BMW Motorsport News – Issue 34/15.

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: Glock and Blomqvist triumph for BMW in Oschersleben.

Impressive outing in the “Magdeburger Börde” region of Germany: the BMW teams claimed two impressive top-four lock-outs in races 13 and 14 of the DTM season. Timo Glock (DE) of BMW Team MTEK won Saturday’s race, leading home a quartet of successful BMW drivers. In Sunday’s race, it was Tom Blomqvist (GB) of BMW Team RBM who emerged as the dominant driver. The Brit earned a place in the history books as the youngest BMW winner in the DTM. Victory marked the highlight so far of the rookie’s first DTM season.

Three questions for … Tom Blomqvist.

Tom, did you think you would win a race in your first season in the DTM?
Tom Blomqvist: “You obviously always hope you will get a win under your belt. The start of the season was really tough for me. I noticed that it is far from easy to be among the front-runners in this series. The standard of the competition is incredibly high. When everything does come together, you have to take your opportunity – and today was one of those days. I am obviously hungry for more now!”

Let’s talk about the race: you moved into the lead immediately after the start. After that, you wasted little time in pulling clear of the rest of the field...
Blomqvist: “The start was key. I knew it would be easier for me if I could get into the lead. I feel far more comfortable when I can pull away at the front. That is what I am used to from single-seater racing. In single-seater racing cars, you do not follow so close as you can in the DTM. As soon as I was out in front and had a clear track in front of me, I knew I just had to drive every lap as though it was a qualifying lap. The car was very good. I was able to open a gap ahead of Augusto, and returned to the track with a healthy lead after the pit stop. I was actually never under any great pressure. However, it was a long race.”

Will you now set yourself higher goals for the final few races of the season?
Blomqvist: “You have to. It is fantastic to have got my first win under my belt. I have now achieved that goal. It is just wonderful to get out there and bring home this win after not having picked up too many points in the previous races. We are now looking for similar success in the closing stages of the season.”

--

British GT Championship: BMW Z4 GT3 wins Team competition.
Team Russia by Barwell secured the Team title in the GT3 class of the British GT Championship in a dramatic finale in Donington (GB). Jon Minshaw and Phil Keen (both GB) came home third at the wheel of the #63 BMW Z4 GT3 in the final race of the season. The podium finish earned the duo sufficient points to clinch victory in the Team competition, finishing ahead of Triple Eight Racing among other teams. Lee Mowle and Joe Osborne (both GB) were fourth in the #888 BMW Z4 GT3 in the decisive ninth race of the season. In contrast, Alexander Sims and Marco Attard (both GB) were very unfortunate. They travelled to Donington leading the Drivers’ Championship by two points. However, the two Ecurie Ecosse drivers were forced to retire the #1 BMW Z4 GT3 following an incident on lap 13. This dashed any hopes of winning the Drivers’ Championship. The title went to Aston Martin drivers Jonny Adam and Andrew Howard (both GB), who were second coming into the final race. The race was won by Derek Johnston and Matt Bell (both GB) in their Aston Martin.

ADAC Procar: title decided with races remaining.
With two race weekends still to come before the end of the season, MINI drivers have wrapped up two titles in the ADAC Procar championship. Sweden’s Fredrik Lestrup can no longer be caught at the top of the Drivers’ Championship in Division 1. He won another two races at the wheel of the number 9 MINI John Cooper Works at the Sachsenring (DE) and now tops the standings with 121 points. With a maximum 48 points up for grabs in Zandvoort (NL) and Spa-Francorchamps (BE), the title is his. Meanwhile, Steve Krisch (DE) was crowned champion elect in Division 3, which is exclusively for MINI John Cooper Works Challenges.