After the spectacular opener at the Hockenheimring (GER), the 2018 DTM enters its second round this weekend. Races three and four of the season will take place on 19th and 20th May at the Lausitzring (GER). Timo Glock (GER) of BMW Team RMG arrives in the Lusatia region of Germany as the championship leader.
He followed up third place in Saturday’s race at Hockenheim with a victory on Sunday, earning him 44 points and the top spot in the overall standings. His lengthy battle with Mercedes driver Gary Paffett (GBR) will go down as one of the most exciting duels in the history of the DTM.
Rookie Joel Eriksson (SWE) from BMW Team RBM also put in a noteworthy performance at the opening DTM weekend, qualifying third fastest on Sunday, before finishing fourth in race two. Eriksson is sixth in the championship, making him the second-best BMW driver. His team-mate Bruno Spengler (CAN) is also in the top-ten in eighth place.
Expectations ahead of the DTM races at the Lausitzring.
Jens Marquardt (BMW Motorsport Director):
“The breathtaking battle between Timo Glock and Gary Paffett, and the incredible season-opener at Hockenheim in general, are obviously still in everyone’s minds. That is the kind of motorsport for which the DTM is known. That is what we want to offer the fans every weekend. Our next opportunity to do so is at the Lausitzring. Timo leads the Drivers’ Championship and, on the whole, we have made a very good start to the season. Unlike at Hockenheim, nobody has tested at the Lausitzring with the 2018 DTM cars. The longer layout is also new to everyone so it promises to be a weekend full of surprises, hopefully with some exciting battles like the one between Timo and Gary.”
Stefan Reinhold (Team Principal, BMW Team RMG):
“After the season-opener at Hockenheim, we travel to the Lausitzring with plenty of momentum. The atmosphere in the team is very positive. We must obviously do our homework before the next races to ensure that Marco and Augusto finish higher up this time. We are also aware that we have not always fared as well at the Lausitzring as at other circuits in the past. We will work hard to change all that this year.”
Marco Wittmann (#11 BMW Driving Experience M4 DTM, BMW Team RMG – 13th overall, points: 2):
“It is important for us to take a step forward compared to Hockenheim, particularly in terms of race pace. We have seen that it is possible, as Timo was extremely strong at Hockenheim. We have to do that better at the Lausitzring. I obviously have a lot of associations with the Lausitzring, especially after winning my first DTM title there in 2014. As such, I have a lot of very fond memories of the circuit.”
Augusto Farfus (#15 Shell BMW M4 DTM, BMW Team RMG – 14th overall, points: 1):
“Hockenheim was a learning process and now we need to convert it to results at the Lausitzring. I’m confident because the race pace was there on Sunday at Hockenheim. I think that the Lausitzring will be good, because it is still new for everybody with the new cars and everyone will start from zero there. In that respect, I think that it will be a good challenge.”
Timo Glock (#16 DEUTSCHE POST BMW M4 DTM, BMW Team RMR – 1stoverall, points: 44):
“The opening weekend at Hockenheim, with third place on Saturday and pole position and victory in that incredible Sunday race, was obviously fantastic. We will have to wait and see how it pans out at the Lausitzring. We have not been so strong there in the past. However, our goal for this season is to improve at the circuits where we have not done so well up to now, and to score as many points there as possible. The Lausitzring is one of those circuits. We are really motivated and will do our very best.”
Bart Mampaey (Team Principal, BMW Team RBM):
“We are very excited about the races at the Lausitzring. We want to build on the positive start at the Hockenheimring. Joel almost made it onto the podium as a rookie on the Sunday, while Bruno fought back fantastically. That shows that we are on the right path. Philipp also learned a lot from his first start of the season. I am sure that his first points will not be long in coming. The fact that we produced the fastest pit stop of the entire field on the Sunday at Hockenheim showed that our team is doing an excellent job.”
Bruno Spengler (#7 BMW Bank M4 DTM, BMW Team RBM – 8th overall, points: 12):
“The results at Hockenheim were not bad, with points finishes in both races. The Lausitzring is a circuit that I really like. I am intrigued to see how our car gets on there. We definitely have the potential to do well. I have won races at the Lausitzring in the past, and the new layout is particularly nice. The fans in Lusatia are always great too.”
Philipp Eng (#25 SAMSUNG BMW M4 DTM, BMW Team RMR – 17th overall, points: -):
“I have always been successful at the Lausitzring in the past. Last year, we did well there with the BMW M6 GT3 in the ADAC GT Masters. I also did my first laps in a DTM car there – at the rookie test. Those are good memories. Let’s see how we get on there with the SAMSUNG BMW M4 DTM.”
Joel Eriksson (#47 BMW M4 DTM, BMW Team RBM – 6th overall, points: 13):
“We have some work to do, for sure, but we are on a very, very good path. For me it just about keeping pushing and continuing to work as hard as possible because it is so tight and tough in DTM. The Lausitzring is actually one of my favourite tracks. I am really looking forward to it. It is an amazing track. I won there in Formula 4 and I have a good history at that track.”
