Autosportfoto

BMW's first WEC win with M8 GTE car a 'matter of time' - Farfus

BMW's M8 GTE has a "winning DNA" and it is only a "matter of time" before it claims a first World Endurance Championship victory, believes Augusto Farfus.

The manufacturer's new-for-2018 GTE Pro challenger has endured a tough baptism of fire this year, with both MTEK-run M8s off the pace at Spa and then suffering damper troubles in the Le Mans 24 Hours.

It has enjoyed slightly better fortune in the IMSA SportsCar Championship, with second-place finishes at Sebring and Mid-Ohio, but BMW still trails its GT Le Mans class rivals in the points.

The M8's Balance of Performance has not been changed ahead of this weekend's Silverstone round, but there have been performance breaks for class rivals Aston Martin and Ferrari.

But BMW driver Farfus - who will undertake his first six-hour WEC round after missing the Spa opener to race in the DTM at Hockenheim - is confident of a more competitive showing in the UK.

"The M8, I have to say, is a very good GT car," Farfus told Autosport.

"We're still improving, we're still finding a way to get the car to where we want, but the car has a winning DNA.

"It's just a matter of time to get the BoP to come towards us, and for us to improve the whole package, the set-up, the understanding.

"It's the first time MTEK has done the WEC, their first 24-hour race was Le Mans. So to take a rookie team, and send them for their first experience at Le Mans, it's not easy.

"We are growing up together. I think we can be a lot better [at Silverstone] than we were at Spa.

"The other teams have been to Silverstone to test after Le Mans, and we haven't, so this won't help us.

"But there is a lot of practice before the race and I think we can aim for a high result."

Farfus faces another clash on his 2018 schedule, with the Fuji WEC round falling on the same weekend as the Hockenheim DTM finale in October.

The Brazilian said a decision has not yet been made over which event he will miss.

Zdroj: autosport.com