DTM Norisring: René Rast finishes twice in the top ten – Marco Wittmann unlucky at his home event.

Nürnberg. René Rast (GER) managed to limit the damage for Schubert Motorsport during an overall disappointing DTM race weekend at the Norisring (GER). Thanks to strong fighting performances in both races, he secured valuable championship points with tenth and seventh-place finishes. Marco Wittmann (GER) endured a frustrating home event. After finishing 18th on Saturday, he was forced to retire on Sunday in the very first lap due to an unavoidable accident. Meanwhile, there was reason to celebrate in ADAC GT4 Germany.

On the tight street circuit in Nürnberg, Rast and Wittmann lacked the tools to secure top qualifying positions. However, Rast made significant progress in both races, climbing from 17th and 11th on the grid to finish 10th and 7th, respectively. On Sunday, he was as low as 14th at the time of the restart following Wittmann’s crash but managed to move up significantly thanks to strong performances by both himself and the team. Rast remains within striking distance of the championship lead, sitting on 90 points, just 19 points behind the leader. Schubert Motorsport is third in the team standings with 155 points. For Marco Wittmann, his home event was a frustrating experience. On Saturday, he lacked the pace to move forward from his starting position, finishing 18th. On Sunday, his race ended in the very first corner when he was squeezed by several competitors and pushed into the wall, leaving him with no chance to continue.

ADAC GT4 Germany: Double podium for Besler/Piana.
The ADAC GT4 Germany races were much more successful for BMW M Motorsport teams. BMW M Racing Academy member Berkay Besler (TUR) and Gabriele Piana (ITA) delivered standout performances in the #21 BMW M4 GT4 EVO from FK Performance Motorsport. The duo, fresh from their first win of the season in the GT4 European Series a week earlier, continued their strong form with second-place finishes in both races at the Norisring. On Saturday, three BMW M4 GT4 EVOs finished in the top ten, and on Sunday, four cars achieved the same feat. Among them was the car of BMW M Racing Academy member Niels Tröger (GER), who, alongside Andreas Jochimsen (DEN), finished sixth and eighth.

Statements after the race weekend:

Björn Lellmann (Head of Customer Racing at BMW M Motorsport): “We are all disappointed after this very mixed weekend, especially because the Norisring is such an important event for our partner Schaeffler. I feel very sorry for Marco Wittmann and his fans that his race ended so early on Sunday. What René Rast achieved on Sunday, moving from 14th at the restart to finish 7th, was impressive. Unfortunately, we couldn’t position our cars at the front in qualifying, which makes it very difficult to move forward on such a short track. On the other hand, ADAC GT4 Germany went very well. I’m delighted with the two podium finishes for FK Performance Motorsport and drivers Berkay Besler and Gabriele Piana. Both Berkay and Niels Tröger, our BMW M Racing Academy members, delivered strong performances at the Norisring.”

Torsten Schubert (Team Principal Schubert Motorsport): “These were tough races for us. It was clear that other manufacturers were significantly faster than us at the Norisring. On Sunday, we managed to move René forward with a good strategy and strong pit stops, extracting the maximum. It’s a real shame for Marco that he was pushed into the wall through no fault of his own in the very first corner of his home race on Sunday. We are now fully focused on being more competitive at the Nürburgring. We’ll also be there with the ADAC GT Masters before the DTM and hope to gain valuable insights.”

René Rast (#33 RoboMarkets BMW M4 GT3 EVO, R1: 10th place, R2: 7th place): “It was a tough weekend for us. We didn’t have the speed we needed to compete at the front. Thanks to the team’s great work, I was able to make up many positions in both races and extract nearly the maximum. We’ll take the points and haven’t lost too much ground in the standings. It was damage limitation. Now we’ll focus on doing better next time.”

Marco Wittmann (#11 Schaeffler BMW M4 GT3 EVO, R1: 18th place, R2: DNF): “A very disappointing weekend for me. We struggled from the start and never had the pace to aim for a top ten or top five result. Then, to be pushed into the wall in the first corner of my home race on Sunday is disheartening. There was nothing I could do in that situation. The only positive was the fantastic fans, who once again made the Norisring event unique.”