Nürburgring (DE), 11th September 2016. A win and a third place: that
was the successful haul of podium finishes for BMW Motorsport at the
DTM race weekend at the Nürburgring (DE). BMW also leads all three
competitions after races 13 and 14 of the season.
Marco Wittmann (DE) is top of the Drivers’ Championship after his win
on Saturday and third place in Sunday’s race. BMW Team RMG leads the
team competition going into the final two race weekends in Budapest
(HU) and Hockenheim (DE). Meanwhile, BMW also occupies top spot in the
Manufacturers’ Championship.
Tom Blomqvist (GB) came home second on Saturday to complete the 19th
one-two for BMW in the DTM. Third place for Wittmann on Sunday was the
250th podium for BMW in the history of the DTM. In total, 72,500
spectators watched the two exciting races.
Read here what BMW Motorsport Director Jens Marquardt, the four team
principals and the eight BMW DTM drivers had to say after the race weekend.
Jens Marquardt (BMW Motorsport Director): “As
expected, it was a tough race. However, you could see that Marco
Wittmann can also keep his nerve when the going gets tough. He drove
an extremely intelligent race, used the pace he had and claimed the
third spot on the podium. This was the 250th podium finish for BMW in
the DTM – that makes this result another very special one. As well as
Marco, we also had another two cars in the top ten. This was not easy,
given the weight we had on board today. However, we saw a great race
with good manoeuvres. There were also a few unnecessary incidents, but
I guess that is part and parcel of motor racing. All in all, the
weekend went very well for us. Marco tightened his grip on the lead in
the Drivers’ Championship thanks to his win and third place. We are
now looking forward to an exciting finale. I think we leave the
Nürburgring with a very positive result and can start preparing for Budapest.”
Maxime Martin was subsequently promoted from 11th to tenth place
after Sunday’s race, meaning Marco Wittmann was joined in the top ten
by a further three BMW drivers.
Stefan Reinhold (Team Principal, BMW Team RMG): “It
was an absolute dream weekend for our team. Victory for Marco and
Timo’s fifth place yesterday was the perfect start to our home event.
You could not wish for more. The team did a superb job and everyone
was extremely focussed, although we had an awful lot going on here. We
may not have had the fastest car today, but Marco produced another
superb race to finish third. Timo could also have been in the points
again, but unfortunately he was spun in the very first corner. That
was frustrating. All in all, however, we can be satisfied. I would
like to thank BMW and the many fans who supported us. It is always
fantastic to be here at the Ring.”
Bart Mampaey (Team Principal, BMW Team RBM):
“Yesterday we claimed our sixth podium of the season with Tom. That
was impressive. Maxime also finished in the points. Tom then had
another good qualifying on Sunday. However, he was then hit from the
side in the middle of the race, after which the performance of his car
was hampered. Despite this, he still finished eighth to score a few
points for BMW. Unfortunately, Maxime had a technical issue in
qualifying and could only start from 19th. He gave it everything in
the race and worked his way up to 11th. To make up eight positions in
the DTM is quite some achievement. Unfortunately, however, you do not
score any points for finishing 11th. On the whole, it was a very good
weekend for BMW. Congratulations to Marco, who had two sensational
races – our focus now turns to the Hungaroring.”
Ernest Knoors (Team Principal, BMW Team MTEK): “I
have mixed feelings about this weekend. It was a good weekend for BMW
and Marco with regard to the championship. We also bounced back well
as a team on Sunday, as far as the qualifying result is concerned.
Bruno, at least, was able to show what was possible in the race. It
was a tough race, but he battled hard and well. As far as Augusto is
concerned, we unfortunately paid the price for taking too much of a
risk during the pit stop.”
Charly Lamm (Team Principal, BMW Team Schnitzer):
“Unfortunately, we once again failed to perform as we had hoped to at
the Nürburgring. Starting from the back of the field made life
difficult for our drivers in the races. To make matters worse, António
was involved in a number of incidents on Sunday and was spun. Martin
had another good race and made up some positions. However, his car was
unfortunately damaged in a collision in the pit lane, when he was hit
by another car. Congratulations to Marco and BMW Team RMG, who
produced another awesome display here at their home event.”
Marco Wittmann (BMW Team RMG, Sun.: 3rd place, Sat.: 1st
place): “We made it onto the podium again, even though it
was very close with Mattias Ekström at the end. Therefore, I am happy
with today – and proud to have claimed a milestone podium for BMW in
the DTM. Lucas Auer had a very good start and I could not find a way
past him without taking too many risks. Our pace was good, but we were
at a bit of a disadvantage after our pit stop. The opposition had left
a few drivers out to hold up the leading group. That allowed Edoardo
Mortara to work his way through to the front and possibly cost me
second place. Despite this, it was a good weekend for me. I won
yesterday, and finished third to claim a spot on the podium today.
That is a great result for me and for BMW Team RMG.”
Bruno Spengler (BMW Team MTEK, Sun.: 6th place, Sat.: 18th
place): “It was an exciting race. The other teams were a
bit stronger than us over the whole distance, but we still finished in
the points, which was a good result. My guys did a great job again in
the pit stop. Overall, this was a positive weekend and we improved
once again. But, as we prepare for the next races, it is important for
us to analyse why we weren’t fast enough over the whole distance.”
Tom Blomqvist (BMW Team RBM, Sun.: 8th place, Sat.: 2nd
place): “It was a tough race and a lot more difficult than
yesterday. I didn’t start particularly well and I lost a few places in
the first corners. Also the pace of the car was not quite right. I had
one or two duels as well – so it was anything but an easy race. We
will have a look to see why we were slower than yesterday. Overall, it
was a good weekend. I am happy with getting 18 points for my second
place, as well as four more points today.”
Maxime Martin (BMW Team RBM, Sun.: 10th place, Sat.: 8th
place): “Unfortunately I had a gearbox problem in
qualifying today. It meant that I could not attack as I had hoped. I
only drove for the first run and was in sixth place. After that,
everyone else improved and I slipped back to 19th position. In the
race, I had to avoid Timo after he had a spin. Then I made it as high
as 11th. At least we got one point thanks to the penalty for Molina.”
Martin Tomczyk (BMW Team Schnitzer, Sun.: 12th place, Sat.:
16th place): “It was an exhausting race. Unfortunately, we
didn’t have enough pace to allow us to really attack. That improved
with the second set of tyres and I was able to get closer to Maxime
and to Robert Wickens, and then overtake them. But it was a difficult
drive today, and we got the maximum out of it. It is important for us
to have made progress over the weekend. Overall, it was another
sensational weekend for BMW and Marco.”
Timo Glock (BMW Team RMG, Sun.: 14th place, Sat.: 5th place):
“I had a really good start, but I got spun on the first
corner. I had to continue in last place and did all I could to make
the best of it. The front splitter was damaged, which meant I couldn’t
really attack. I did manage to make up a few places nonetheless. We
now have to analyse why we were fast in qualifying today, but weren’t
afterwards. Congratulations to BMW and Marco, who had a very good
weekend and extended their overall lead.”
António Félix da Costa (BMW Team Schnitzer, Sun.: 19th place,
Sat.: 20th place): “Unfortunately, we did not manage to get
back on the right track today after yesterday’s disappointment. We
will now pull together as a team and work hard. Today’s race was
actually going pretty well until I was spun shortly before my pit
stop. My race was basically over after that.”
Augusto Farfus (BMW Team MTEK, Sun.: 21st place, Sat.: 22nd
place): “It never rains, it pours. That was a tough
weekend. We did not have a good set-up on the car yesterday. Today was
far better, but then we received the penalty. Our qualifying pace was
encouraging. Our goal has to be to start the weekend with a better
base. Then we can challenge for better results.”
DTM standings.
Drivers’ Championship.
- Marco Wittmann (170 points), 2. Edoardo Mortara (137), 3. Robert
Wickens (120), 4. Jamie Green (119), 5. Paul di Resta (100), 6. Tom
Blomqvist (93), 7. Mattias Ekström (82), 8. Nico Müller (78), 9.
Maxime Martin (76), 10. Gary Paffett (73), 11. Lucas Auer (68), 12.
Timo Glock (58), 13. Bruno Spengler (51), 14. Augusto Farfus (44),
15. Christian Vietoris (42), 16. Miguel Molina (26), 17. Maximilian
Götz (17), 18. António Félix da Costa (16), 19. Adrien Tambay (14),
20. Martin Tomczyk (13), 21. Daniel Juncadella (6), 22. Mike
Rockenfeller (5), 23. Timo Scheider (3), 24. Esteban Ocon (2), 25.
Felix Rosenqvist (1).
Team Championship.
- BMW Team RMG (228 points), 2. Audi Sport Team Abt Sportsline
(219), 3. BMW Team RBM (169), 4. Audi Sport Team Rosberg (133), 5.
SILBERPFEIL Energy/UBFS invest Mercedes-AMG (126), 6. Mercedes-AMG
(117), 7. BWT Mercedes-AMG (110), 8. Audi Sport Team Abt (104), 9.
BMW Team MTEK (95), 10. EURONICS/FREEMEN`S WORLDMercedes-AMG (76),
11. BMW Team Schnitzer (29), 12. Audi Sport Team Phoenix (8).
Manufacturers’ Championship.
- BMW (521 points), 2. Audi (464), 3. Mercedes-Benz (429).
Statistics for the BMW DTM drivers.
2016 race calendar.
6th -8th May – Hockenheim (DE), 20th -22nd May – Spielberg (AT), 3rd
-5th June – Lausitzring (DE), 24th -26th June – Norisring (DE), 15th
-17th July – Zandvoort (NL), 19th -21st August – Moscow (RU), 9
th
-11
th
September – Nürburgring (DE), 23rd -25th September –
Budapest (HU), 14th -16th October – Hockenheim (DE).
More information.
You can find the latest BMW Motorsport media information, the
DTM Press Kit, and copyright-free images for editorial purposes online
at www.press.bmwgroup.com/global.
BMW Motorsport on the web.
Website:
www.bmw-motorsport.com
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www.facebook.com/bmwmotorsport
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About the DTM.
The DTM is the most popular touring car series in the world.
The series pits the three premium automobile manufacturers BMW, Audi
and Mercedes-Benz against each other in a sporting contest. BMW
fielded its first works teams from 1984 to 1992, during which time it
claimed 49 race victories and won the Drivers’ Championship on three
occasions (1984, 1987 and 1989). The manufacturer returned to the DTM
in 2012, since when it has won seven of a possible twelve titles. 18
races, spread over nine weekends, are scheduled for 2016. ARD
broadcasts all the races live. Tickets for all the DTM races are
available here: https://tickets.bmw-motorsport.com/index.html