Nürburgring. Second win of the season, 30th victory of his DTM
career: René Rast (GER) had a fantastic Sunday at the fifth race
weekend of the season at the Nürburgring (GER). Driving the #33
RoboMarkets BMW M4 GT3 EVO, he stormed from sixth on the grid to the
top, earning valuable points to rejoin the title race. Marco
Wittmann (GER) already impressed on Saturday with a strong comeback
drive, finishing fifth in the #11 Schaeffler BMW M4 GT3 EVO. On
Sunday, he started from seventh and finished second, completing the
double victory for Schubert Motorsport.
After a disappointing 14th place on Saturday, Rast seemed to be
losing touch in the drivers’ standings. He had actually delivered a
spectacular comeback drive from 17th on the grid to seventh, but a
post-race time penalty following a collision on the first lap dropped
him back. Thanks to his commanding victory on Sunday, Rast is now back
in the title fight, sitting fourth in the overall standings with 117
points, just 20 points behind the leader. The 38-year-old took the
lead from sixth on the grid during the first stint and steadily
extended it on fresh tyres in the second stint.
Wittmann shone in both races. On Saturday, he climbed nine positions,
finishing fifth after starting 14th. On Sunday, a perfect strategy and
strong pit stops by the Schubert team secured him a podium finish. It
was his second podium of the season, and he now sits seventh in the
drivers’ standings with 101 points. Schubert Motorsport holds second
place in the team standings with 213 points.
ADAC GT4 Germany: Victory and two podium finishes for the BMW
M4 GT4 EVO.
BMW M Motorsport teams also celebrated podium finishes at the
Nürburgring weekend in the ADAC GT4 Germany. On Sunday, Gabriele Piana
(ITA) and BMW M Racing Academy member Berkay Besler (TUR) secured the
first win of the season for the BMW M4 GT4 EVO and the FK Performance
Motorsport team. The duo claimed a commanding victory from second on
the grid. On Saturday, Piana and Besler finished fourth – directly
behind two other BMW M4 GT4 EVOs. Thomas Rackl and Linus Hahne (both
GER), along with Tim Reiter and Phillip Wiskirchen (both GER),
completed a double podium for Team ME Motorsport by finishing second
and third. Rackl and Hahne confirmed their strong form with a
fourth-place finish on Sunday.
Statements after the race weekend:
Björn Lellmann (Head of Customer Racing at BMW M
Motorsport): “A fantastic weekend at the Nürburgring is
behind our BMW M Motorsport teams. Schubert Motorsport shone on Sunday
with their second one-two finish of the season after Zandvoort,
re-entering the title fight in both the drivers’ and team standings
after a challenging Saturday race. Equally impressive are the results
in the ADAC GT4 Germany. I am absolutely thrilled about the victory
for Gabriele Piana and our BMW M Racing Academy member Berkay Besler
on Sunday – marking the first win of the season for the BMW M4 GT4 EVO
in this series. Alongside FK Performance Motorsport, ME Motorsport
also had reason to celebrate on the podium. Getting both cars onto the
podium on Saturday was an outstanding achievement. Congratulations and
a big thank you to everyone involved!”
Torsten Schubert (Team Principal Schubert
Motorsport): “It was a weekend of highs and lows. Of course,
we are absolutely thrilled about the one-two victory on Sunday, but
unfortunately, on Saturday, we didn’t have the performance we needed
and left important points on the table. On Sunday, both drivers were
very happy with the cars and were able to work their way from strong
starting positions all the way to the top. Looking at the
championship, we scored a lot of points here, but we now need to keep
fighting. The Sachsenring is coming up next, and it’s a track where
we’ve struggled in the past.”
René Rast (#33 RoboMarkets BMW M4 GT3 EVO, R1: 14th place, R2:
1st place): “The victory on Sunday is a fantastic way to
wrap up the Nürburgring weekend. I already noticed during the
formation lap that my BMW M4 GT3 EVO felt fantastic on the track and
had incredible grip. As a result, I was able to attack right from the
start of the race and secure a surprisingly commanding victory. I had
hoped for a podium, but I didn’t expect the win. Unfortunately, we
left some points on the table on Saturday, but thanks to Sunday’s
results, I’m back in the title fight. Now it’s on to the Sachsenring,
where we’ve traditionally faced some challenges. The goal there will
be to maximise the points we can take.”
Marco Wittmann (#11 Schaeffler BMW M4 GT3 EVO, R1: 5th place,
R2: 2nd place): “It was a very good weekend, and I’m really
happy. Finishing fifth on Saturday from 14th on the grid was already
an incredible comeback. Then to top it off today with second place
after starting from seventh is fantastic. The team did an outstanding
job with the strategy and pit stops, which were the keys to this
success. Especially after the zero points at my home event at the
Norisring, this weekend comes as a real relief.”