DTM Race Preparations by BMW Motorsport Completed

The start of the 2016 DTM season is in four weeks. Since the opening race will be held at the Hockenheim ring (DE), BMW Motorsport did a four-day test there as part of their preparations. In action were eight BMW DTM drivers from four BMW teams. The ultimate goal is to check their progress compared to the opposing teams they will be facing starting May 7.

On the record, Tom Blomqvist (GB) was the fastest BMW driver in the span of 4 days testing there. He is a member of the BMW Team RBM and is the “Rookie of the Year 2015”. He clocked the fastest BMW car time of test runs: 1:33.214 minutes. The fastest overall is an Audi driver, Mattias Ekström (SE), at 1:32.964 minutes.

Luckily, Timo Glock (DE) survived an accident where his car went out of control in a corner and hit the barriers. With no injuries, he was able to go back on track on the same day to continue testing.

The test runs ended with an official DTM Media Day where a few changes for the 2016 race were revealed. In the hopes of putting more importance in the performance of drivers in the race, there were regulation changes. This includes the allocation of performance weight being determined in the qualifying, and not in the race results of the drivers anymore. Additional restrictions were also added to the DRS (Drag Reduction System) so drivers will be pushed to be more strategic in the 2016 race and make use of the tools that they have.

BMW Motorsport Director Jens Marquardt expressed his intention to win this year to further emphasize the centenary of the BMW brand. They are racing for the fans, like always, and they want to give people a good show. Despite the recent changes in regulations, Marquardt is confident that the eight widely experienced drivers have a great chance to win this year. The rules make it an equal playing field and it will be on the hands of the driver to be the best car on the track.

The BMW M4 DTM is 7.5 kilograms lighter and 50 millimetres wider than it was last year. The car that will be used in the season’s first qualifying weighs a minimum of 1,112.5 kg.