BMW Motorsport heads into the final third of 2017 DTM season at the Nürburgring.

The starting position:

After two strong performances in Zandvoort (NED), BMW Motorsport travels to the seventh DTM race weekend of the season at the Nürburgring. Timo Glock (GER) had secured first place on the Saturday, while Augusto Farfus (BRA) did the same on the Sunday at the North Sea dune circuit. In Saturday’s race, Glock claimed his fourth DTM win, while Marco Wittmann (GER) and Maxime Martin (BEL) completed an all-BMW podium. Wittmann crossed the line first in Sunday’s race but was later removed from the standings. However, Martin, Glock, Farfus and Spengler scored more important points in sixth, seventh, eighth and tenth places respectively. Ahead of the races at the Nürburgring, Glock is the best-placed BMW driver in the drivers’ standings; he is in fourth place with 104 points,

24 points behind the leader. He is followed by Martin in fifth place with 102 points. In the manufacturers’ championship, BMW is in second place with 405 points. Audi leads the championship with 518 points.

The expectations:

BMW Motorsport Director Jens Marquardt: “BMW Motorsport’s history is closely linked to the Nürburgring, which is why we are so looking forward to going back there with the DTM. Since our comeback in 2012, we have had some successful weekends in the Eifel Mountains, with wins for Bruno Spengler and Maxime Martin, as well as two victories for Marco Wittmann and more podium finishes. We would like to continue that trend this year. The races at the Nürburgring mark the start of the final third of a consistently exciting season. We can safely assume that it will be a close-run thing in the Eifel region too. Last season showed that it is difficult to make any sort of prediction. The weather adds an element of unpredictability that can shake things up. We are looking forward to a great, exciting weekend that will hopefully be successful too.”

Stefan Reinhold (Team Principal, BMW Team RMG): “The Nürburgring is a home race for our whole team. You really can say that we all love the Nürburgring and we all have some great memories from recent years. That is why we are approaching the weekend with plenty of motivation. We have seen that we are well placed this season with our drivers and we hope that we can record some top finishes at the Nürburgring once again.”

Marco Wittmann (#11, Red Bull BMW M4 DTM – 68 races, 8 wins, 18 podiums, 8 pole positions, 616 points, 2 Drivers’ titles): “I have always been very successful at the Nürburgring and I was able to win there in 2014 and 2016. This is a home race for my RMG team and I will be on the attack. I really like the circuit and have always been fast there so I am hoping for two good qualifying and race results this weekend. I need to make up a few points after being disqualified in Zandvoort.”

Augusto Farfus (#15, Shell BMW M4 DTM – 78 races, 4 wins, 12 podiums, 6 pole positions, 368 points): “The Nürburgring as a whole is something special. It is just a temple of motorsport and it is always great to be there. I simply love the Nürburgring, especially the Nordschleife. Our form has been improving over the last few races and our pace in Zandvoort was fantastic. We were on the front row of the grid twice and we showed that we can definitely do a good job. We want to use this impetus and score some more important points at the Nürburgring.”

Timo Glock (#16, DEUTSCHE POST BMW M4 DTM – 68 races, 4 wins, 8 podiums, 3 pole positions, 317 points): “I am excited about the race at the Nürburgring. It is the home circuit for our team. I hope that we have another good weekend there and can score some points, just like we did in the last races. I would be delighted if we were successful there - primarily for the team, of course. The weather at the Nürburgring is always good for a few surprises, so I am excited to see what awaits us.”

Bart Mampaey (Team Principal, BMW Team RBM): “We had a home race in Zandvoort and the same can be said of the Nürburgring, as it is not far from the Belgian border. We have some good memories from recent years and our drivers are really liking the circuit: Maxime and Bruno won there already and Tom came very close to winning last year. The Nürburgring poses different challenges to those in Zandvoort. The circuit has some interesting slow and fast sections but most of all you cannot underestimate the influence of the weather. It is important to have a good set-up from the first practice session onwards and our engineers and drivers are working very hard to achieve this. Recently we confirmed our good form in the pit stop competition by winning the Zandvoort event so the team looks in good shape. Our objective is to allow all three drivers to score good points at the Nürburgring and hopefully add more podiums to our 2017 record.”   

Bruno Spengler (#7, BMW Bank BMW M4 DTM – 151 races, 15 wins, 48 podiums, 18 pole positions, 820 points, 1 Drivers’ title): “The Nürburgring is one of my favourite circuits. I have won there several times, in all conditions. That is why the Nürburgring is one of the highlights of the season for me. The fans at the Nürburgring are something special. I have already competed there this year, as I took part in the 24-hour race on the Nordschleife for the first time, and I saw the enthusiasm of the fans once again. The DTM fans at the Nürburgring are really great and they always look forward to seeing us race there. We drivers look forward to seeing the fans too.”

Tom Blomqvist (#31, BMW Driving Experience M4 DTM – 48 races, 1 win, 5 podiums, 2 pole positions, 193 points): “I like the Nürburgring. I have had some good results there in the past and I have always been fast. I also think that our car should be good there so I am really looking forward to the Nürburgring. I hope we have some good weather, as that always plays a part. The objective is to score some points.”

Maxime Martin (#36, SAMSUNG BMW M4 DTM – 58 races, 3 wins, 10 podiums, 3 pole positions, 333 points): “The Nürburgring is always really special. I have competed in plenty of races there, primarily on the Nordschleife. There is always a special atmosphere at the Nürburgring when the DTM comes to visit. The fans there are really passionate about motorsport and the circuit has a long history. It is always fun to drive there. The short circuit is interesting and the whole environment there is simply great.”

The history:

The Nürburgring was opened in 1927 and is the oldest permanent race track in Germany. The 20-kilometre Nordschleife is especially well-known, and DTM races took place there from 1984 to 1993. BMW celebrated eight wins at the Nürburgring in the “old days” of the DTM. Nowadays, the Nordschleife is known as the “Green Hell” and hosts endurance races, including the 24-hour race. The DTM races take place on the short version of the Grand Prix circuit and BMW has claimed four wins there since making a comeback in 2012. The lap record on the 3.629-kilometre circuit was set by Wittmann on 17th August 2014, as he drove his BMW M4 DTM round in 01:23.175 minutes. Wittmann has been victorious at the Nürburgring on two occasions, in 2014 and 2016. In 2015, Martin topped the podium as the winner. Spengler won in 2012, on his way to the drivers’ title.