Formula BMW Talent Cup winner Marvin Dienst visits class of 2013 // Szymkowiak wins test race in Spielberg.

Munich (DE), 12th July 2013. Nine weeks ahead of the season finale of the 2013 Formula BMW Talent Cup, Marvin Dienst (DE) dropped in to pay the current crop of talented racing drivers a visit. Last season’s winner was on hand to answer any questions the young drivers may have had during the on-track event at the Red Bull Ring in Austria. For the talented youngsters, the meeting with Dienst provided a welcome opportunity to glean valuable information on the “Grand Final”, which forms part of the support programme for September’s DTM race in Oschersleben (DE). The winner of the three races will receive financial backing from BMW for a season in a higher-level single-seater series in 2014.

As part of the media training, which forms just one module of the extensive education programme, Dienst spent a good hour and a half in a simulated press conference, during which he answered the drivers’ questions on his successful 2012 Formula BMW Talent Cup campaign. “If I could, I would jump at the chance to do the training again,” said the 16-year-old. Dienst is competing in this year’s ADAC Formula Masters, with the financial backing of BMW courtesy of his victory in the 2012 Formula BMW Talent Cup, and already has two podium finishes to his name. “The training prepared me systematically, step by step, for a successful career in motor racing. Winning the ‘Grand Final’ in Oschersleben was a dream come true for me, and even today I still often think back to the training I received last year. I am still benefitting from what I learned back then.”

As well as meeting Dienst, the talented young racing drivers also contested two test races at the Red Bull Ring in Spielberg, for which they had prepared extensively in a simulator at the iZone Driver Performance Centre in Silverstone (UK). While David Droux (CH) secured pole position in qualifying, it was Jules Szymkowiak (NL) who emerged victorious in both test races. “Winning on a track like the Red Bull Ring, which also hosts the DTM, is very special for me,” said Szymkowiak. “The many up and downhill sections make the circuit a real challenge. The preparations in the simulator in Silverstone really helped me secure the two wins today. I am already looking forward to the next test race.” The next on-track event takes place from 6th to 8th August on the 5.922-kilometre Slovakiaring near the Slovakian capital Bratislava (SK).

Result of test race 1: 1. Jules Szymkowiak (NL), 2. David Droux (CH), 3. Nico Menzel (DE), 4. Michael Waldherr (DE), 5. Kaan Önder (TR), 6. Bar Baruch (IL), 7. James Allen (AU), 8. Florian Stüger (DE), 9. Michael Wolf (SA).

Result of test race 2: 1. Jules Szymkowiak (NL), 2. David Droux (CH), 3. James Allen (AU),  4. Nico Menzel (DE), 5. Bar Baruch (IL), 6. Michael Waldherr (DE), 7. Kaan Önder (TR), 8. Florian Stüger (DE), 9. Michael Wolf (SA).

You can find more information on the Formula BMW Talent Cup at www.formula-bmw.com. Video highlights of the 2012 events are also available 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.