Last time out in the DTM Series at Zolder, BMW‘s Philipp Eng claimed his maiden victory in the series.
With his first DTM victory in Saturday’s race, the Austrian followed it up with second in Sunday’s race.
As a result, heading to this weekend’s round at Misano he leads the Drivers’ Championship.
The Austrian showed great emotion in his celebrations, dedicating his win to Charly Lamm who was a big part of the BMW Schnitzer family until his passing in January.
Speaking to BMW, Eng said: “Charly was a good friend and a very important companion. He was just an incredibly great person. I learned a great deal in the year that I drove for him in the ADAC GT Masters. And not only about motorsport. He always said: ‘You have to be in the right frame of mind.’
“That was always our running gag, but it was much more than that. We had a very special, close connection. It was a great loss, and at Zolder I felt him sitting on the passenger seat next to me and keeping his fingers crossed for me.”
Now in his second season in the DTM, Eng has learnt a lot from his time in the series which has allowed him to find himself in the position of leading the championship.
“A large part of that was getting to know all the processes and procedures at a DTM weekend. Crucial for the current success is that I know to do this and that at this point and that point. Particularly when it comes to working with my engineer. That we always communicate well and always find the right time to take a step forward.
“It was difficult at the very beginning because I learned that at a DTM race weekend a great deal is about organising yourself so I had to get used to that first. It all gives you a routine and self-confidence. And I think that is a great difference this year compared with last year.”
Despite a positive start to the season, the Austrian is not getting ahead of himself.
“I think that in the DTM, you just need to try to be consistently up there at the front and consistently picking up points. You don’t necessarily have to win every race, you just need to always be in the top four or top five. It is also important to pick up points in qualifying. That is my primary objective.
“By keeping on doing what we have been doing, and not trying to reinvent the wheel, rather focussing on the basics, which is good preparation and a simple, but confident approach to the races.”
His immediate focus, switches now to Misano where he could only manager sixteenth in both races last season but coming off the back of strong results he will be optimistic.
