BMW Motorsport News – Issue 19/13.
Whether in the DTM, the American Le Mans Series, 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: One-two-three in third race of the season.
BMW Motorsport enjoyed a sensational weekend at the Red Bull Ring: Bruno Spengler (CA) won his first DTM race of the year, followed by Marco Wittmann (DE) and Timo Glock (DE), who made their first appearances on the podium. The BMW drivers scored a total of 70 points.
Three questions for … Bruno Spengler.
Bruno, how good does the first win of the season feel?
Bruno Spengler: “It feels amazing to win a race again. Mind you, my last victory was not so long ago, as it was the last race of 2012 in Hockenheim. This season started well with fifth place in Hockenheim, despite a few problems with the car during the race. However, this was not entirely our fault: I was a bit unlucky because I had some debris in my splitter, which made my race a bit difficult. But Brands Hatch was amazing to get second place. And then winning here is the cherry on the cake. I am so happy. Add to that the fact it was a one-two-three for BMW and it just shows what we can do. I also have to thank BMW Team Schnitzer, as the guys did an amazing job setting up the car, which was great the whole weekend.”
The race looked as though it went like clockwork for you. Was it as easy as it looked?
Spengler: “It maybe looked like that, but at some points it wasn't that easy. My first goal was to pull away enough to be out of the DRS zone after three laps, which I managed to do. After that, Marco behind me was a little bit quicker for a couple of laps. I then managed to pull away again and get myself in a safe position with a margin of a few seconds. All the time I was concentrating and making sure not to make any mistakes. It was important to have a good strategy. Stopping late was exactly the right decision. I was able to drive a long time and consistently on my old tyres.”
You are part of BMW history. How important is that when you look back at what you have achieved?
Spengler: “I am amazed and proud when I look back at what I have achieved with BMW so far. However, I believe there is a lot more to come, because I am very motivated to win more races and championships. On race weekends it doesn’t cross your mind, but when I am back at home and alone I do think about it. I got the 50th win for BMW at Lausitzring in 2012 and then the championship in the first year after the comeback. Then having a car from BMW – the BMW M3 DTM Champion Edition – is awesome. M has always fascinated me. It means pure motorsport to me. It makes me incredibly proud and happy to be so closely associated with BMW.”
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Blancpain Endurance Series: Fifth place in the UK.
The number 4 BMW Z4 GT3 was the best-placed BMW in the second round of the Blancpain Endurance Series in Silverstone (GB). The Marc VDS Racing car, with Markus Palttala (FI), Henri Moser (CH) and Nicky Catsburg (NL) at the wheel, crossed the line fifth after 86 laps.
GRAND-AM: Team Sahlen narrowly misses out on podium.
The GRAND-AM race in Detroit (US) was ill-fated for the BMW teams. Memo Rojas (MX) and Scott Pruett (US) of Chip Ganassi Racing lost their overall lead in the Daytona Prototype class after their BMW Riley was involved in a collision on the opening lap, so forcing them to retire. The best-placed BMW team was that of Wayne Nonnamaker (US) and Dane Cameron (US) in the BMW Sahlen, who finished fourth. Victory went to Corvette drivers Max Angelelli (IT) and Jordan Taylor (US). The Turner Motorsport BMW M3 finished eighth in the GT class.