Marvin Dienst wins third race of “Grand Final” to be crowned overall winner of the 2012 Formula BMW Talent Cup

Munich, September 16, 2012. Marvin Dienst (DE) is the winner of the 2012 Formula BMW Talent Cup. The 15-year-old from Worms emerged victorious in the third and final race of the “Grand Final”, which was held as part of the DTM race weekend at the Motorsport Arena Oschersleben (DE). In doing so, Dienst also claimed the number one sport in the overall standings in the 2012 Formula BMW Talent Cup.

Starting the race from fifth on the grid, Dienst soon climbed to third place courtesy of a good start. He then moved into the lead on lap four after Louis Delétraz (CH) and Ralph Boschung (CH) collided whilst fighting it out at the front of the field. While Dienst then set his sights on defending his lead through to the end of the race, Tristan Viidas (EE) was in fourth place and fighting hard for a podium finish that would have seen him crowned champion of the 2012 Formula BMW Talent Cup. In the end, however, Viidas had to settle for fourth place in the race, leaving him level with Dienst on 42 points after the three races that made up the “Grand Final”.

The regulations state that, should one or more drivers have the same number of points in the overall standings after three races, the best race result is to count. This meant Dienst was awarded overall victory, courtesy of his victory in the third race of the final: as well as the fourth place in Sunday’s race, Viidas had finished fourth and runner-up in the two races held on Saturday and so had to settle for second place overall.

Dienst was joined on the podium on Sunday by Alfonso Celis (MX) and Ioan Mihnea Stefan (RO) who finished second and third respectively. In finishing third on Sunday, Stefan secured enough points to climb into third place overall at the end of the 2012 Formula BMW Talent Cup on 41 points. After the race, Delétraz was banned from the event following an incident in the pit lane.

And so the 2012 Formula BMW Talent Cup draws to an end with one the closest possible results, once again underlining the high standard displayed by all the participants of this year’s programme. In 2013, BMW will continue to offer talented youngsters an extensive training programme to prepare them for a career in professional motor racing. You can find information on how to register for the 2013 Formula BMW Talent Cup on the BMW Motorsport website at: http://bit.ly/Formula_BMW_Talent_Cup_2013_Registration

Jens Marquardt, BMW Motorsport Director: “Today’s Grand Final in Oschersleben marked the end of an exciting Formula BMW Talent Cup season. Congratulations to Marvin Dienst on winning the 2012 Formula BMW Talent Cup. He emerged victorious from the class of 2012 having taken the results of all three races in the Grand Final into account. Today showed once again just how much can happen in motorsport. Marvin eventually came through to secure overall victory by the narrowest of margins after a number of his rivals, who were better placed at the time, were unable to finish the last of the three sometimes turbulent races – partly due to unfortunate incidents. Just five points separated the top four, with the first and second-placed drivers even ending the weekend on the same points. That just goes to show how evenly matched this year’s participants are.

Although only one can ultimately stand on the top step of the podium, all the drivers in the Formula BMW Talent Cup are winners in our eyes. Over the course of the season, they have made enormous progress in their development. That applies to the learning curves both on and off the track. In the Formula BMW Talent Cup, we provide the talented youngsters with all the tools they will need for a career in professional motorsport. Our concept has been a huge success again this year. I am already looking forward to the 2013 season of the Formula BMW Talent Cup.”

Marvin Dienst, winner of race 3 and overall winner of the 2012 Formula BMW Talent Cup: “I made a good start to the race from fifth place on the grid and was first able to work my way into fourth place and then into third. At this point I had Louis Delétraz and Ralph Boschung in front of me. I held back a bit because they were fighting for overall victory. When they both came off the track I suddenly found myself in first place. From then on I just focussed on finishing the race safely – which I managed. It is amazing to win the 2012 Formula BMW Talent Cup after finishing ninth in the race one and third in the second race of the Grand Final. It has been an exciting season, during which I have learned a lot that will help me in my future career.”

Result of race 3: 1. Marvin Dienst (DE, 25:15.889 min.), 2. Alfonso Celis (MX, +00.725), 3. Ioan Mihnea Stefan (RO, +02.154), 4. Tristan Viidas (EE, +00.791), 5. Pieter-Jan-Michiel Cracco (BE, +33.201), 6. Fabian Schiller (DE, +21.006), 7. Malgorzata Rdest (PL, +04.724), 8. Hugo de Sadeleer (CH, +03.299), 9. Callan O’Keeffe (ZA, +00.714). Not classified: Lukas Jäger (AT, 9 rounds), Ralph Boschung (CH, 13 rounds).

Final standings: 1. Marvin Dienst (DE, 42 points), 2. Tristan Viidas (EE, 42), 3. Ioan Mihnea Stefan (RO, 41), 4. --, 5. Ralph Boschung (CH, 37), 6. Alfonso Celis (MX, 24), 7. Fabian Schiller (DE, 22), 8. Hugo de Sadeleer (CH, 14), 9. Callan O’Keeffe (ZA, 13), 10. Malgorzata Rdest (PL, 13), 11. Pieter-Jan-Michiel Cracco (BE, 10), 12. Lukas Jäger (AT, 4).

You can find more information on the Formula BMW Talent Cup and the 2012 season at www.formula-bmw.com. In addition, you can also watch video summaries of the events so far on the BMW Motorsport YouTube channel: www.youtube.com/BMWMotorsport

You can find the latest BMW Motorsport media information and copyright-free images for editorial purposes online at www.press.bmwgroup-sport.com.