Racetrack premiere for the new turbo generation: BMW M Motorsport completes first test with the new 2019 season BMW M4 DTM.

Estoril. The new turbo era in the DTM has begun. Following a
successful rollout, the new BMW M4 DTM for the 2019 season has made
its racetrack debut. BMW M Motorsport completed the first winter
test with the next generation BMW M4 DTM modified to meet Class 1
regulations at Estoril (POR) this week. The two BMW DTM drivers,
Bruno Spengler (CAN) and Marco Wittmann (GER), took it in turns
behind the wheel during the three days of testing.

 

The core of the BMW M4 DTM modified to meet Class 1 regulations is
the newly developed and extremely efficient two-litre turbo engine.
The cooling system was also modified for the new unit. The regulations
provide for changes in some areas of the aerodynamics in addition. BMW
M Motorsport used the test in Portugal to evaluate these innovations
on the racetrack for the first time, thereby gathering important
information for further preparations for the upcoming season.

 

“The initial test days with the new BMW M4 DTM with a turbo engine
were so much fun,” said Spengler. “It is also very interesting for us
as drivers to be involved in the development of a new DTM racing car.
I have been driving DTM cars with V8 engines for 14 years, and this
was the first time that I’ve been on the racetrack with a
four-cylinder turbo engine. This is totally new to me and is so much
fun. The car feels great and I am looking forward to the next tests.”

 

“The car feels really cool when you’re driving it and it is so much
fun,” confirmed Wittmann. “You really can feel the performance and the
torque of the new engine and the modified aerodynamics mean that the
car behaves differently. I’m overwhelmingly positive after the initial
test and I think that the fans really have something to look forward
to. From the outside you can clearly tell that the cars are much
faster than last year. This will definitely make for more of a
spectacle. And I can reassure the fans: the sound remains as great as
ever. Personally, I prefer it to the previous engines. It sounds a
little different, but it is neither quiet nor bad. I like it and I
think that the fans will as well. The changes to the cars for 2019 are
definitely positive, and I enjoyed being in the car for the initial
test and preparing the car for the season with the engineers and mechanics.”

 

The next test drives with the new BMW M4 DTM are scheduled for
10th and 11th December at Jerez, Spain.