Even though the 8 drivers that make up the squad for this year’s DTM assault to retain all three titles have more racing preparation to do, a driver’s work in the off-season is never done. This was true for both new BMW Motorsport family member Timo Glock, as well as current DTM Champion Bruno Spengler, but both the commitments each driver had were enjoyable nevertheless.
Herr Glock has a clear love for football, as his loyalty for team support leads to Entracht Frankfurt, being that he grew up in the state of Hesse, and was enthralled to take part in the draw for the semi-final matches in the DFB Cup. This took place on Sunday at the ARD Sportschau studios, before the 30-year-old former Marussia F1 Team driver appeared on the ‘hiemspiel!‘ sports show on Hessischer Rundfunk TV to discuss his decision to leave F1 and join BMW once again.
Canada’s latest racing hero, Spengler, along with BMW Motorsport Director, Jens Marquardt, attended the recent ADAC Gala in Munich last Thursday, which had the following slogan: “Genuß trifft Leidenschaft” (enjoyment meets passion). Both the ADAC and Dallmayr, DTM caterers for BMW, invited guests for a healthy dose of good food and motorsport discussion.
During the panel discussion, where Bruno’s BMW Bank M3 DTM was on display, the 2012 Champion talked about his title-winning season. Alongside his M3 was the first generation BMW M3 DTM, which was driven by Prince Leopold of Bavaria in the series between 1989 and 1992, which brought back memories for BMW Motorsport personnel and fans alike, especially as the Prince was also in attendance that evening.
Spengler then travelled to a private meeting with 20 of his most loyal fans the following day at Frankfurt am Main. The fans that were invited to this personal thank-you directly from Bruno, have continued to support the Canadian since his career in the Formula 3 Euroseries. Many of the fans selected to attend, have for several years, attended every single race that Spengler has competed in.
Spengler says how much it really meant to him as a race driver, with such a devoted set of people supporting him: “That was a very nice evening. We have all known each other for ten years and used the dinner to tell funny stories from the past. My relationship to these fans is very special. You could call them my motorsport family.”
The team soon ventures to Viareggio as part of their preparations for the upcoming season, where it will be back to square one for all the drivers and teams, when the most internationally recognised touring car series in the world roars back into life in May.
