THE BMW DTM SQUAD
German Touring Car Championship
The magic three letters "DTM" once stood for "Deutsche Tourenwagen-Meisterschaft" (German Touring Car Championship). Today, DTM is the trademark of the one of the most popular international touring car racing series. DTM history began in the 1984 season with cars that were close to the production versions and culminated in a worldwide series for high-tech touring cars in 1996. After a three-season break the DTM, in 2000, celebrated a successful comeback with a trendsetting concept – fascinating technology at reasonable costs. Today, the DTM series is regarded as the "pinnacle" of touring car racing and one of Europe's leading sports events.
The video below follows the BMW DTM drivers in 2013 after the return of BMW to DTM in 2012. This quote from the video producers poignantly sums up the visuals that will resonate with many of us.
"We learned a lot, but not about racing. But about life."
Racing is life. Enjoy.
More about BWM DTM: 2012, the year in which BMW Motorsport made its comeback to the DTM, was a special one for several reasons. Even the boldest optimists had not expected such a triumph. After a 20-year DTM absence BMW won all the titles against the high class and experienced competition.
That BMW would continue its success story in the DTM – after title wins in 1984, 1987 and 1989 – already became apparent at an early stage of the season. With Bruno Spengler's victory in the second race at the Lausitzring BMW Motorsport came full circle: after two decades following the last victory in the DTM up to then, a BMW driver was again at the very top of the podium. Both Spengler and – 20 years earlier – Roberto Ravaglia were driving for BMW Team Schnitzer. This close connection between the past and present ran like a thread through the entire season. Spengler's second victory at the Nürburgring crowned the festivities held on BMW M's 40th anniversary.
The successful comeback of BMW Motorsport ended in a brilliant finale at Hockenheim at which Spengler secured his first DTM title on clinching the fourth victory of the season. BMW Team Schnitzer triumphed in the teams' classification. That BMW Motorsport was able to decide the manufacturers' classification in its favor as well was the icing on the cake of a fabulous season. In total, the BMW drivers achieved five victories and five pole positions. Augusto Farfus received the accolade of being the best rookie of the season.
In 2013, BMW Motorsport competed in DTM with a larger squad. In addition to BMW Team Schnitzer, BMW Team RBM and BMW Team RMG, BMW Team MTEK headed by Team Director Ernest Knoors will be fielding two further BMW M3 DTM cars. In terms of personnel, Timo Glock and Marco Wittmann will augment the successful six-some from last year. Test and development driver is the Belgian Maxim Martin.
The BMW DTM Drivers:
Andy Priaulx
Andy Priaulx is a British racing driver from Guernsey, and is a BMW factory driver. He is a European Touring Car Championship champion, three times World Touring Car Championship champion and the only FIA Touring Car champion to win an International level championship for four consecutive years (2004 to 2007).
Augusto Farfus
Augusto Farfus s a Brazilian BMW factory driver. He presently lives in Monaco.
Bruno Spengler is a French-born Canadian BMW factory racing driver, nicknamed 'The Secret Canadian'. He won the 2012 DTM Drivers' Championship.
Dirk Werner
Dirk Werner is a German BMW factory racing driver. He was 2007 and 2009 Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car Series champion for Farnbacher-Loles Racing driving a Porsche 911 and finshed third in the GT Class in the 2011 American Le Mans Series season. Werner has scored podiums at some of the most prestigious endurance races, such as the 24 Hours of Daytona, 24 Hours of Spa, 24 Hours of Nürburgring, 12 Hours of Sebring and Petit Le Mans.
Since 2010, Werner is a BMW works driver, and has competed at the 24 Hours of Le Mans (with little success), the Le Mans Series and the Intercontinental Le Mans Cup in addition to the American Le Mans Series.
In 2012, he will be one of the six BMW drivers in its return to the Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters after two decades of absence.
Joey Hand is an American professional racing driver, and is currently a BMW factory driver. A former champion of the Star Mazda Series, Hand is best known as a sports car driver, and is co-winner of the 2011 24 Hours of Daytona driving for Chip Ganassi Racing and the 2012 12 Hours of Sebring GT class for Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing.
Marco Wittman
Marco Wittman is a German racing driver, and BMW works driver. He currently resides in Markt Erlbach. Wittmann has competed in such series as Formula Three Euroseries and Formula BMW ADAC/Europe. BMW has recently signed Wittmann as the marque's 7th DTM driver, in an expansion to four teams with eight drivers and cars for the 2013 DTM season.
Martin Tomczyk is a German BMW factory driver. After a karting career, he raced in Formula BMW and Formula Three, where he finished 12th in 2000. In 2001 he moved up to the Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters. In 2000 his best result was a fourth place on the Nürburgring where he also took the fastest of the race. He took his first pole position in Hockenheim 2002 but he retired from the race. In 2004 he took his first podium in Estoril. During 2004 he also finished second in Zandvoort, Oschersleben and Hockenheim on his way to finish fifth in the championship. Tomczyk took his first win in Catalunya 2006 where he also took pole. In 2007 he took two wins to finish third that season. Eleven years after his DTM debut he won the championship in 2011, driving for Team Phoenix, after nine races with three wins and a third place finish in Valencia. In 2012, Tomczyk was signed as a BMW Team RBM driver, moving to Team RMG in 2013.
Timo Glock
Timo Glock is a German BMW factory racing driver, who previously drove in Formula One for the Jordan, Toyota, Virgin Racing and Marussia F1 teams. At the 2004 Canadian Grand Prix, standing in for Giorgio Pantano who had a contract dispute with Jordan, he joined a select group of drivers who have scored a World Championship point in their first Formula One race. After leaving Formula One in 2013, Glock became a works driver for BMW in the Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters, driving for BMW Team MTEK, and achieved his first DTM podium at the Red Bull Ring, and a first win at the season finale at the Hockenheimring.
More about the video:
FROM CURITIBA TO BRUSSELS.
FROM BODYMOUNT TO HELICOPTER.
FROM RACETRACK TO SKITRACK.
FROM ANDY TO TIMO.
THAT'S "THE SQUAD".
DIRECTOR // TIM HAHNE
PRODUCER // NICK HAHNE
DoP // THOMAS NÖSNER
ASSISTANT // JULIUS JACOBY
POST PRODUCTION // STEREOSCREEN
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