BMW Motorsport News – Issue 39/14.

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: Even more awards for the champion.
DTM champion Marco Wittmann (DE) received multiple honours in the week following the season finale in Hockenheim (DE). The ADAC announced that an expert jury had voted Wittmann 2014 racer of the year. Wittmann was also entered into the Golden Book of his home town Fürth (DE) and was then congratulated on his achievements by the Lord Mayor of Fürth, Dr. Thomas Jung, the Mayor of Nürnberg, Dr. Klemens Gsell, and Dr. Birgit Kreß, the Mayor of the municipality of Markt Erlbach (DE), where Wittmann spent his childhood, in front of around 100 guests at an official champion's party in Nürnberg. Among the well-wishers were the heads of the Motorsport Club Nürnberg (MCN), organiser of the DTM race at the Norisring (DE), of which Wittmann is a member. During the champion's party, which BMW Motorsport Director Jens Marquardt also attended, Henning Putzke, head of BMW Motorrad Deutschland presented the DTM champion with a BMW Maxi Scooter Edition Wittmann in the colours of his Ice-Watch BMW M4 DTM.

DTM: Maxime Martin at press conference for “Essen Motor Show”.
Only a few days after the 2014 season finale of the DTM in Hockenheim (DE) and BMW DTM works driver Maxime Martin (BE) already had his next appointment. In Essen (DE), he took part in the press conference ahead of the “Essen Motor Show”. In front of numerous media representatives, Martin reported on his successful debut season in the DTM with BMW Team RMG, in which he celebrated one victory and ended up “Rookie of the Year”. He also stressed that the “Essen Motor Show” is extremely popular in his home country of Belgium: “The 'Essen Motor Show' is very well known in Belgium, I'll definitely be going.” In 2014, the “Essen Motor Show” will be held at the Essen fair venue from 29th November to 7th December. More than 500 exhibitors will be presenting everything to do with sporty cars, motorsport, tuning, classic cars, and motorcycles. As in previous years, the DTM will have its own exhibition space. The organisers are expecting around 360,000 visitors.

VLN: Derscheid/Flehmer celebrate overall victory.
Rolf Derscheid (DE) and Michael Flehmer (DE) are the new overall winners of the VLN endurance championship at the Nürburgring (DE). In their BMW 325i, the duo won the final race of the season in the V4 class and extended their lead further. It's the first overall victory in the series for both of them. In 2011, Carsten Knechtges (DE), Manuel Metzger (DE) and Tim Scheerbarth (DE) won the last title for a BMW team up to now. Max Partl (DE) and Jörg Weidinger (DE), who started the BMW M235i Racing Cup finished sixth in the VLN overall standings.

BMW M235i Racing Cup: MPB Racing celebrates first victory at season finale.
BMW Motorsport junior Jesse Krohn (FI) and his fellow countryman Matias Henkola (FI) celebrated the MPB Racing team's first victory at the VLN season finale in the BMW M235i Racing Cup class. The duo in the BMW M235i Racing number 686 car had a 5.6 second advantage over Emin Akata (DE) and Michael Schrey (DE) of the Walkenhorst Motorsport team after about three hours of racing. This second place was enough for Akata and Schrey to secure second place in the drivers' standings behind Daniel Zils (DE), Uwe Ebertz (DE) and Norbert Fischer (DE), who have already secured the championship. The trio from the Adrenalin Motorsport team retired early in the final race. Third place in the 39th DMV Münsterlandpokal went to Friedhelm Mihm (DE), Heiko Eichenberg (DE) and Thomas Jäger (AT) from the Sorg Rennsport team.

FIA WTCC: Franz Engstler celebrates another victory in the TC2 class.
On the penultimate weekend of the FIA World Touring Car Championship (WTCC) in Suzuka (JP), Franz Engstler (DE) won the TC2 class in the first race. In his BMW 320 TC, he had a 2.5 second advantage over SEAT driver John Filippi (FR). Engstler didn't finish the second race. However, he had already wrapped up the championship in the TC2 class before the race weekend. The final stop of the year is the legendary street circuit in Macau (MO).

GT4 European Series: Van der Ende and Van Oranje win the title.
The title in the Pro Class of the GT4 European Series has been won by a BMW team. Third place at the penultimate race of the season in Monza (IT) was enough for Ricardo van der Ende (NL) and Bernhard van Oranje (NL) of Racing Team Holland by Ekris Motorsport to secure the title in their BMW M3 GT4. The Dutchmen also won the team title in the Pro Class after Simon Knap (NL) and Jörg Viebahn (DE) won the race on Sunday. A BMW driver also won the title in the Am Class. André Grammatico (FR) took the title in his BMW M3 GT4 thanks to his victory in the second race on Sunday. Liesette Braams (NL) and Rob Severs (NL) won the first Amateur Class race in their BMW M3 GT4, but missed out on winning the title in the second race in their battle with Grammatico.