Farfus and Wittmann in the points for BMW in Spielberg.

Spielberg (AT), 1st August 2015. Augusto Farfus (BR) repeated his fine qualifying display with another good performance in race nine of the DTM season in Spielberg (AT). The Brazilian was the best-placed BMW driver, crossing the finish line sixth in the Shell BMW M4 DTM. The BMW Team RBM driver had previously qualified in fifth place. Defending DTM champion, Marco Wittmann (DE), was also in the points in the Ice-Watch BMW M4 DTM, finishing ninth in the race, which was won by Edoardo Mortara (IT, Audi).

António Félix Da Costa (PT) followed up his maiden DTM win in Zandvoort (NL) with a 13th place finish in the Red Bull BMW M4 DTM. Maxime Martin (BE, SAMSUNG BMW M4 DTM) and Bruno Spengler (CA, BMW Bank M4 DTM) came home 14th and 15th, while Tom Blomqvist (GB, BMW M4 DTM) and Timo Glock (DE, DEUTSCHE POST BMW M4 DTM) ended the race in 17th and 19th respectively. Martin Tomczyk (DE, BMW M Performance Parts M4 DTM) retired with a damaged car following several contacts with another competitor.

Reactions to the ninth race of the 2015 DTM season.

Jens Marquardt (BMW Motorsport Director): “That was a tough race for us. It was clear to us that we would be starting from scratch again here after our outstanding results in Zandvoort. As a whole, we did not manage to get the most out of our package. Augusto Farfus confirmed the fine form he showed in qualifying and was the best-placed BMW driver. Unfortunately Martin Tomczyk was unlucky yet again and had to retire with a damaged car. After the block results witnessed in previous races, we saw all three manufacturers in the top six this time. That is a positive development.”

Augusto Farfus (BMW Team RBM, 6th): “That is a good result, as I was able to hold onto my starting position for a long time. It is a shame that I lost a place on the final lap, but when I saw Mattias Ekström behind me I expected him to come and push me off, which is what he did. Generally speaking our car is just not as competitive as we want, so it is difficult. Nevertheless we did a good job. This was the maximum we could achieve today.”

Facts and Figures.

Circuit/length/duration:

Red Bull Ring, 4.326 kilometres, 40 minutes plus 1 lap

Conditions:

Cloudy, 24 degrees Celsius

BMW Motorsport results:

#18 Augusto Farfus (BR), BMW Team RBM, Shell BMW M4 DTM – 6th

#1 Marco Wittmann (DE), BMW Team RMG, Ice-Watch BMW M4 DTM – 9th

#13 António Félix da Costa (PT), BMW Team Schnitzer, Red Bull BMW M4 DTM – 13th

#36 Maxime Martin (BE), BMW Team RMG, SAMSUNG BMW M4 DTM – 14th

#7 Bruno Spengler (CA), BMW Team MTEK, BMW Bank M4 DTM – 15th

#31 Tom Blomqvist (GB), BMW Team RBM, BMW M4 DTM – 17th

#16 Timo Glock (DE), BMW Team MTEK, DEUTSCHE POST BMW M4 DTM – 19th

#77 Martin Tomczyk (DE), BMW Team Schnitzer, BMW M Performance Parts M4 DTM – DNF

Useful information:

Martin Tomczyk was forced to retire on lap 11. His BMW M Performance Parts M4 DTM had suffered too much damage following several collisions at the start of the race. This was Tomczyk’s third non-finish in a row.

Augusto Farfus spent the entire race stuck behind Christian Vietoris (DE), but was unable to find a way past. He then lost fifth place to Mattias Ekström (SE) on the final lap.

The second qualifying session begins at 12.40 on Sunday. Before that, the 15-minute warm-up is scheduled for 11.00.

More information:

You can find the latest BMW Motorsport media information, DTM press kit, and copyright-free images for editorial purposes online at www.press.bmwgroup-sport.com.

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