Maxime Martin is moving onto new challenges following the conclusion of the 2017 racing season, ending a five-year association with BMW Motorsport as a factory driver, which includes four years of racing in the Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters.
The 31-year-old has raced for both Team RMG and RBM over the past four seasons, having won three times during 64 starts for the Munich manufacturer, finishing in the overall standings no lower than eighth over his tenure.
Other highlights included wins for the brand at the 24 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps in 2016, which saw him follow in the footsteps of father Jean-Michel, who won the event itself four times.
“It has definitely been a wonderful time with BMW, being there for five years as official BMW works driver,” said the Belgian, who leaves on good terms with BMW, having initially raced in sportscars with customer racing outfit Marc VDS for the two years before.
“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.”
The Uccle-born driver was thankful for the belief that Motorsport Director Jens Marquardt, Adam Baker and Rudi Dittrich had in him, securing his promotion to works driver status in 2013, which saw him race with Team RLL in the American Le Mans Series.
“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.”
Marquardt reciprocated likewise in respect of Martin, regarding his efforts in both sportscar racing and competing in the DTM.
“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.”
The Belgian’s departure from BMW will see a revised line-up for the 2018 Deutsche Torenwagen Masters season, which will be unveiled at the annual Sports Trophy event in Munich this coming Friday.