Three BMW M4 DTMs in the points at Misano night race – convincing performance from guest driver Alex Zanardi.

Misano. In the first night race in the history of the DTM,
Timo Glock (GER, DEUTSCHE POST BMW M4 DTM), Philipp Eng (AUT,
SAMSUNG BMW M4 DTM) and Marco Wittmann (GER, BMW Driving Experience
M4 DTM) claimed seventh, eighth and ninth places to score points in
the overall standings. In a turbulent race with two safety car
periods, Eng and Augusto Farfus (BRA, Shell BMW M4 DTM) each took
the lead at times before dropping back. Farfus finished in eleventh
position, ahead of Joel Eriksson (SWE, BMW M4 DTM), while Bruno
Spengler (CAN, BMW Bank M4 DTM) had to retire after a collision.
Alessandro Zanardi (ITA, BMW M4 DTM) gave a convincing performance
in difficult conditions and completed his guest drive by crossing
the line in 13th position.

 

Most drivers started the race on wet-weather tyres as the track dried
out. Farfus and Spengler went with slicks and were rewarded early on
as they moved into the top positions. However, two safety car periods
bunched the field and both drivers dropped back when they had to
complete their mandatory pit stops. Farfus had been in the lead when
the time came for his stop. Eng then took his place, having moved all
the way up from an 18th-place start. He was unable to
maintain his outstanding speed in the final laps. Victory went to Paul
di Resta (GBR, Mercedes). Zanardi avoided risky situations in those
turbulent early laps, before finding his rhythm and improving to
finish his DTM debut in 13th place.

 

Reactions after Saturday’s DTM race at Misano.

 

Jens Marquardt (BMW Motorsport Director):
“That
was a spectacular night race in difficult conditions, with plenty of
action for the fans. Unfortunately, it ended with a sobering result
for us. The strategy of going with dry tyres paid off at the start but
the safety car really threw a spanner in the works. After the restart
we were in a really good position with Philipp and Timo but in the
closing phase, both of their cars suffered in terms of performance in
some tough battles. We got three cars into the top ten – but it could
have been many more. In front of his home crowd, Alex did a super job
on his DTM debut. He kept out of trouble and got the car over the line
in 13th position.”

 

Stefan Reinhold (Team Principal BMW Team
RMG):
“This weekend had a bit of everything that fans
want to see. The race was really spectacular. Unfortunately, we had
really bad luck with Augusto. Our strategy was risky but it could have
worked if the safety car hadn’t put paid to our plans. At least we did
score some points with Timo and Marco.”

 

Marco Wittmann (#11 BMW Driving Experience M4 DTM, BMW Team
RMG – qualifying result: 15th place, race result:
9th place, points: 112):

“It was an exciting race. I had an extremely good start and an
extremely good first lap, which allowed me to move up to seventh
place. My pace at the start was really good. Starting on wet-weather
tyres was the right decision. The car did take a few bumps on the
early laps. My car was suffering a bit and that meant it was quite
difficult to drive, resulting in a spin for me. That effectively left
me in last place. The safety car periods worked in our favour in the
end. I made up a few places at the restarts. Scoring two points after
starting from P15 is OK but if you look at the position I was in, it
is a bit disappointing. In general, it was a very chaotic race.”

 

Augusto Farfus (#15 Shell BMW M4 DTM, BMW Team RMG –
qualifying result: 9th place, race result:
11th place, points: 40):

“We had really good pace. Our strategy and our performance were also
very good, but luck just wasn’t on our side in the end. Tomorrow is a
new day and we will go on the attack again.”

 

Timo Glock (#16 DEUTSCHE POST BMW M4 DTM, BMW Team RMR –
qualifying result: 5th place, race result: 7th
place, points: 107):

“That was a pretty turbulent race. Overall, we didn’t have the pace
to compete with the best but we could have scored a few more points. I
got stuck behind Daniel Juncadella and was caught up in traffic. That
cost me the chance of a better result.”

 

Bart Mampaey (Team Principal BMW Team RBM):

“Philipp started from 18th place and moved right to the
front but there was contact a few times, and that knocked him back. We
will have to take a closer look at that. It is very probable that this
caused the drop in performance. It is very disappointing for the team
after having been in the lead. Bruno’s decision to start on slicks
looked very good until the safety car came out. Then there was the
incident on the track that cost him the race. Joel was also involved
in another incident, which resulted in a drive-through penalty for
him. There was nothing more he could do.”

 

Bruno Spengler (#7 BMW Bank M4 DTM, BMW Team RBM – qualifying
result: 13th place, race result: DNF, points:
43):
“It actually looked pretty good early on. We took a
risk by starting on slicks. It looked like that was the right
strategy. We were faster than the cars with wet-weather tyres but then
the safety car came out, for reasons that I cannot quite fathom. That
effectively cost us the race. Jamie Green then drove into me on turn
eight and shoved me into René Rast. My car was out for the count after that.”

 

Philipp Eng (#25 SAMSUNG BMW M4 DTM, BMW Team RMR – qualifying
result: 18th place, race result: 8th place,
points: 87):

“My team did everything right. We had a great strategy and a super
pit stop. I shot out of the pits like a rocket and posted several
fastest laps. All of a sudden, I was in first place after overtaking
car after car although my car did take a few hits. That is how the DTM
should be. Everyone dishes it out and we all have to take it on the
chin as well. The damage from those clashes made themselves known
around twelve minutes before the end. I couldn’t do anything else then
but it was a positive experience overall, especially after the poor
qualifying session.”

 

Joel Eriksson (#47 BMW M4 DTM, BMW Team RBM – qualifying
result: 16th place, race result: 12th place,
points: 27):

“All in all, it was very difficult today and quite a chaotic race.
The track was pretty wet early on but it did dry out. I had an
accident with Duval and an incident with Auer. I think that Auer
simply didn’t see me on the inside in the dark, with everything else
that was going on. We touched and that made him spin. The race was
pretty disappointing for me. But tomorrow is a new day.”

 

Alessandro Zanardi (#12 BMW M4 DTM, BMW Team RMR – qualifying
result: 19th place, race result: 13th place):

“The race went noticeably better for me than the earlier sessions. I
was able to keep up pretty well with the speed of the other drivers,
especially towards the end. That gives me confidence for tomorrow.
There would have been no point in taking too many risks on the first
lap and spinning out. It was important for me to get good experience
for Sunday’s race here.”