Joey Hand to defend American Le Mans Series GT title alongside BMW DTM move
Joey Hand will continue to race for BMW in the American Le Mans Series in 2012 alongside his move to the firm's new DTM programme
American driver Hand won last year's ALMS GT title with team-mate Dirk Muller, and will remain in the Rahal Letterman Lanigan-run M3 GTR this year in addition to his European commitments.
Dirk Werner, also announced as a BMW DTM driver today, will focus on the touring car series, so his place in BMW's ALMS line-up will be taken by series returnee Jorg Muller, who raced for the squad in the Le Mans Series last year. Bill Auberlen stays on as the fourth full-time BMW ALMS driver, with Uwe Alzen joining for the endurance races. The final member of the team has yet to be announced.
Hand's DTM drive will take priority when the two series clash, which happens in mid-August when the ALMS' Elkhart Lake round coincides with the DTM racing at the Nurburgring, and when Petit Le Mans takes place on the same October weekend as the DTM finale at Hockenheim.
The 32-year-old said he had no qualms about switching between the two types of BMW M3 during the course of the season.
"The fact that I will also be racing in the DTM gives me additional motivation," said Hand. "As a racing driver, you simply cannot spend enough time out on the track - especially at the wheel of a BMW M3."
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