DTM: Difficult weekend at the Norisring.

Nuremberg.  The DTM race weekend at the Norisring in Nuremberg (GER) proved extremely challenging for BMW M Motorsport and Team Schubert Motorsport. Local hero Marco Wittmann (GER) and his teammate Kelvin van der Linde (RSA) struggled with a lack of performance on the street circuit from the very first practice session. In Saturday’s race, van der Linde was also involved in a heavy crash through no fault of his own and did not take the start on Sunday. Wittmann fought his way to a top-ten finish in the second race.

After a difficult first qualifying session, Team Schubert Motorsport experienced further setbacks in Saturday’s race. Wittmann, in the #11 BMW M4 GT3 EVO, suffered a rear-left tyre failure in the fight for positions after turn one and was forced to retire early. A serious accident then caused major concern. Lamborghini driver Maximilian Paul (GER) lost control of his car, became a passenger, and hit van der Linde’s #3 BMW M4 GT3 EVO head-on on the driver’s side in turn one. Both drivers were taken to hospital for examinations afterwards. Van der Linde was given the all-clear, suffering only bruises, however it was decided that the South African would not start on Sunday. According to DTM information, Paul sustained a fracture. BMW M Motorsport wishes him a speedy recovery.

In Sunday’s second qualifying session, 18th on the grid was the best possible result for Wittmann. In the second race, which was briefly interrupted after a heavy rain shower, he managed to fight his way into the top ten and crossed the finish line in tenth place. In the drivers’ standings, Wittmann is now fifth, while van der Linde sits twelfth. In the team standings, Schubert Motorsport dropped to fourth place.

BMW M2 Cup: Another double victory for Schrey.
The new BMW M2 Cup continued its second round as part of the DTM support programme. As in the inaugural event at the Lausitzring (GER), Michael Schrey (GER) proved unbeatable. Driving the #2 BMW M2 Racing for Hofor Racing by Bonk Motorsport, he converted pole position into victory in both races. The remaining podium places went to Mika König (GER, MK Motorsport) and Christopher Holst (SUI, ME Motorsport) respectively. BMW works driver Jens Klingmann (GER) was also present at the Norisring, supporting the participants on site as a coach and providing valuable advice.

Reactions after the race weekend:

Björn Lellmann (Head of Customer Racing at BMW M Motorsport): “We came to the Norisring with high expectations as this event is always something special. However, in the DTM we unfortunately lacked the necessary performance from the very beginning with both BMW M4 GT3 EVOs to fight at the front. On top of that, there was the heavy crash on Saturday. We are relieved that Kelvin came out of it largely uninjured – that is the most important thing this weekend. At the same time, we wish Maximilian Paul a speedy recovery. In the BMW M2 Cup we also saw great races here at the Norisring. This street circuit is simply a fantastic stage.”

Torsten Schubert (Team Principal, Schubert Motorsport): “On Sunday we were at least able to score a few points, which was certainly important. Overall, however, it was a disappointing weekend for us. On pure pace we could not have moved further forward, as the conditions are simply not there at the moment. We would have liked to show more performance here, but that was apparently not possible. It was clear to see that we can follow, but we cannot attack at all. Now we are looking ahead and want to try to score more points again at Oschersleben. Kelvin is doing reasonably well. He is still in pain, but hopefully he will be fit again soon.”

Marco Wittmann (#11 Schaeffler BMW M4 GT3 EVO, Race 1: DNF, Race 2: 10th place): “The retirement on Saturday was unfortunate. On Sunday we extracted the maximum and fought our way up from 18th on the grid to tenth. More was not possible, and it is a shame that we have to settle for tenth place. We have not been at the same performance level as the others for four races now. Others can consistently run at the front and score solid points. It is frustrating. On the positive side, the team did a mega job and delivered excellent pit stops again. Even Kelvin’s crew, who unexpectedly had the day off today, supported my side and helped out so a huge thank you goes to the team and of course the fans, the spectators and the support, also all then people from Schaeffler and all partners. That is what always makes the Norisring weekend so special.”

Kelvin van der Linde (#3 Shell BMW M4 GT3 EVO, Race 1: DNF, Race 2: DNS): “I’m just glad that yesterday didn’t end worse. When you see the replays and the images, it could easily have been much more serious. I’m thankful that BMW built such a safe car and effectively saved my life. Unfortunately, this is part of our season so far: another retirement through no fault of my own. We are going through a difficult phase, also in terms of the car’s performance compared to other manufacturers. That is very painful. We give everything every weekend to fight at the front, but at the moment it is not enough. That is obviously very tough for the team. Now we look ahead and try to come back stronger.”