The fourth DTM race event of the season at the Norisring was German René Rast’s weekend. In the Saturday race, he used his full experience in the rain gamble of Nürnberg, made the right tyre choice, and celebrated his first season victory in the Schubert Motorsport #33 BMW M4 GT3. His performance on Sunday was equally strong. Starting from 19th place and with 20 kilograms of success ballast, he stormed up to fifth position and collected valuable points in the DTM title race. At the halfway point of the season, Rast is third in the drivers' standings with 93 points, while Schubert Motorsport leads the team standings with 186 points. Sheldon van der Linde and Marco Wittmann also scored points.
Before full stands on the city circuit at the Dutzendteich, Rast drove from seventh on the grid to victory in the first race, because when the rain began, unlike nearly all the other drivers, he did not come in for a tyre change but instead weathered the brief shower on slicks. Thanks to the saved pit stop, he was unstoppable on his way to his 27th DTM win. After two third-places in 2022 and two second-places in 2023, it was the fifth consecutive podium for Rast at the Norisring. Although the series ended with a fifth place on Sunday, his comeback over 14 positions was such strong damage limitation that it felt like another podium. After eight of 16 season races, Rast is just eleven points behind the leader in the overall standings with his 93 points. Schubert Motorsport has a 16-point advantage over second place in the team standings.
For Rast’s teammates Sheldon van der Linde and Marco Wittmann, the weekend did not go optimally. Van der Linde had strong pace in the #31 BMW M4 GT3 and started the Saturday race from the front row. However, he fell back to seventh place in the rain gamble with victory in sight. On Sunday, the 2022 DTM champion was classified in 14th place after a penalty. Wittmann, celebrated by fans at his home game in Nürnberg, could not match his great victory at Zandvoort a few weeks ago. He finished in twelfth and eleventh places in the #11 BMW M4 GT3.
In ADAC GT4 Germany, BMW M Motorsport teams celebrated a 1-2-3 on Saturday. Gabriele Piana and Michael Schrey in the Hofor Racing by Bonk Motorsport #2 BMW M4 GT4 took their fourth season win and thus extended their lead in the overall standings. Their teammates Tim Reiter and Leon Wassertheurer finished third. Leyton Fourie and Max Rosam in the #46 BMW M4 GT4 from FK Performance Motorsport squeezed into second place. On Sunday, the BMW M Motorsport teams had a much harder time. Piana and Schrey finished in eighth place as the best-placed crew. In the team standings, Hofor Racing by Bonk Motorsport is at the top.
Saturday here at the Norisring was fantastic in every respect. With the victory for René Rast in the DTM and the triple podium for the BMW M4 GT4 in the ADAC GT4 Germany, everything just came together. DTM qualifying on Sunday was not so good, but we can be proud of how our guys fought in the race.
Overall, we achieved strong results this weekend and are very well placed with two cars in the drivers' standings and also in the team standings at the halfway point of the season.
Comments:
René Rast (#33 RoboMarkets BMW M4 GT3): “A gigantic weekend! I would not have thought it possible to leave Nürnberg with a win, a fifth place, and third place in the drivers' standings, just eleven points behind. On Saturday, my decision not to switch to rain tyres was spot on. The race on Sunday from the last row could not have gone better. I had a great first lap and also benefited a little from penalties for others. But still, making up so many places in a DTM race is incredible.”
Sheldon van der Linde (#31 Shell BMW M4 GT3): “It was a weekend of 'could have, would have, should have.' On Saturday, the victory slipped through our fingers due to the difficult conditions. That would have been extremely good for me in the championship, but it was not to be. On Sunday, there was no more to be had in qualifying, and in the end, the race was tough. But that's how it is sometimes. Next up is the Nürburgring in August.”
Marco Wittmann (#11 Schaeffler BMW M4 GT3): “The atmosphere at my home event was once again great. It makes me proud to have such a fan base behind me. All the more frustrating is that I couldn't excite the spectators with good results on the track. Overall, it was a super weekend for the team, but I had hoped for more personally. We now have to analyse why I couldn't keep up with the pace of my teammates here and get the problem under control with a view to the second half of the season.”