Home victory for BMW Team RMG: Maxime Martin wins in the SAMSUNG BMW M4 DTM at the Nürburgring.

Martin, who started the race from second on the grid, got off to a good start and took the lead after the first corner. An accident involving the two Audi drivers, Jamie Green (GB) and Miguel Molina (ES), in the opening phase initially led to the BMW M4 Coupé Safety Car coming onto the track. However, there was so much oil over the tarmac that the race organisers decided to red flag the 15th race of the season for safety reasons. After the restart behind the safety car, Martin was able to maintain his lead and went on to celebrate an uncontested win.

The second BMW Team RMG driver, Marco Wittmann (DE, Ice-Watch BMW M4 DTM), also made it into the top ten and finished the race in seventh. António Félix da Costa (PT, Red Bull BMW M4 DTM) also picked up valuable points; the BMW Team Schnitzer driver finished ninth. Timo Glock (DE, DEUTSCHE POST BMW M4 DTM) and Augusto Farfus (BR, Shell BMW M4 DTM) finished in 13th and 18th.

Bruno Spengler (CA, BMW Bank M4 DTM) on the other hand was unlucky. For a long time it looked like he would also be in with a chance of a spot on the podium. However, soon after coming into contact with Edoardo Mortara (IT, Audi) in the duel for second place, the BMW Team MTEK driver was forced to return his damaged BMW Bank M4 DTM to the garage. Tom Blomqvist (GB) also retired from the race early due to damage he had suffered before the red flag.

Martin Tomczyk (DE) of BMW Team Schnitzer was unable to take part in the race. His car started vibrating and initially it wasn’t possible to discover the cause. To continue trying to find the reason, Tomczyk’s BMW M Performance Parts M4 DTM was inspected in detail after qualifying. This meant the German was unable to compete in the afternoon.

Jens Marquardt (BMW Motorsport Director): “That was an extremely strong race by Maxime Martin. He was clear, commanding and dominant, and it was a great pleasure to watch him during this race. It was also a mini anniversary victory for us: The BMW M4 DTM got its tenth win. I’m also pleased for BMW Team RMG. Just like last year, it got another home win here. Naturally I would have hoped the race would have gone differently for Bruno Spengler. In second place he was unable to keep up with the speed of Maxime, the rivals chasing him were in his DRS window. He battled well, but in the end was forced to retire early with damage to his car and a flat tyre. Marco Wittmann and António Félix da Costa both had a strong race. They were able to keep out of everything and pick up valuable points with flawless performances. We are looking ahead now. We were competitive here today and want to reinforce that tomorrow.”

Maxime Martin (BMW Team RMG, 1st place): “I am very happy with my second DTM win. BMW Team RMG did a fantastic job and gave me a perfect car. But it wasn’t an easy race. I didn’t get off to the best start, but was able to assert myself in the first turn and pull away from the pack. However, towards the end of the race I was having problems with my tyres. I had to fight because my rivals had caught up. But everything went well today and I finally made it back onto the top of the podium after the race in Moscow last year.”