BMW M Racing Academy 2025 graduates finish debut year with success

BMW M Motorsport concludes the 2025 Racing Academy as Berkay Besler, Nerea Martí, Matt Million, and Niels Tröger complete an intensive year of training and mentorship.

After an intensive year of training, the BMW M Racing Academy has completed its first full cycle with the “Class of 2025.” Young drivers Berkay Besler, Nerea Martí, Matt Million, and Niels Tröger finished a unique development program designed by BMW M Motorsport to nurture emerging talents from customer racing. Over twelve months, they combined on-track experience with rare access to the inner workings of BMW’s factory projects.

Guided by BMW M works drivers Jens Klingmann, Max Hesse, Robby Foley, and Dirk Adorf, the participants progressed from physical and mental assessments to professional engineering collaboration. A key element was their work at Formula Medicine under Dr. Riccardo Ceccarelli, where they trained concentration and stress resistance using the Mental Economy Training method. The results were tested in a demanding 24-hour race simulation focused on teamwork and endurance.

The program’s practical phase centered around testing the BMW M2 Racing — the new customer racing car — at Miramas and Varano. The young drivers not only gained valuable track mileage but also contributed feedback to engineers, helping refine the model ahead of its 2026 debut. Additional insights came during race weekends at FIA WEC Imola and IMSA Laguna Seca, where participants observed BMW factory operations and met Head of BMW M Motorsport Andreas Roos.

Each driver brought individual strengths to the Academy. Turkey’s Berkay Besler, already a race winner in ADAC GT4 Germany, highlighted how mentorship transformed his performance. Spain’s Nerea Martí said the program taught her to plan strategically and think long-term. American Matt Million valued learning to represent BMW as both driver and ambassador, while Germany’s Niels Tröger emphasized the lessons gained from direct engineering collaboration and improved race preparation.

According to Björn Lellmann, Head of Customer Racing at BMW M Motorsport, the program has exceeded expectations — its graduates contributed to the development of new race machinery and demonstrated remarkable progress. With selection already underway for the “Class of 2026,” BMW believes the Academy has established a strong foundation for shaping the next generation of BMW M Motorsport talent.