VLN: Yannick Mettler in the BMW M4 GT4
CLASS CHANGE Yannick Mettler is changing categories, but not the scene. The Lucerne native will fight for class wins and championship points in the 2018 VLN at the Nürburgring in a BMW M4 GT4. He shares the car with last year's competitor Heiko Eichenberg (D). The 2018 Endurance Championship at the Nürburgring (VLN) begins on March 24. Yannick Mettler [...]
The 2018 Endurance Championship at the Nürburgring (VLN) begins on March 24. Yannick Mettler will tackle his third VLN season in a BMW M4 GT4 from Team 828 Racing by Sorg Rennsport.
The 28-year-old from Lucerne took part in the Dubai 24 Hours with the German team in mid-January. The event with the BMW M235i Racing Cup, as Mettler knows it from the 2017 VLN, ended with a podium finish. As a successful VLN regular team, Sorg Motorsport has plenty of experience on the Nordschleife.
Common cause with last year's competitor
Mettler's partner is German Heiko Eichenberg, who, like the Swiss, completed most of the 4-hour races in the 2017 VLN as a soloist. Now they are doing things together. Mettler's biggest success in 2017 was class victory in the 24-hour race. He missed his first VLN victory in the spring by just 7 thousandths of a second.
The GT4 project is made possible by a sophisticated marketing concept of the company 828 Racing, which will present a different main sponsor at each of the nine rounds. In addition to the two co-sponsors Avia and Protektor Profil, 26 other companies from Germany and Switzerland as well as isolated private investors are involved.
The former Formula 3 driver is looking forward to the new challenge.
Yannick Mettler: "The GT4 category is booming and is the right career move for me. Thanks to the variety of brands and some new participants, there will certainly be a lot going on in this class in the 2018 VLN. I had many fights with Heiko last year, so we know and understand each other well. Our common goal should hereby be clear to all..."
