# Four BMW M4 DTM cars finish in the points at the Norisring



## [email protected] (Aug 15, 2012)

The fifth race of the 2015 DTM season, at the Norisring (DE), developed into a real rain and tyre lottery. Four BMW drivers scored valuable points today. It began to rain at the 2.3-kilometre street circuit shortly before the race was due to start, which led to differing tyre strategies throughout the grid. BMW Team MTEK's Bruno Spengler (CA) was one of the drivers who started the race on slicks in his BMW Bank M4 DTM. After 46 laps, he was the most successful of the BMW drivers, finishing fifth. Victory went to Mercedes driver Pascal Wehrlein (DE).

Martin Tomczyk (DE, BMW M Performance Parts M4 DTM), the only BMW driver to begin the race on wets, took the chequered flag directly behind Spengler in sixth. DTM champion Marco Wittmann (DE, Ice-Watch BMW M4 DTM) finished his home event in ninth place, behind fellow BMW driver Augusto Farfus (BR, Shell BMW M4 DTM).

António Félix da Costa (PT, Red Bull BMW M4 DTM) and Timo Glock (DE, DEUTSCHE POST BMW M4 DTM) missed out on the points, as they finished twelfth and thirteenth. Tom Blomqvist (GB, BMW M4 DTM) and Maxime Martin (BE, SAMSUNG BMW M4 DTM) retired from the race.

*Reactions to the fifth race of the 2015 DTM season.*

*Jens Marquardt (BMW Motorsport Director):* "The weather lottery we were expecting is exactly what we got. We performed well and four of our cars finished in the top ten. By finishing fifth and sixth in unsettled conditions, Bruno Spengler and Martin Tomczyk were particularly impressive - although they both started the race on different tyres. Overall, our speed was okay on a drying track. We have improved since the opening races and can build on this. I wish to congratulate Mercedes who, once again, were victorious here at the Norisring."

*Bruno Spengler (BMW Team MTEK, 5th place):* "Track conditions were difficult to work out today. As such, we needed to choose the correct tyre strategy before the race. My engineer selected slicks, which was precisely the right choice as I came through the field well. A big thank you to my team and well done to everyone - you all did a great job. I'm very satisfied with how my race panned out, but I do know that we have a lot of work ahead of us. I'm pleased we were able to score points today."

*Martin Tomczyk (BMW Team Schnitzer, 6th place):* "I'm more or less satisfied - although the safety car period did annoy me a little as it cost me a better result. Nevertheless, I think that starting the race on wet tyres was the correct strategy. My pace was good and I was driving quickly. It would have been good if we could have had just a few more laps."

*Augusto Farfus (BMW Team RBM, 8th place):* "Choosing the correct tyres was difficult. My team made the right decision but we had a great deal of understeer in the race, and we weren't able to show the performance we were capable of. It's a shame because we showed a strong pace for the whole weekend and were faced with difficulties during the race. I had a problem in the closing stages and lost a few positions. We will use the time to take another proper look at the car and make some improvements ready for tomorrow."

*Marco Wittmann (BMW Team RMG, 9th place):* "Of course, we had to be more careful at the start because of the rain. The more the track dried out, the quicker I was able to drive. The different strategies today proved to be equally successful. I had hoped for a little bit more, but now we just have to see that tomorrow is better."

*António Félix da Costa (BMW Team Schnitzer, 12th place):* "I had a lot of fun. The beginning was hard as I had slicks on a wet track, but we were able to keep up with the drivers ahead, and I was able to pull off a few good overtakes. Towards the end of the race, I had problems with my brakes again. We want to make a few set-up changes, so we are going to work hard ready for tomorrow."

*Timo Glock (BMW Team MTEK, 13th place):* "Unfortunately, this was a hard race for us as we just didn't have the speed to keep up with the best BMW drivers. After a few instances of contact, which damaged my car, I lost alignment at the front and I couldn't rectify it."

*Tom Blomqvist (BMW Team RBM, DNF):* "My start was alright. I was wedged in before turn one and had to swerve inwards. When I came back onto the track another car had spun and we touched, which caused damage to my car and ended my race. I'll get a second chance tomorrow."

*Maxime Martin (BMW Team RMG, DNF): *"I started on slicks, as some other drivers did. As far as I'm concerned, that was the right choice. I was in the middle of the pack and was trying to overtake Edoardo Mortara in his Audi, but we made contact. It wasn't a hefty impact but my car was too heavily damaged. It's a shame, as this is only my second retirement in the DTM series, but these things happen."

*DTM standings.*

*Drivers' Championship*.
1. Jamie Green (81 points), 2. Mattias Ekström (58), 3. Edoardo Mortara (58), 4. Pascal Wehrlein (57), 5. Robert Wickens (32), 6. Gary Paffett (30), 7. Miguel Molina (27), 8. Mike Rockenfeller (21), 9. Martin Tomczyk (20), 10. Christian Vietoris (18), 11. Timo Scheider (16), 12. Maxime Martin (16), 13. Paul di Resta (15), 14. Marco Wittmann (14), 15. Bruno Spengler (12), 16. Nico Müller (10), 17. Daniel Juncadella (10), 18. Timo Glock (5), 19. Augusto Farfus (5).

*Team Championship.*
1. Audi Sport Team Rosberg (91 points), 2. Audi Sport Team Abt Sportsline (85), 3. gooix/Original-Teile Mercedes-AMG (75), 4. Audi Sport Team Abt (58), 5. SILBERPFEIL Energy Mercedes-AMG (47), 6. Audi Sport Team Phoenix (37), 7. EURONICS/BWT Mercedes-AMG (30), 8. BMW Team RMG (30), 9. BMW Team Schnitzer (20), 10. BMW Team MTEK (17), 11. PETRONAS Mercedes-AMG (10), 12. BMW Team RBM (5).

*Manufacturers' Championship.*
1. Audi (271 points), 2. Mercedes-Benz (162), 3. BMW (72).



*2015 race calendar.*
1st-3rd May - Hockenheim (DE), 29th-31st May - Lausitzring (DE), 26th-28th June - Norisring (DE), 10th-12th July - Zandvoort (NL), 31st July-2nd August - Spielberg (AT), 28th-30th August - Moscow (RU), 11th-13th September - Oschersleben (DE), 25th-27th September - Nürburgring (DE), 16th-18th October - Hockenheim (DE).


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