was incredible. The sound alone creates emotions that you don't experience too often in current vehicles anymore," said Verhagen. "Many thanks to everyone who made this cool experience possible." Harper said: "It was a great privilege to be able to drive these cars here at the Nürburgring. I found it amazing how big the technical jump was between my 1978 car and Neil's 1979 car."
Hesse also enjoyed his experience in the BMW 320 Group 5: "Simply fantastic. The sound, the handling. You could immediately feel how light the vehicle is. I only drove a few fast laps and take my hat off to the guys who raced these cars in the 1970s. It was strange at first. You open the door and see a steering wheel without any buttons. There's just a switch to start the car - and then the gearshift for the manual gearbox. It was just incredible fun."
Faster in a team
Surer not only enjoyed driving, but also meeting his successors. "The new BMW Junior Team is a similar mix of characters and nationalities as we were back then," said Surer. "The concept seemed very familiar to me - selecting drivers because they are good and have established themselves in their classes, and not because they have a lot of money. It's great that a system that made our careers possible for me and my colleagues back then still exists today."
Jochen Neerpasch was responsible for the concept of the BMW Junior Team back then - and is once again playing an important role as a mentor in Harper, Hesse and Verhagen's training program. His summary of the meeting of the generation was: "It was wonderful to see these historic vehicles in action again. And for our BMW Junior Team, it was like a second Christmas to be able to drive such cars. Seeing Marc Surer and the new generation of juniors together was also fascinating for me. Our principle of allowing young talent to learn faster as a team worked back then - and I'm sure it will work again this time."
