The DTM visits Austria: BMW Motorsport gets the second half of the season underway in Spielberg.

Munich (DE), 28th July 2014. Three weeks after the first one-two for the BMW M4 DTM and Maxime Martin's (BE) debut victory at the Moscow Raceway (RU), the DTM is leaving Germany once again: On 3rd August in Spielberg (AT) the four BMW teams will contest the sixth race of the year – thereby getting the second half of the season underway.

 

Last year BMW Motorsport celebrated a historic one-two-three at the Red Bull Ring and picked up 70 points, more than on any other race weekend since the brand returned to the DTM in 2012. After three victories and three pole positions in five races in the current season, BMW Motorsport wants to build on the BMW M4 DTM's track record in Austria.

 

The Red Bull Ring is situated in the heart of Styria, surrounded by a picturesque mountain backdrop. Last season saw 44,000 spectators follow the action on the 4.326-kilometre race track over the course of the weekend. After 47 laps in the BMW Bank M3 DTM, Bruno Spengler (CA), who started from pole position, was the first to cross the finish line. Marco Wittmann (DE) and Timo Glock (DE) in second and third clinched a historic result for BMW. For the 11th time in the history of the DTM the podium was full with BMW drivers. In his third ever DTM race, Wittmann also drove the fastest lap of the race, with a time of 1:25.505 minutes.

 

Going into the sixth race of the 2014 season in Spielberg, BMW Team RMG leads the team standings with 103 points. Wittmann has been at the top of the drivers' standings since the first race. The BMW Team RMG driver currently has 70 points to his name. In third place in the standings is Spengler, who has 41 points. Thanks to his victory in Moscow, Martin is also in the top ten. The Belgian holds sixth place with 33 points. In the manufacturers' standings BMW is in second place with 196 points.

 

Jens Marquardt (BMW Motorsport Director):

“The first half of the 2014 DTM season is over and things couldn't have gone much better for BMW Motorsport, with three victories in five races. The BMW M4 DTM got off to a dream start: From the word go our new challenger was victorious as it crossed the finish line with Marco Wittmann at the wheel in Hockenheim. In Budapest Marco followed this up with his second victory and leads the drivers' standings. And Maxime Martin, one of our rookies this year, celebrated his first pole position and first victory at the last race in Moscow. We have been strong in the first half of the season. Now we will give it our all to stay on track. The fans can definitely look forward to an exciting second half of the season. As of this week, we now know we will return to Zandvoort at the end of September. Naturally we would have loved to visit China. However, in order for a DTM race to be held successfully, it is important that the general conditions are right, from a safety point of view, but also from a sporting and commercial perspective. It wasn't possible to meet the required standards for this race. But for now we are looking forward to the next race in Spielberg. It won't be easy for us: The performance weights that we have to carry in our cars as a result of our good results to date will definitely play a role from this point on.”

 

Bart Mampaey (Team Principal, BMW Team RBM):

“In Moscow the two safety car periods put a spoke in our wheels, so if it wasn't for that we would have been in with a chance of a good result. We want to make up for that in Spielberg. The one thing missing from this year is a great result. I hope our luck will change in Austria and that we will pick up some points. Everyone in the team is working very hard towards this.”

 

Charly Lamm ( Team Principal , BMW Team Schnitzer):

“After Bruno Spengler's second place in Moscow, we head to Spielberg full of confidence. No other track on the DTM calendar is closer to our team HQ in Freilassing than the Red Bull Ring. That makes the race a bit like our home race. Last season in BMW’s one-two-three result we had a perfect race weekend with pole position and Bruno's victory. That's why we're really looking forward to returning to Spielberg.”

 

Ernest Knoors (Team Principal, BMW Team MTEK):

“The return to Spielberg brings back a lot of positive memories for our team. Last season we finished second and third in BMW's historic one-two-three, making it the first race where we showed just how much potential our team has. I am confident we will do well at the Red Bull Ring once again this year. At the last race in Moscow Timo Glock would have been in with a chance of securing a spot on the podium. He had the right pace. And there's no doubt that António Félix da Costa in the Red Bull BMW M4 DTM is highly motivated as well.”

 

Stefan Reinhold (Team Principal, BMW Team RMG):

“Overall we have definitely had a positive first half of the season. With three victories and three pole positions we have had a dream start. Our drivers and the whole team are doing a fantastic job. We will do our best to continue our success story in the upcoming races. Finishing second last season, Marco Wittmann showed that he can cope with the Red Bull Ring. It will be Maxime Martin's first DTM race in Spielberg, but the same was true for Moscow. This is why we are optimistic heading into the sixth race weekend of the year.”

 

Augusto Farfus (car number 3, BMW Team RBM):

“Spielberg is a great track. I love the landscape there. It's one of the most beautiful backdrops in the DTM. The track itself has extremely fast bends, which should suit our car. I like this type of corners. It's very important to have a car with a good high-speed balance, but that can also decelerate well. Last year we qualified well and had a good race. I hope that we can repeat that.”

 

Joey Hand (car number 4, BMW Team RBM):

“Spielberg is one of the tracks on which I have already had good results and I really like the track. The surroundings are beautiful too. The atmosphere is just fantastic. It has everything: a great race track, fabulous scenery and excellent fans. All this is why the event is a real highlight of the season for me.”

 

Bruno Spengler (car number 9, BMW Team Schnitzer):

“Spielberg is a great track. There are uphill and downhill sections and the track has a little bit of everything: long straights, hard braking zones, slow and fast corners. The final two corners are extremely demanding. The final corner, with a bump in the middle, is particularly fun. Last year went very well for us. I won the race and there were three BMW drivers on the podium. Of course each year is different, but we will do our best to be successful again.”

 

Martin Tomczyk (car number 10, BMW Team Schnitzer):

“I have high expectations. I love Spielberg and the Red Bull Ring. It's a great race track and I'm happy we are returning there with the DTM. It's a sensational track with a great layout, which you don't see all that often. I have been successful there in the past and hope that will be the case this year.”

 

Timo Glock (car number 17, BMW Team MTEK):

“I'm already looking forward to Spielberg. I've had some successful races there. The best memories are, of course, those from last year when we had three BMW drivers on the podium. I hope that we will be just as strong again this year. It's a very fluid track with many fast corners. But there is also a long straight. We should be well positioned once again.”

 

António Félix da Costa (car number 18, BMW Team MTEK):

“We're looking forward to Spielberg. I think the track will suit our car, particularly in the second and third sectors, where there are lots of high-speed corners. I like this type of fast corner. It's like a home race for me and the Red Bull BMW M4 DTM and I always love representing the brand's colours. We need to remain focussed and do our homework so that we are competitive in qualifying and in the race.”

 

Marco Wittmann (car number 23, BMW Team RMG):

“I'm really looking forward to Spielberg. The track is great, as is the landscape. It makes for a fantastic atmosphere. I achieved my best DTM result up to that point there last year, which is why I am really excited. I'm hoping for another strong result this year. Particularly after last year's success when I finished second in qualifying and in the race, I'm optimistic about the weekend.”

 

Maxime Martin (car number 24, BMW Team RMG):

“I've already raced in Spielberg and tested there last year in the BMW M3 DTM. The landscape there is just fantastic, and the track is interesting. That's why I'm looking forward to the weekend. The track is really fast and demanding for us drivers. I like it. I'm already excited to see what we will be able to achieve there. BMW was really strong there last year and finished first, second and third. We will all be trying to repeat that success this year.”

 

Statistics ahead of the race in Spielberg.

 

Circuit / Date	Red Bull Ring, 3rd August 2014
Lap / Distance	47 laps, 4.326km
2013 Pole Time	Bruno Spengler (CA), 1:24.836 minutes
2013 Winner	Bruno Spengler (CA)
2013 Fastest Lap	Marco Wittmann (DE), 1:25.505 minutes

 

Driver data.

Driver	FAR	HAN	SPE	TOM	GLO	DAC	WIT	MAR
Nationality	BR	US	CA	DE	DE	PT	DE	BE
Number	3	4	9	10	17	18	23	24
Team	BMW Team RBM	BMW Team RBM	BMW Team Schnitzer	BMW Team Schnitzer	BMW Team MTEK	BMW Team MTEK	BMW Team RMG	BMW Team RMG
Races	25	25	98	136	15	5	15	5
Wins	4	-	14	7	1	-	2	1
Poles	3	-	16	8	-	-	3	1
Fastest laps	1	1	14	8	-	-	2	-
Points	200	45	583	408	58	4	119	33
2014 points	15	7	41	8	18	4	70	33
Current position	13th	19th	3rd	18th	12th	20th	1st	6th
Performance Weights	+5kg	+2.5kg	+5kg	+25kg	+2.5kg	+/-0kg	+7.5kg	+2.5kg

 

DTM standings after 5 of 10 races.

 

Drivers’ Championship.
1. Marco Wittmann (70 points), 2. Mattias Ekström (50), 3. Bruno Spengler (41), 4. Edoardo Mortara (41), 5. Mike Rockenfeller (35), 6. Maxime Martin (33), 7. Christian Vietoris (31), 8. Adrien Tambay (28), 9. Miguel Molina (26), 10. Robert Wickens (25), 11. Jamie Green (24), 12. Timo Glock (18), 13. Augusto Farfus (15), 14. Pascal Wehrlein (14), 15. Paul di Resta (12), 16. Nico Müller (10), 17. Timo Scheider (9), 18. Martin Tomczyk (8), 19. Joey Hand (7), 20. António Félix da Costa (4), 21. Gary Paffett (4).

 

Team Championship.
1. BMW Team RMG (103 points), 2. Audi Sport Team Abt Sportsline (76), 3. Audi Sport Team Abt (69), 4. BMW Team Schnitzer (49), 5. Audi Sport Team Phoenix (44), 6. Original-Teile Mercedes AMG (43), 7. Audi Sport Team Rosberg (34), 8. EURONICS / FREE MAN'S WORLD Mercedes AMG (29), 9. BMW Team MTEK (22), 10. BMW Team RBM (22), 11. gooix Mercedes AMG (14).

 

Manufacturers’ Championship.
1. Audi (223 points), 2. BMW (196), Mercedes-Benz (86).

 

2014 calendar.

4th May – Hockenheim (DE), 18th May – Oschersleben (DE), 1st June – Budapest (HU), 29th June – Norisring (DE), 13th July – Moscow (RU), 3rd August – Spielberg (AT), 17th August – Nürburgring (DE), 14th September – Lausitzring (DE), 28th September – Zandvoort (NL), 19th October – Hockenheim (DE).

 

BMW Motorsport media schedule.

 

Saturday, 2nd August
19:55-20:25	Round table interview with BMW Motorsport Director Jens Marquardt	BMW Motorsport Hospitality
20:25-20:45	Interviews with the BMW DTM drivers	BMW Motorsport Hospitality
Sunday, 3rd August
17:30-18:00	Interviews with the BMW DTM drivers	BMW Motorsport Hospitality

 

The BMW Motorsport Media Team is happy to help you with any individual interview requests. Please send your requests in advance to one of the following contact partners.

 

BMW Group South Africa:

Edward Makwana

Manager: Group Automotive Communications

Tel: +27-12-522-2227

Email: edward.makwana@bmw.co.za

 

BMW Group Motorsport:

Jörg Kottmeier
D-80788 Munich
Telephone: +49 89 38223401
Mobile: +49 170 5666112
E-mail: joerg.kottmeier@bmw.de

 

Ingo Lehbrink
Telephone: +49 89 38276003
Mobile: +49 176 20340224
E-mail: ingo.lehbrink@bmw.de

 

Florian Haasper
Telephone: +49 89 452350911
Mobile: +49 177 5637923
E-mail: haasper@bs-plus.de

 

Note to editors:
You can receive media information in German and English in various E-mail formats (text, PDF, HTML). If you have any requests regarding the distribution list, please send an E-mail to: bmw@bs-plus.de.

 

BMW Motorsport is once again providing a text service for representatives of the media throughout the 2014 DTM season. If you would like to receive DTM results and the very latest news straight to your smartphone in the future, please send an E-mail with your mobile phone number to: bmw@bs-plus.de.

The latest BMW Motorsport media information (after each race) and press folders can be accessed online at: www.press.bmwgroup-sport.com.

 

You will also find copyright-free images and the latest quotes from BMW DTM drivers in MP3 format for editorial purposes at: www.press.bmwgroup-sport.com.

 

Further information on BMW Motorsport can also be found on the following platforms:

Official Website – www.bmw-motorsport.com

Facebook – www.facebook.com/bmwmotorsport

Twitter – www.twitter.com/bmwmotorsport

YouTube – www.youtube.com/bmwmotorsport

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About the DTM.
The German Touring Car Masters – DTM for short – is the most popular touring car series in the world. Last season, over 700,000 spectators flocked to renowned racetracks in Germany and around Europe to watch the ten races live. The series pits the three premium automobile manufacturers BMW, Audi and Mercedes-Benz against each other in a sporting contest. BMW fielded its first works teams from 1984 to 1992, during which time it claimed 49 race victories and won the Drivers’ Championship on three occasions (1984, 1987 and 1989). In 2012, the manufacturer returned to the DTM with the BMW M3 DTM, three teams and six drivers. BMW promptly won five races and topped the driver, team and manufacturer standings at the end of the season. In 2013, BMW Motorsport managed to defend the Manufacturer’s title with four teams and eight drivers. The 2014 DTM calendar once again consists of ten races. The schedule includes four trips abroad, to Budapest (HU), Spielberg (AT), Moscow (RU) and Zandvoort (NL). The season traditionally ends in Hockenheim (DE) on 19th October. TV station ARD is broadcasting each qualifying and every race live. Tickets for all the DTM races are available here: http://www.bmw-motorsport.com/en/fan-area/dtm-tickets.html