BMW Motorsport News – Issue 44/14.
BMW Sports Trophy 2014: Winner Palttala in the BMW M4 DTM.
A dream came true for BMW privateer Markus Palttala (FI): After
the 2014 season had drawn to a close, the Finn took to the race track
once again – in a BMW M4 DTM. This was Palttala's reward from BMW
Motorsport for winning the drivers' standings of the 2014 BMW Sports
Trophy. A total of 283 BMW privateers from 26 countries registered for
this year's competition. With successes in the BMW Z4 GTD in the
United SportsCar Championship (USCC) and in the BMW Z4 GT3 in Europe,
Palttala secured first place, for which he received 30,000 euros in
prize money and got to drive the BMW M4 DTM. In Jerez de la Frontera,
Spain, Palttala spent a day with BMW Motorsport's DTM team and climbed
into the cockpit of the BMW M Performance Parts M4 DTM.
Three questions for … Markus Palttala.
Markus, did you think you would be the top driver come the end
of the BMW Sports Trophy season?
Markus Palttala: “After my successful season in both America
and Europe, I initially had my sights set on a place in the top 25. I
thought that was a realistic goal. I never even considered finishing
right up at the top, or actually winning. That was a genuine surprise.
I don’t know what means more to me: winning the BMW Sports Trophy or
the fact that I was able to drive the BMW M4 DTM. Both were absolutely incredible.”
You could hardly hope for a better end to the season …
Palttala: “Yes, it has been a great year for me. However, the
way it finished was obviously the icing on the cake. I won a few races
in the USCC, but not the title. We finished runners-up at the 24-hour
race in Spa-Francorchamps. That was awesome, but we still just missed
out on the big victory. Therefore, winning the BMW Sports Trophy was a
very nice compensation."
What did the BMW M4 DTM feel like?
Palttala: “I was obviously expecting great things before my
drive. But the BMW M4 DTM exceeded all my expectations. The downforce
is so much greater than in a GT car. You really notice it in the long,
fast corners. The brakes are also better, although the difference here
to a GT car is not so profound. What really blew my mind was the downforce.”
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24H series: Jörg Müller to compete in 24H Dubai.
BMW works driver Jörg Müller's (DE) 2015 racing season will
start shortly after the turn of the year. From 8th to 10th January,
2015, Müller will compete in the 24-hour race in Dubai (AE). He will
start for the MPB Racing team and will share the cockpit of a BMW
M235i Racing with Matias Henkola (FI), Stephan Kuhs (DE) and Bernhard
Henzel (DE). 2015 will see the tenth edition of the 24H Dubai. BMW
privateer teams have registered a total of 15 BMW race cars in the
various classes.
FIA Formula E Championship: BMW in action as “Official Vehicle
Partner” in Uruguay.
After two appearances in Asia,
the drivers and teams of the FIA Formula E Championship were in South
America this weekend. The Punta del Este ePrix in Uruguay marked the
third round of the trend-setting race series for Formula vehicles with
electric drive. BMW is the “Official Vehicle Partner” of the
innovative championship and was in action once again in Uruguay,
ensuring safety on the track with the BMW i8 Safety Car and the BMW i3
Medical Car. Also, BMW DTM driver António Félix da Costa (PT) made
another appearance for Team Amlin Aguri. However, a technical problem
forced him to retire before the end of the race. Victory in the
eventful Punta del Este ePrix, which saw the BMW i8 Safety Car take to
the track a total of four times, went to Sébastien Buemi (CH), ahead
of Nelson Piquet Jr. (BR) and Lucas di Grassi (BR).