BMW Motorsport completes two-day test in Aragón – Maiden outings in the BMW M3 DTM for Leimer and Martin.

Munich (DE), 5th October 2012. After the race is before the race: Just a matter of days after the successful ninth DTM race in Valencia (ES), BMW Motorsport has completed two days of testing in preparation for the season finale in Hockenheim (DE) on 21st October. BMW Team RBM and BMW Team RMG both ran one BMW M3 DTM each in Aragón (ES).

Joey Hand (US) and test and development driver Marco Wittmann (DE) were joined at the 5.344-kilometre circuit by Fabio Leimer (CH) and Maxime Martin (BE), who were making their debuts at the wheel of a DTM car.

“We welcomed two new faces into the cockpit of the BMW M3 DTM at our test in Aragón, in the form of Fabio Leimer and Maxime Martin,” said BMW Motorsport Director Jens Marquardt. “Both did a good job. We wanted to give them the opportunity to familiarise themselves with a DTM car. Both Fabio and Maxime did that very well – and they were soon driving to a high standard. We are now concentrating fully on our preparations for the season finale in Hockenheim.”

The quartet of drivers took advantage of the good conditions in Aragón to complete a comprehensive test programme. In total, the two cars covered over 2,500 kilometres on Wednesday and Thursday. Wittmann drove 754 kilometres on the first test day alone – more than the BMW M3 DTM had ever completed before on one single test day.

Leimer and Martin soon found their feet and spent a lot of time out on the track near Alcañiz (ES). “I really enjoyed the test with the BMW M3 DTM in Aragón,” said Leimer. “It is obviously a bit strange at first to have to alter your own driving style. Up until now I have only driven single-seater racing cars. However, I felt better with every lap, although this was my first outing in Aragón and so initially I had to get used to the circuit. What impressed me most about the DTM car was definitely the downforce. It was a really cool day.”

Martin, who has his sights set on winning the title in the Blancpain Endurance Series with the Marc VDS Racing Team on 13th October, also enjoyed his first DTM test: “That was an awesome experience for me. Everything was quite new, but I quickly developed a good feel for the car. The aerodynamics, weight and carbon brakes were the biggest differences. The DTM cars have an enormous amount of downforce and the light weight means you can brake much, much later than in a GT car. I already knew the circuit, which helped me a bit as I was getting used to the car.”