DTM: Double victory at the Nürburgring – René Rast triumphs in Sunday’s race ahead of Marco Wittmann.

Nürburgring. Second win of the season, 30th victory of his DTM career: René Rast (GER) had a fantastic Sunday at the fifth race weekend of the season at the Nürburgring (GER). Driving the #33 RoboMarkets BMW M4 GT3 EVO, he stormed from sixth on the grid to the top, earning valuable points to rejoin the title race. Marco Wittmann (GER) already impressed on Saturday with a strong comeback drive, finishing fifth in the #11 Schaeffler BMW M4 GT3 EVO. On Sunday, he started from seventh and finished second, completing the double victory for Schubert Motorsport.

After a disappointing 14th place on Saturday, Rast seemed to be losing touch in the drivers’ standings. He had actually delivered a spectacular comeback drive from 17th on the grid to seventh, but a post-race time penalty following a collision on the first lap dropped him back. Thanks to his commanding victory on Sunday, Rast is now back in the title fight, sitting fourth in the overall standings with 117 points, just 20 points behind the leader. The 38-year-old took the lead from sixth on the grid during the first stint and steadily extended it on fresh tyres in the second stint.

Wittmann shone in both races. On Saturday, he climbed nine positions, finishing fifth after starting 14th. On Sunday, a perfect strategy and strong pit stops by the Schubert team secured him a podium finish. It was his second podium of the season, and he now sits seventh in the drivers’ standings with 101 points. Schubert Motorsport holds second place in the team standings with 213 points.

ADAC GT4 Germany: Victory and two podium finishes for the BMW M4 GT4 EVO.
BMW M Motorsport teams also celebrated podium finishes at the Nürburgring weekend in the ADAC GT4 Germany. On Sunday, Gabriele Piana (ITA) and BMW M Racing Academy member Berkay Besler (TUR) secured the first win of the season for the BMW M4 GT4 EVO and the FK Performance Motorsport team. The duo claimed a commanding victory from second on the grid. On Saturday, Piana and Besler finished fourth – directly behind two other BMW M4 GT4 EVOs. Thomas Rackl and Linus Hahne (both GER), along with Tim Reiter and Phillip Wiskirchen (both GER), completed a double podium for Team ME Motorsport by finishing second and third. Rackl and Hahne confirmed their strong form with a fourth-place finish on Sunday.

Statements after the race weekend:

Björn Lellmann (Head of Customer Racing at BMW M Motorsport): “A fantastic weekend at the Nürburgring is behind our BMW M Motorsport teams. Schubert Motorsport shone on Sunday with their second one-two finish of the season after Zandvoort, re-entering the title fight in both the drivers’ and team standings after a challenging Saturday race. Equally impressive are the results in the ADAC GT4 Germany. I am absolutely thrilled about the victory for Gabriele Piana and our BMW M Racing Academy member Berkay Besler on Sunday – marking the first win of the season for the BMW M4 GT4 EVO in this series. Alongside FK Performance Motorsport, ME Motorsport also had reason to celebrate on the podium. Getting both cars onto the podium on Saturday was an outstanding achievement. Congratulations and a big thank you to everyone involved!”

Torsten Schubert (Team Principal Schubert Motorsport): “It was a weekend of highs and lows. Of course, we are absolutely thrilled about the one-two victory on Sunday, but unfortunately, on Saturday, we didn’t have the performance we needed and left important points on the table. On Sunday, both drivers were very happy with the cars and were able to work their way from strong starting positions all the way to the top. Looking at the championship, we scored a lot of points here, but we now need to keep fighting. The Sachsenring is coming up next, and it’s a track where we’ve struggled in the past.”

René Rast (#33 RoboMarkets BMW M4 GT3 EVO, R1: 14th place, R2: 1st place): “The victory on Sunday is a fantastic way to wrap up the Nürburgring weekend. I already noticed during the formation lap that my BMW M4 GT3 EVO felt fantastic on the track and had incredible grip. As a result, I was able to attack right from the start of the race and secure a surprisingly commanding victory. I had hoped for a podium, but I didn’t expect the win. Unfortunately, we left some points on the table on Saturday, but thanks to Sunday’s results, I’m back in the title fight. Now it’s on to the Sachsenring, where we’ve traditionally faced some challenges. The goal there will be to maximise the points we can take.”

Marco Wittmann (#11 Schaeffler BMW M4 GT3 EVO, R1: 5th place, R2: 2nd place): “It was a very good weekend, and I’m really happy. Finishing fifth on Saturday from 14th on the grid was already an incredible comeback. Then to top it off today with second place after starting from seventh is fantastic. The team did an outstanding job with the strategy and pit stops, which were the keys to this success. Especially after the zero points at my home event at the Norisring, this weekend comes as a real relief.”