BMW Motorsport News – Issue 16/14.
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.
BMW DTM drivers present the BMW M4 Coupé and BMW M3 Sedan.
Immediately after the opening DTM race of the season in
Hockenheim (DE), BMW DTM drivers Joey Hand (US), Bruno Spengler (CA),
Martin Tomczyk (DE) and Timo Glock (DE) headed straight off to an
extremely pleasant appointment. At the media launch of the BMW M4
Coupé and BMW M3 Sedan in Portimão (PT), the drivers showed
representatives of the media how to drive BMW cars at the limit.
Augusto Farfus (BR) and António Félix da Costa (PT) will also be on
site on Monday and Tuesday. This kind of appointment is always great
fun for Spengler and Glock, who were involved in the development of
both cars, and their DTM colleagues. “It is obviously always an honour
when BMW M GmbH asks you to present BMW M cars,” said Tomczyk. “It is
an absolute privilege when it takes place at a racetrack, as is the
case with the new BMW M3 and the new BMW M4 Coupé here in Portimão. We
have once again been able to show that both cars are well-suited to
outings at the racetrack. The journalists were all impressed. It was
nice to be involved again, and was great fun to put both cars through
their paces under these circumstances.”
Andy Priaulx trains with England’s junior rugby
stars.
No sooner had Andy Priaulx (GB) returned to
England after his successful start to the USCC at Laguna Seca (US),
than he was spending the entire day training with the English U20
rugby team at the BMW Performance Academy. Priaulx spoke to the
youngsters about routes to success in professional sport and offered
them an insight into the world of motorsport. He showed them
techniques for mental training and allowed them to complete a few laps
in the kart and Formula One simulators. Priaulx and team-mate Bill
Auberlen (US) currently lead the Drivers’ standings in the United
SportsCar Championship.
Three questions for... Andy Priaulx.
Andy, after the first four races of the United SportsCar
Championship and leading the championship what are your thoughts for
the rest of the season?
Andy Priaulx: "First of
all I must say I think I have found the ideal fit for me and my
driving skills. I have some pretty high bench marks in the team, and
the two times I qualified I was up against John Edwards in the other
BMW Z4 GTLM and he is young and very quick. I won't say I am surprised
to be leading the driver points standings, as I know what I can do in
a car, but being the new boy it usually takes you a while to get used
to everything. I have enjoyed learning some new tracks, and can't wait
to get to the next round in Watkins Glen, another circuit that comes
with quite a reputation. From now on my goal must be to keep scoring
points with the title my ultimate goal."
Do you feel at home at BMW Team RLL and joining forces with
your team-mate, Bill Auberlen?
Priaulx: "Awesome!
Bobby Rahal is a total legend and it is great to be driving for a team
principal who has had such an impressive racing career of his own. He
has a great group of guys in the team and the operation is slick. I
have driven for some great teams in my career and this one is up there
with the very best. As for Bill, I count myself as extremely lucky to
be racing alongside him. He knows the team, the car, the circuits and
how to drive in these races. He has taken me under his wing as the
'new boy' and I know I can ask him advice on anything. It is also nice
that we get along socially and have fun out of the car."
You did some training with the English Rugby Football Union
Under 20s at the BMW Performance Academy. What were you able to
teach them?
Priaulx: "Yes, this was a great
opportunity. I always enjoy meeting other professional sportsmen and
these guys are pretty good at what they do. I was able to give them an
insight into the life of a professional racing driver. They were able
to try their skills on the simulators. I was also to talk to them
about how racing and rugby could easily cross over in the way
professionals need to approach the sports. I was able to explain some
of the pitfalls along the way and how a positive mental approach is as
important as being physically fit."
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ADAC GT Masters: Team Schubert comes through water fights on
the North Sea coast.
Two races, two water fights: the
second race weekend of the season in the ADAC GT Masters was a
slippery affair for the drivers in action for “PIXUM Team Schubert”
powered by Jochen Schweizer. Heavy rain and strong wind made both
races a huge challenge. Claudia Hürtgen (DE) and Dominik Baumann (AT)
mastered the conditions superbly in the number 19 BMW Z4 GT3, as did
their team-mates Jens Klingmann (DE) and Max Sandritter (DE) in the
number 20 car. Both duos finished in the points on Saturday and
Sunday. The way both cars fought back on Saturday was particularly
impressive. Starting from 18th, Hürtgen and Baumann raced through the
field to finish fourth. Sandritter and Klingmann started from the very
back of the field, and fought back to cross the finish line in seventh
place. The number 19 car came home fifth in Sunday’s race, with the
number 20 finishing seventh again.