BMW Brazil plans Spa assault with Ricardo Zonta
The Brazilian BMW team competing in new FIA GT Series is aiming to contest the Spa 24 Hours in July with a line-up including ex-Formula 1 racer Ricardo Zonta


BMW Team Brazil plans to take in the blue-riband round of the Blancpain Endurance Series on July 27/28 with a solo BMW Z4 GT3 as part of preparations for an eventual Le Mans 24 Hours assault.
Team boss Antonio Hermann said: "We working on doing Spa with one car and three of our four FIA GT drivers, including Ricardo.
"The only reason that we wouldn't do it is if we work out there isn't time to rebuild the car before the next FIA GT round [three weeks later at the Slovakia Ring].
"We have the support of BMW Brazil and next year we want to do the Blancpain as well as the sprint series again, and hopefully go to Le Mans with two cars."
Those Le Mans ambitions for 2014 hinge on whether BMW makes customer versions of its new Z4 GTE American Le Mans Series contender available.
Hermann said he was hopeful that cars would be available, but BMW Motorsport boss Jens Marquardt stressed that no decision had been made on that subject.
Marquardt said: "The ALMS remains our focus. It is still a very new car and Le Mans is a completely different game, which would required a different aero kit and a different development process."
Hermann's team switched from the Brazilian GT Championship to the FIA GT Series this year and is running a pair of BMWs for Ricardo Zonta and Sergio Jimenez and Caca Bueno and Allam Khodair.

Audi unveils experimental long-tail R18 e-tron quattro car
James Walker to keep Delta-ADR WEC drive for all races bar Le Mans

How Formula E's double-duty drivers influenced their Le Mans teams' fortunes
Eight Formula E drivers made the 7,000-mile sprint from the streets of Jakarta to the fabled Circuit de la Sarthe and every one had a story to share at this year's Le Mans 24 Hours. Despite a range of triumphs and disappointments, each driver doubling up on the day job played a key role in their teams' fortunes
How an Italian junior formula giant is readying for its Le Mans future
Prema remains a colossus in single-seaters, but the serial Formula 2 and Formula 3 title-winning squad has joined forces with top GT squad Iron Lynx for an attack on sportscars in the World Endurance Championship and European Le Mans Series. Ahead of its debut at the Le Mans 24 Hours, its sights are firmly fixed on LMP2 glory – and a future in Hypercars next year...
The British rookies targeting a good first impression at Le Mans
Three young Britons will make their first starts in the Le Mans 24 Hours this weekend in the highly-competitive 23-car GTE Am field. But how did they get here? Autosport hears their stories.
The wingless wonder Peugeot hopes will restore it to Le Mans glory
Peugeot went radical with the initial plan for its Le Mans Hypercar project, and then stuck to its guns. Here’s how things are shaping up a few weeks before the debut of the 9X8 in next month's Monza World Endurance Championship round
How Toyota’s sole survivor turned the tables at Spa
After a chastening opening to the season at Sebring that ended in an enormous accident, Toyota's #7 crew got their World Endurance Championship underway with victory at a treacherously slippery Spa to make up for its sister car's Sebring defeat to Alpine, as Glickenhaus's promising qualifying turned to disaster in the race
The Chinese sportscar protege targeting a path to the top with Porsche
Yifei Ye came within one lap of winning the LMP2 class on his Le Mans 24 Hours debut last year, and his eye-catching 2021 has gained Porsche’s interest. With the German manufacturer preparing for a return to the top tier, the Chinese youngster is on the path to join it
How WEC got off to a stormy start in 2022 as rulemakers dampen Toyota's dominance
Toyota’s stranglehold on the World Endurance Championship ended at the 2022 opener at Sebring, but all accusing eyes were on the Balance of Performance system as the key to the shake-up. Here's how it unfolded, to see Alpine celebrating under a stormy sky having blown away the defending champions
Why Penske remains ambitious for its WEC learning year
Team Penske is gearing up for its role in running Porsche’s LMDh programme from 2023 by entering this year's World Endurance Championship with an LMP2 car. Although the team is considering 2022 as a season to learn, it is no less serious about winning than ever - which should make the already fiercely competitive class even more so