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Maxime Martin clinches BMW DTM drive

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Maxime Martin has been promoted to a BMW DTM drive for 2014, following Andy Priaulx and Dirk Werner’s exits from the Bavarian marque’s DTM programme.

In 2013, Martin, 27, competed in the American Le Mans series alongside BMW GT regular, Bill Auberlen, behind the wheel of a BMW Z4 GT3.

The pairing’s best result was a win at Long Beach.

Martin was also BMW’s DTM test driver this season and raced in the Blancpain Spa 24 Hours in his native Belgium with a Marc VDS Racing prepared Z4 GT3 where he failed to finish.

“It was always my goal to use my year as test and development driver to put forward my case for a DTM seat,” said Martin. “I am very proud to have achieved that goal, [so] thank you very much to BMW for the very informative past year and for their faith in me.

“I will do my very best to be successful in the DTM.”

BMW motorsport boss, Jens Marquardt, added: “After his impressive year as test and development driver, Maxime is now ready to prove himself in the DTM.

He showed in the DTM tests and his successful outings in the BMW Z4 GT3 that he will be a valuable addition to our driver line-up.”

In 2013, Marco Wittmann was promoted from a test-driver role to a race driver with the MTEK team.