BMW completes 2019 DTM line-up with Sheldon van der Linde
Nineteen-year-old van der Linde will become the first South African to race in DTM when he debuts for BMW this year.
BMW has completed its DTM line-up for the 2019 season by confirming 19-year-old Sheldon van der Linde in its final race seat.
Van der Linde finished as runner-up in the ADAC GT Masters in 2018, taking two race wins, and was handed his maiden run-out in a DTM car at the end-of-year test with BMW.
BMW announced on Thursday that van der Linde would be completing its full-season DTM line-up for 2019, replacing Augusto Farfus.
"The Young Driver Test in the BMW M4 DTM was already a dream come true for me. To now have a place in the team for 2019 is incredible," said van der Linde.
"I’m very proud to be continuing a family tradition from my father with such a famous car manufacturer, and one that is also very popular back home – and to be the first South African ever in the DTM. Ultimately, a big thank you to BMW Motorsport for the trust."
BMW motorsport director Jens Marquardt added: “It is great to have another talented youngster in our team. Sheldon made a fantastic impression at the wheel of the BMW M4 DTM at the Young Driver Test in mid-December.
"Prior to that, we had been following his career in GT racing very carefully. Sheldon’s speed and versatility make him the perfect addition to our BMW M Motorsport programme. I am confident that he will find his feet very quickly in the DTM."
Van der Linde joins Timo Glock, Philipp Eng, Marco Wittmann, Joel Eriksson and Bruno Spengler in BMW's DTM line-up for 2019, with the new season set to begin at Hockenheim on May 4.
