Nürnberg.
René Rast (GER) managed to limit the damage for Schubert
Motorsport during an overall disappointing DTM race weekend at the
Norisring (GER). Thanks to strong fighting performances in both
races, he secured valuable championship points with tenth and
seventh-place finishes. Marco Wittmann (GER) endured a frustrating
home event. After finishing 18th on Saturday, he was forced to
retire on Sunday in the very first lap due to an unavoidable
accident. Meanwhile, there was reason to celebrate in ADAC GT4 Germany.
On the tight street circuit in Nürnberg, Rast and Wittmann lacked the
tools to secure top qualifying positions. However, Rast made
significant progress in both races, climbing from 17th and 11th on the
grid to finish 10th and 7th, respectively. On Sunday, he was as low as
14th at the time of the restart following Wittmann’s crash but managed
to move up significantly thanks to strong performances by both himself
and the team. Rast remains within striking distance of the
championship lead, sitting on 90 points, just 19 points behind the
leader. Schubert Motorsport is third in the team standings with 155
points. For Marco Wittmann, his home event was a frustrating
experience. On Saturday, he lacked the pace to move forward from his
starting position, finishing 18th. On Sunday, his race ended in the
very first corner when he was squeezed by several competitors and
pushed into the wall, leaving him with no chance to continue.
ADAC GT4 Germany: Double podium for
Besler/Piana.
The ADAC GT4 Germany races were much more
successful for BMW M Motorsport teams. BMW M Racing Academy member
Berkay Besler (TUR) and Gabriele Piana (ITA) delivered standout
performances in the #21 BMW M4 GT4 EVO from FK Performance Motorsport.
The duo, fresh from their first win of the season in the GT4 European
Series a week earlier, continued their strong form with second-place
finishes in both races at the Norisring. On Saturday, three BMW M4 GT4
EVOs finished in the top ten, and on Sunday, four cars achieved the
same feat. Among them was the car of BMW M Racing Academy member Niels
Tröger (GER), who, alongside Andreas Jochimsen (DEN), finished sixth
and eighth.
Statements after the race weekend:
Björn Lellmann (Head of Customer Racing at BMW M
Motorsport): “We are all disappointed after this very mixed
weekend, especially because the Norisring is such an important event
for our partner Schaeffler. I feel very sorry for Marco Wittmann and
his fans that his race ended so early on Sunday. What René Rast
achieved on Sunday, moving from 14th at the restart to finish 7th, was
impressive. Unfortunately, we couldn’t position our cars at the front
in qualifying, which makes it very difficult to move forward on such a
short track. On the other hand, ADAC GT4 Germany went very well. I’m
delighted with the two podium finishes for FK Performance Motorsport
and drivers Berkay Besler and Gabriele Piana. Both Berkay and Niels
Tröger, our BMW M Racing Academy members, delivered strong
performances at the Norisring.”
Torsten Schubert (Team Principal Schubert Motorsport):
“These were tough races for us. It was clear that other
manufacturers were significantly faster than us at the Norisring. On
Sunday, we managed to move René forward with a good strategy and
strong pit stops, extracting the maximum. It’s a real shame for Marco
that he was pushed into the wall through no fault of his own in the
very first corner of his home race on Sunday. We are now fully focused
on being more competitive at the Nürburgring. We’ll also be there with
the ADAC GT Masters before the DTM and hope to gain valuable insights.”
René Rast (#33 RoboMarkets BMW M4 GT3 EVO, R1: 10th place, R2:
7th place): “It was a tough weekend for us. We didn’t have
the speed we needed to compete at the front. Thanks to the team’s
great work, I was able to make up many positions in both races and
extract nearly the maximum. We’ll take the points and haven’t lost too
much ground in the standings. It was damage limitation. Now we’ll
focus on doing better next time.”
Marco Wittmann (#11 Schaeffler BMW M4 GT3 EVO, R1: 18th place,
R2: DNF): “A very disappointing weekend for me. We
struggled from the start and never had the pace to aim for a top ten
or top five result. Then, to be pushed into the wall in the first
corner of my home race on Sunday is disheartening. There was nothing I
could do in that situation. The only positive was the fantastic fans,
who once again made the Norisring event unique.”