BMW Team RMG Team Principal Stefan Reinhold says he is ‘intrigued’ by what the balance of power will be at the Norisring this weekend, as his team tries to protect Marco Wittmann’s championship lead in the Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters.
Wittmann heads to the fourth round of the German series with a lead of 19 points over Audi’s reigning champion Mike Rockenfeller, thanks to two wins from Wittmann in the opening three races.
Not only does 24-year-old Wittmann lead the championship, but this weekend’s race on the streets of Nürnberg at the Norisring will be his home race.
“We have had a very good start to the season and are obviously looking forward to Marco Wittmann’s home race at the Norisring,” said Reinhold. “We are working very hard to ensure Maxime Martin and Marco remain successful.
“The Norisring is a unique and difficult circuit, which represents a completely new challenge for everyone after three of ten races. Because of this, we are very intrigued to discover the balance of power on this circuit. As always, it will be important that the team does not make any mistakes on the weekend.”
Wittmann himself is looking forward to his home event. The driver from Fürth, just north-west of Nürnberg, scored a tenth place finish on his first attempt at the race in the DTM in 2013 and is looking forward to entering this year’s race as the championship leader. Historically the circuit has been good to Wittmann, who scored a brace of wins in the Formula 3 Euro Series at the circuit in 2011.
“There is huge anticipation ahead of my home race at the Norisring,” said Wittmann. “This event is the highlight of the year and it is fantastic to compete at my home race as the leader in the Drivers’ Championship.
“The circuit is only a few kilometres from my home, so my family and friends will be there to support me and cheer me on. A good result at the Norisring would be a dream come true.”
Whilst Wittmann has several years’ previous experience at the circuit, RMG’s other driver, Belgian Maxime Martin, has never previously raced around the 2.3 kilometre circuit.
“Every DTM driver wants to race at the Norisring and to put in a good performance there,” explains Martin. “The circuit itself does not look all that difficult, with just two hairpins and a chicane. However, it is a real challenge.
“I have yet to complete a single lap there so far, so I don’t know exactly what awaits me. For this reason, I am preparing meticulously and really looking forward to pulling out of the pit lane for the first time.”