DTM Sachsenring: Impressive comebacks keep René Rast and Marco Wittmann in the title fight.

Sachsenring. The third-to-last race weekend of the DTM season at the Sachsenring (GER) proved to be the anticipated major challenge for Schubert Motorsport and the BMW M4 GT3 EVO. However, both the team and drivers Marco Wittmann and René Rast (both GER) delivered impressive comebacks in both races, collecting valuable points in the title fight. Wittmann finished seventh and fifth, while Rast finished 14th on Saturday and sixth in Sunday’s race.

The Saturday race was marked by a heavy rain shower that hit the Sachsenring during the starting grid formation, turning the first half of the race into a water battle. Wittmann drove a flawless race in the #11 Schaeffler BMW M4 GT3 EVO, improving from 12th on the grid to finish seventh on a drying track. Rast had to settle for 14th place. On Sunday, with better weather, the starting positions looked bleak as Rast and Wittmann qualified only 18th and 19th. However, both delivered outstanding performances in the race. Wittmann gained 14 positions to finish fifth, while Rast climbed 12 places to finish sixth.

Thanks in part to mistakes by competitors, who lost many points due to crashes and penalties, both drivers remain realistic title contenders with four races left in the season. Rast is seventh in the standings, 21 points behind the leader, while Wittmann is ninth, 29 points back. In the team standings, Schubert Motorsport is third with 245 points. The next race weekend takes place on 13th/14th September at the Red Bull Ring (AUT), where Schubert Motorsport has won two of the last four races.

ADAC GT4 Germany: One-two finish for the BMW M4 GT4 EVO.
As in DTM, the Sunday race in the ADAC GT4 Germany was also significantly more successful for BMW M Motorsport than Saturday’s race. The BMW M4 GT4 EVO celebrated a one-two finish. FK Performance Motorsport triumphed with Gabriele Piana (ITA) and BMW M Racing Academy member Berkay Besler (TUR). Linus Hahne and Thomas Rackl (both GER) from Team ME Motorsport completed the one-two finish. ME Motorsport also secured fourth place. In Saturday’s race, three BMW M4 GT4 EVOs finished in sixth, seventh, and eighth. With their victory, Piana and Besler reduced their gap to the championship leaders to ten points. Like in DTM, four races remain in the ADAC GT4 Germany season.

Comments on the race weekend:

Björn Lellmann (Head of Customer Racing at BMW M Motorsport): "A fantastic team effort by Schubert Motorsport on a weekend full of surprises. We knew the Sachsenring would be a challenge for the BMW M4 GT3 EVO, but we didn’t expect to qualify so far back – especially on Sunday. The comebacks in the races by Marco Wittmann and René Rast were all the more impressive, with flawless performances and strong pit stops helping to secure valuable points. Thanks to the solid results and our competitors’ mistakes, the title fight is still wide open. We now head to the Red Bull Ring and the finale at Hockenheim fully motivated. In the ADAC GT4 Germany, our teams and drivers delivered great results in Sunday’s race. Congratulations to FK Performance Motorsport and ME Motorsport on the one-two finish with the BMW M4 GT4 EVO! It was the perfect response to a disappointing result on Saturday."

Torsten Schubert (Team Principal, Schubert Motorsport): "If someone had told me before the weekend that our drivers wouldn’t lose any points to the championship leaders at the Sachsenring, I would have taken it immediately. Given the circumstances, we can be very satisfied with the results. In Sunday’s race, we opted for different strategies. Marco had fresher tyres than René at the end and was able to pass him. In the team standings, the Manthey team has pulled ahead, but I hope we’ll have the chance to close the gap at the Red Bull Ring, a track where we’ve traditionally been strong."

Marco Wittmann (#11 Schaeffler BMW M4 GT3 EVO, R1: 7th place, R2: 5th place): "Two great races with maximum damage control. Especially on Sunday, it was hard to imagine that we could climb from 19th on the grid to finish fifth. We chose a slightly different strategy than many others and started on a used set of tyres, which gave us better tyres at the end compared to the competition. The race was wild, with lots of battles and contacts, but we came through it really well. Unfortunately, we’re currently struggling to qualify further up the field, which makes the races more difficult. But as a team and as drivers, we’re not making mistakes, and that’s our advantage compared to our competitors."

René Rast (#33 RoboMarkets BMW M4 GT3 EVO, R1: 14th place, R2: 6th place): "Our points haul here at the Sachsenring was good in terms of the championship. Finishing sixth on Sunday from so far back on the grid feels like a victory. The title fight is still open, but overall, it was a tough weekend for us. We didn’t have the pace to think about winning, but that should be the goal. The title fight is intense, and mistakes are being made. So, for us, it’s about staying cool and doing our job."