Jean-Karl Vernay tests the BMW M3 DTM

After being invited at the start of 2010 to a test session with Audi, Jean-Karl Vernay will get back behind the wheel of a car from DTM next week. The Frenchman was in fact invited by BMW to take part in three days of testing at the Lausitzring. Remember that after wearing the crown in Indy Lights (antechamber of theIndyCar) in 2010, JK is competing in the ILMC this season with the Signatech Nissan team.

If the official drivers of the Munich brand, Augusto Farfus, Andy Priaulx, Jörg Müller and Dirk Werner, will be present, two other young hopefuls will also be evaluated. This is René Rast, a 24-year-old German who won the 2005 VW Polo Cup, the Porsche German Carrera Cup 2008, the Porsche Supercup 2010 and which outrageously dominated the Porsche Carrera Cap world cup last June on the Nordschleife. The last one is Richie Stanaway. At just 19 years old, the New Zealander was crowned in F3 German this season. For his first appearance in the GP3 Series, he took the top step of the podium in the second race of the weekend.

“We are delighted to be able to offer the opportunity to test our BMW M3 DTM to these young and talented drivers., underlines Jens Marquardt, Director of BMW Motorsport. They have already proven what they are capable of in various championships, and we can't wait to see them behind the wheel of our car. At the same time, the aim of this session will once again be to collect important information and data about our BMW M3 DTM, as we continue to prepare for the 2012 season."

As a reminder, six models will be entered next year, with the Schnitzer, RBM and RMG teams each fielding two cars. For the moment, only two of the six seats have found buyers since only Farfus and Priaulx have been guaranteed to be there.