New perspectives: BMW DTM drivers explore Budapest from the Danube on a high-speed boat trip.

Budapest (HU), 30th May 2014. Part of everyday life for professional racing drivers are frequent trips away from home. Even though these can often be long, the chances to explore the areas surrounding the circuits are few and far between. They don’t get to experience life in some of the most beautiful cities and soak up the atmosphere that makes them unique. However, ahead of the third DTM race of the 2014 season in Budapest, the eight BMW DTM drivers were given the rare opportunity to do just that. 

Augusto Farfus (BR), Joey Hand (US), Bruno Spengler (CA), Martin Tomczyk (DE), Timo Glock (DE), António Félix da Costa (PT), Marco Wittmann (DE) and Maxime Martin (BE) boarded two powerful motorboats for a trip down the Danube, taking in spectacular views of the centre of Budapest and its many landmarks, including the suspension bridge known as the Chain Bridge, Gellert Hill and its citadel, and the impressive parliament buildings. It is no coincidence that the Hungarian capital’s panorama is a World Heritage Site. 

“The tour was a lot of fun,” said Wittmann, who goes into the third DTM weekend of the year lying third in the Drivers’ Championship with 25 points. “We do not usually get to see the cities we travel to. However, we were given a unique view of Budapest from the Danube. It really is a fantastic city.” 

One of the highlights of the tour was the trip under the famous suspension bridge. With the Buda Hill in the background, the historic bridge, which opened in 1849 and was rebuilt in 1949, attracts countless tourists to Budapest every year. “I drove across that bridge on my demonstration run at the start of May – and now I have seen the outstanding view from the water too,” said Glock. “I just really like this place. And it made a nice change to explore it together with my fellow drivers on board our motorboats.” 

“My first thought was: where can you go fishing on the Danube?” said Hand, who spends a lot of time on the Pacific off the coast of California when not at the racetrack. “All that was missing was my fishing rod. I didn’t have it here – so I will have to go fishing for points at the circuit on Sunday instead. Seriously though: I love the water and can really relax on it. Therefore, I really enjoyed this extraordinary city tour.”

After their pleasure trip, it is now time for the BMW DTM drivers to get down to work: on Friday they be on the 4.381-kilometre Hungaroring for the roll-out between 16:45 and 17:20, before they return on Saturday for the serious business of free practice and qualifying. 

About the DTM.
The German Touring Car Masters – DTM for short – is the most popular touring car series in the world. Last season, over 700,000 spectators flocked to renowned racetracks in Germany and around Europe to watch the ten races live. 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). In 2012, the manufacturer returned to the DTM with the BMW M3 DTM, three teams and six drivers. BMW promptly won five races and topped the driver, team and manufacturer standings at the end of the season. In 2013, BMW Motorsport managed to defend the Manufacturer’s title with four teams and eight drivers. The 2014 DTM calendar once again consists of ten races. The schedule includes four trips abroad, to Budapest (HU), Spielberg (AT), Moscow (RU) and Guangzhou (CN). The season traditionally ends in Hockenheim (DE) on 19th October. TV station ARD is broadcasting each qualifying and every race live. Tickets for all the DTM races are available here: http://www.bmw-motorsport.com/en/fan-area/dtm-tickets.html