Dan Harper, Max Hesse and Neil Verhagen

THE BMW JUNIOR TEAM.

New benchmarks in the promotion of talented youngsters.

The BMW Junior Team.New benchmarks in the promotion of talented youngsters.
BMW Junior Team

The legendary BMW Junior Team makes its comeback after more than 40 years. 1977 saw Eddie Cheever, Manfred Winkelhock and Marc Surer cause a stir in the world of motorsport; 2020 sees a new generation of promising talented youngsters compete under the name BMW Junior Team. Dan Harper, Max Hesse and Neil Verhagen will undertake a two-season, holistic, high-quality and intensive programme of training, which will set new benchmarks in the promotion of young talent. The concept is built on several pillars: racing, sim racing, mental and fitness training, other training content within the BMW Group, and team building. They are supported by mentors, who are there to advise, train and help them to cope within the environment of a large concern like BMW.

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BMW JUNIOR TEAM – HIGHLIGHTS 2020.

BMW Junior Team

BMW Junior Team
Manfred Winkelhock, Marc Surer and Eddie Cheever

PIONEERS IN YOUTH DEVELOPMENT.

In founding the first development programme for young drivers, BMW Motorsport GmbH was considered a pioneer. Jochen Neerpasch launched a youth programme known as the ‘BMW Junior Team’ in 1977. In the years that followed, the BMW Junior Team became the embodiment of support for talented youngsters and laid the foundation for the intensive youth development at BMW. In the early 90s, BMW and ADAC entered into a joint programme in Formula racing, before Formula BMW established itself as the world’s leading entry-level class in Formula motor racing at the start of the new millennium. In 2014, the BMW Motorsport Junior programme was launched, to allow talented drivers a route into GT racing. The BMW Junior Team now sees BMW Motorsport return to its roots with a unique and innovative concept.

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THE BMW TALENT FACTORY.

The three current BMW Motorsport Juniors – Dan Harper, Max Hesse and Neil Verhagen – are following in big footsteps. Manfred Winkelhock, Marc Surer and Eddie Cheever formed the legendary first BMW Junior Team in 1977. In more than 40 years of promoting youth, BMW has discovered and produced more talented young drivers than almost any other manufacturer. Many of them have gone on to enjoy big careers, like current and former DTM stars Marco Wittmann, Philipp Eng and Martin Tomczyk. However, numerous former Juniors have also made it into Formula 1 via the BMW talent factory. As well as Timo Glock, past Formula 1 world champions Sebastian Vettel and Nico Rosberg have also benefitted from BMW’s promotion of juniors.
 

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BMW 320 Junior Team
” When I formed the first BMW Junior Team in 1977, we at BMW Motorsport were pioneers in the development of young drivers. I am delighted to be back supporting a BMW Junior Team again after more than 40 years. ”
Jochen Neerpasch, founder of the first BMW Junior Team and BMW Motorsport GmbH

AT HOME IN THE ‘GREEN HELL’.

The BMW Junior Team headquarters is located just a few kilometres from the most iconic racetrack in the world. Dan Harper, Max Hesse and Neil Verhagen live in a shared apartment not far from the Nürburgring-Nordschleife during their two-year training period – and with good reason. The three young drivers will contest the full season of the Nürburgring Endurance Series in different BMW race cars, as well as the 24-hour race at the Nürburgring, in the BMW M6 GT3. The Nordschleife is the toughest circuit in the world.

At over 20 kilometres in length, the track requires drivers to demonstrate ability, courage and a cool head at all times. However, the spectacular layout is not the only thing that makes the Nordschleife one of the biggest challenges in GT racing. The unpredictable weather in the Eifel region is another major obstacle for the teams and drivers, and has often produced dramatic races in the past.

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BMW Junior Team with the BMW M2 CS Racing

The three young drivers will contest the full season of the Nürburgring Endurance Series in different BMW race cars.

BMW Junior Team

BMW Junior Team

Max Hesse

Max Hesse

BMW Junior Team

BMW Junior Team

BMW Junior Team

BMW Junior Team

THE NÜRBURGRING AS A VIRTUAL SCHOOL – IN THE BMW SIM M2 CS RACING CUP.

The Nürburgring is also home to the BMW Junior Team in the virtual world. In 2020, Dan Harper, Max Hesse and Neil Verhagen will go head to head with sim racers from around the world in a total of ten virtual races. BMW Motorsport works together with the rFactor2 platform for the races in the BMW SIM M2 CS Racing Cup. The car of choice is the new entry-level model in the BMW M Customer Racing range. Each event gives the sim racers a better understanding of a different aspect of the iconic racetrack – whether it be different track layouts or extreme weather conditions.

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BMW SIM M2 CS Racing Cup
Dan Harper, Max Hesse and Neil Verhagen in Daytona

BMW JUNIOR TEAM PHILOSOPHY.

The holistic training programme sets new standards in the development of talented youngsters. The objective of the innovative concept is to develop the Juniors together in many different areas, to encourage them individually and holistically and in doing so make them better and, above all, more mature racing drivers. All the info on the training content and the mentors.
Dan Harper, Max Hesse and Neil Verhagen

BMW JUNIOR TEAM
DRIVERS & RACE CARS.

Talented racers Dan Harper, Max Hesse and Neil Verhagen are the new generation of the BMW Junior Team. They will complete a training programme spanning two seasons and are eager to follow in the footsteps of their famous predecessors, who used the BMW training programme as a springboard to a successful career.