The 2015 DTM season moves to the Netherlands for the fourth round of 2015, with BMW Motorsport looking to show their fighting spirit again after a strong showing at the Norisring.
Over the weekend at the Norisring Canadian Bruno Spengler started to show some form for the marquee, claiming pole for race two before going on to claim a podium in the race, the first for BMW Team MTEK in 2015. As for the rest of the BMW drivers, all of them finished in the points, again a first in 2015.
“We showed fighting spirit at the Norisring, and were rewarded with pole position for and third place in Sunday’s race for Bruno Spengler,” said Jens Marquadt, BMW Motorsport Director. “All the BMW teams finished in the points. That was important for our confidence. However, we are well aware that we must continue to improve. After the exciting races at the Norisring, in front of 123,000 passionate spectators, the DTM moves on seamlessly. Everyone will start from scratch in Zandvoort.”
Last year at Zandvoort BMW finished second and third in the single race, with 2014 champion Marco Wittmann and Martin Tomczyk claiming the last two rostrum positions. Also at Zandvoort last year BMW Team RMG wrapped up the Team Championship, with the Dutch round then being the second to last race of the season.
“Last year in Zandvoort we celebrated our next big success in the DTM after Marco Wittmann had previously won the Drivers’ Championship,” commented Stefan Reinhold, team principle of Team RMG. “We were crowned Team champions with races to spare, and Maxime Martin was confirmed as ‘Rookie of the Year’. This is reason enough for us all to be very much looking forward to the races at ‘Circuit Park’.”
This year however the track plays host to the start of the non-German rounds of the championship, with the classic ‘old-school’ track being followed by the Red Bull Ring in Austria and the Moscow Raceway in Russia.
Looking ahead to this weekend’s race, reining champion Wittmann commented: “It is always nice to come to Zandvoort. The atmosphere is very pleasant and the circuit, with its many corners, is exciting. In the past we have always had really good results there. Last year we were on the podium. I think the track will suit us better than the previous ones this year. As such, we are quite optimistic and looking forward to it.”
Also looking forward to racing at the iconic costal track is BMW Team Schnitzer driver António Félix da Costa, who is all too aware of the risks that the track poses.
“The track in Zandvoort is a very iconic circuit. If you make a mistake there, you pay a high price” said the driver of car #77. “We saw that last year, with a number of cars crashing into the walls and barriers. I think we should do better in Zandvoort, with its high-speed corners.”
This weekends’ track action kicks off on Saturday, with Sunday playing host to the second race of the weekend.
