Joel Eriksson will remain a BMW works driver during the 2020 motorsport season and is set to contest the ADAC GT Masters for series returnees Schubert Motorsport – going up against his older brother Jimmy in the ultra-competitive GT3 championship.
Eriksson has been placed with long-time BMW partner Schubert Motorsport for what will mark his ADAC GT Masters debut this season, sharing driving duties with Australia’s Aidan Read (21 years) in the Oschersleben-based team’s 585-bhp #9 BMW M6 GT3.
21-year-old Eriksson, who spent the last two seasons racing with BMW in the DTM, steps across to GT3-spec competition in 2020 to go alongside his recently announced Test and Reserve Driver role with GEOX DRAGON in Formula E.
In a field regularly spanning 30+ cars from some of the world’s most prestigious automotive manufacturers, Eriksson will go up against a host of established GT racing regulars – including his own older brother Jimmy (who races for the rivalling Zakspeed team).
“This is quite a special announcement to make,” says Joel Eriksson. “First, I’m pleased to retain my ties with BMW, a company which has supported me over the last four years. Secondly, this will be my first time going head to head with Jimmy, so that is obviously going to be quite a prestigious fight! I did a few races in the BMW M6 GT3 last year in China and Macau, so I do have some experience, but I know just how competitive ADAC GT Masters is and it will be fun to test myself against some of the best GT drivers in the world this year.”
Eriksson and new team-mate Aidan Read will share one of two BMW M6 GT3s entered by Schubert Motorsport in ADAC GT Masters this season. The second entry, the sister #10 car, is set to be driven full-season by Henric Skoog (SWE) with alternating co-driver appearances from Nick Yelloly (GBR) and Erik Johansson (SWE) – making it three Swedish drivers at the team this year.
“It’s pretty cool to have four Swedish drivers in the championship this season, and three of us in the same team,” Joel Eriksson continues. “There will be a lot of talk about IKEA meatballs and Zlatan, I suppose! Hopefully we can make it a good one for Schubert Motorsport, especially this year as the team celebrates its 30th anniversary.”
Schubert Motorsport has held close ties to BMW for many years. The squad first entered ADAC GT Masters in 2010 and has since won ten races with BMW, scoring six pole positions along the way and clinching the 2015 teams’ title.
The 2020 ADAC GT Masters campaign kicks off at Oschersleben – a stone’s throw from the Schubert Motorsport facilities – on April 24-26. The season will span seven championship rounds across Germany and Europe, with each meeting containing two one-hour races with compulsory mid-race pit stops and driver swaps.
Alongside his ADAC GT Masters appointment, Joel Eriksson will also participate in additional selected strategic races with BMW in 2020.
2020 ADAC GT MASTERS CALENDAR
24-26 April: Oschersleben (Germany)
15-17 May: Autodrom Most (Czech Republic)
5-7 June: Red Bull Ring (Austria)
14-16 August: Nürburgring (Germany)
21-23 August: Zandvoort (the Netherlands)
18-20 September: Hockenheim (Germany)
2-4 October: Sachsenring (Germany)
MORE INFORMATION
ADAC GT Masters
Schubert Motorsport
