Whether in the DTM, the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship, or
countless other championships: week after week BMW teams and drivers
around the world do battle for points, victories and titles. Away from
the track too, members of the large BMW Motorsport family around the
world are also creating headlines. The “BMW Motorsport News” allows us
to regularly summarise all the action for you in a compact and
informative manner. This way, you are always up to speed.
DTM: Marco Wittmann on “Champions-Tour”.
Since Marco Wittmann (DE) was crowned DTM Champion for the second
time at the DTM season finale in Hockenheim (DE), he has been
travelling from one event to the next. Last week he was at countless
media events throughout Germany and was invited to numerous events. In
an interview he talks about his experiences after winning his second
DTM title.
Three questions for … Marco Wittmann.
Marco, it’s been three weeks since you were crowned DTM
Champion in Hockenheim for the second time. How full has your
calendar been since then?
Marco Wittmann: “Naturally I have been on the road a lot since
the last race weekend. It’s evident that as DTM Champion the media are
keen to talk to you. I took part in press tours in Munich and
Nuremberg and also gave a lot of interviews. I also took part in a lot
of events – for example, visiting the BMW Group factory in Munich.
Naturally it is stressful to some extent, but it is enjoyable stress
since it shows that I achieved something important with the title win.
I think it will carry on like this for a few more weeks. It was the
same when I won my first title in 2014. Then around Christmas I will
no doubt have time and space to let my great success sink in.”
What does it feel like to have made history for BMW Motorsport?
Wittmann: “I am one of those drivers for whom statistics are
very important. So naturally I am aware of the significance of my
second title win. I am very honoured to be the first BMW driver to be
crowned DTM Champion twice, as well as the youngest two-time DTM
Champion of all time. Those are successes that no one can take away
from me, and I am only 26 years old. Hopefully I can add one or two
more titles to my CV in the coming years.”
As well as your media sessions and events, you completed
initial DTM tests for 2017 in Oschersleben. What were your initial impressions?
Wittmann: “There isn’t much to say about the new car yet. We
tested a few new components for 2017, but we won’t get a real idea
until the testing with the complete new car. It was important to us to
complete plenty of kilometres to get an initial feeling for the
innovations. I’m already looking forward to sitting in the cockpit of
the BMW M4 DTM for the first time. For us drivers it is great to have
more time for testing this winter than in previous years. That makes
the time until the 2017 season gets underway more varied.”
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International GT Open: BMW Team Teo Martín wins team title.
The BMW M6 GT3 has won its first title. At the season finale of the
International GT Open in Barcelona (ES), BMW Team Teo Martín secured
first place in the team standings. The team clinched the title in the
final race of the season on Sunday, having failed to score on
Saturday. Miguel Ramos (PT) and Pieter Schothorst (NL) finished
runners-up to not only pick up the one point they needed to secure the
Team title, but also to ensure that the Spanish team was able to
celebrate its success in style on the podium.
FIA WEC: Guest start by Tom Blomqvist.
BMW DTM driver Tom Blomqvist (GB) continued his tour of Asia. A week
after his start in the BMW M6 GT3 at the Asian Le Mans Series race in
Zhuhai (CN), he competed in the World Endurance Championship (WEC) in
Shanghai (CN). Blomqvist completed a test start in the Extreme Speed
Motorsport prototype. Alongside Antonio Giovinazzi (IT) and Sean
Gelael (ID), he finished second in the LMP2 class in the 6-hour race.
As part of the supporting programme of the WEC, the BMW M235i Racing
Cup China was also in action. BMW Motorsport Junior Jesse Krohn (FI)
contested both races and shared his experience of the BMW M235i Racing
with the other drivers. Krohn won both Saturday’s race and Sunday‘s.