BMW Motorsport News – Issue 06/14.

Whether in the DTM, the United SportsCar Championship , or countless other championships: week after week BMW teams and drivers around the world do battle for points, victories and titles. Away from the track too, members of the large BMW Motorsport family around the world are also creating headlines. The “BMW Motorsport News” allows us to regularly summarise all the action for you in a compact and informative manner. This way, you are always up to speed.

DTM: BMW teams take to the track in Monteblanco.
BMW Motorsport pressed ahead with its preparations for the coming DTM season with a three-day test in Monteblanco (ES) this week. The test marked the first outings for two new BMW M4 DTMs. The focus of the three-day programme was on basic aerodynamic tests. Six drivers were in action over the course of the test: Augusto Farfus (BR), Bruno Spengler (CA), Timo Glock (DE), António Félix da Costa (PT), Marco Wittmann (DE) and Maxime Martin (BE). Between them they completed 2,500 kilometres in unsettled conditions. Joey Hand (US) and Martin Tomczyk (DE) also travelled to Monteblanco for the annual BMW Motorsport photo shoot ahead of the start of the season.

DTM: Official tests in Budapest and Hockenheim.
The ITR has announced the venues for this year's official tests ahead of the new season. The BMW teams will be in Budapest (HU) between 31st March and 3rd April, where they will be looking to fine-tune their cars as the countdown continues to the start of the season. The second four-day test, also featuring the three manufacturers represented in the DTM, will take place in Hockenheim (DE) from 14th to 17th April. The new season kicks off just two weeks later. Media representatives will have access to the paddock on the first two days of both tests in Budapest and Hockenheim. 14th April – the first day of testing in Hockenheim – is the official media day for the 2014 DTM season. A press conference will be held on this day, and all the drivers will be available for interviews. Fans can follow all the test days at the Hockenheimring from the grandstands.

DTM: Crowne Plaza Hotels BMW M3 DTM is 'Picture of the Year 2013'.
BMW works driver Andy Priaulx (GB) at the wheel of the Crowne Plaza Hotels BMW M3 DTM as the sun sets in Zandvoort (NL): this particular image appealed more than any other to DTM fans. The photo “When the sun goes down”, taken by Swiss photographer Daniel Reinhard, won the DTM “Picture of the Year 2013” competition. Voting took place on Facebook, with Reinhard gaining 17 per cent of the votes – enough to earn first place among the 15 finalists. The autumn sun setting over the circuit nestled in the dunes on Friday afternoon gives the photo a distinctive atmosphere, while a shower of sparks as the Crowne Plaza Hotels BMW M3 DTM skips across a kerb creates a striking contrast. “That is fantastic. Thank you to all my fans  and to Daniel Reinhard, of course. I also really like this photo,” said Priaulx, who is racing with BMW Team RLL in the United SportsCar Championship (USCC) in 2014.