This week saw BMW Motorsport take to the track for the first time with the new M4 DTM, which is the latest challenger that all eight drivers will use to help defend the manufacturer title, as well as look to further glory, as per its comeback season two years ago.
Two of the new cars were being put through their paces from a basic aerodynamic perspective, as 2,500 kilometres were covered at Monteblanco by six of the eight drivers that are heading into battle for 2014. The new car is yet to be officially unveiled but was running in camouflage for the test’s duration.
2013 runner-up Augusto Farfus was helping to shakedown the new cars, along with 2012 Champion Bruno Spengler, Marco Wittmann and Timo Glock, with both rookie drivers António Félix da Costa and Maxime Martin also getting in on the development drive by Munich. Joey Hand and Martin Tomczyk were there as a part of BMW’s annual photo shoot that takes place before every season gets underway.
The high work rate that all three manufacturers are currently showing is in preparation for the upcoming official ITR tests that will be taking place firstly at Hungaroring between the 31st of March and 3rd of April, followed by the final four days at the Hockenheimring between the 14th and 17th of April.
The fine-tuning will continue right up until the first roll out of the season in the first weekend of May, as Mike Rockenfeller will look to keep the number 1 on his Audi RS5 DTM for the second year running.
The time is ticking away, as the fans wait to fill the stands, the teams are getting themselves ready for war. The drivers are eagerly waiting for that first set of lights to go out this coming May. DTM is getting closer to roaring back into life, as it is just a matter of waiting…
