BMW Motorsport News – Issue 25/14.
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: Martin proud of first Belgian win.
Maxime Martin (BE) made history with his victory at the fifth
DTM race of the year in Moscow, where he became the first Belgian to
triumph in the popular touring car series. It was the third success of
the season for BMW Team RMG, who had previously won twice with Marco
Wittmann (DE). Team Principal Stefan Reinhold’s (DE) outfit now leads
the Team competition with 103 points.
Three questions for... Maxime Martin.
Maxime, how does it feel to have a DTM win to your
name?
Maxime Martin: “Fantastic. What happened last
Sunday in Moscow is only now starting to sink in. It was always a
dream of mine to race in the DTM. But to go down in history as the
first Belgian to win a race is incredible. I really did not expect to
claim pole and my maiden victory on only my fifth DTM weekend. When I
look at all the messages and congratulations I have received, it makes
me very proud. This was a big step forward.”
How did you celebrate?
Martin: “I had a little
party with my family and friends when I returned from Moscow on
Monday. There were about 40 people there. It was great fun – and the
perfect end to a fantastic weekend.”
Are you particularly proud to be the first Belgian ever to
have won in the DTM?
Martin: “It is obviously great to
be the first person from your country to achieve something. There have
been Belgians in the DTM before me, including my father Jean-Michel
and Eric van de Poele, who actually won the title in 1987. However,
nobody managed to win a race before me. That definitely means
something to me. Eric also contacted me and congratulated me after the
race. We know each other and get on very well.”
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Japanese Super GT: Two BMW Z4 GT3s in the top ten.
Two BMW Z4 GT3s made it into the top ten at the fourth GT300 race in the Japanese Super GT Championship in Sugo (JP) on Sunday. BMW works driver Jörg Müller (DE) and Seiji Ara (JP) finished eighth in the number seven car for BMW Sports Trophy Team Studie. Akira Iida (JP) and Hiroki Yoshimoto (JP) of the TWS LM corsa team came home tenth. The third BMW Z4 GT3 in the field, driven by Nobuteru Taniguchi (JP) and Tatsuya Kataoka (JP), was 15th. Taniguchi and Kataoka continue to top the GT300 standings with 80 points to their name. Müller and Ara follow in third place with 52 points. Victory in Sugo went to Subaru drivers Kota Sasaki (JP) and Takuto Iguchi (JP).
Asian Le Mans Series: Victory for AAI-Rstrda in Inje.
The AAI-Rstrdateam started the 2014 Asian Le Mans Series with victory in the GT class. After three hours and 111 laps of racing, Hanchen Chen (TW), Ryohei Sakaguchi (JP) and Marco Seefried (DE) crossed the finish line in first place in the number 92 BMW Z4 GT3 in Inje (KR). Their team-mates Jun San Chen (TW), Tatsuya Tanigawa (JP) and Oliver Millroy (GB) finished third.
