BMW scores 50th DTM victory with Bruno Spengler at Lausitzring

After 20 years of absence from the DTM racing scene and in the second race only of the long-awaited comeback season of the prestigious Bavarian car manufacturer, BMW scored the first and the third place on the podium of the 2012 DTM race held in Lausitzring.

Exactly 19 years, six months and 25 days after the last triumph, Canadian DTM driver Bruno Spengler, at the wheel of the BMW M3 DTM, crossed the finish line at the Lausitzring in first place. In a breathtaking second race of the season, the Canadian DTM driver Bruno Spengler held off first round winner and challenging British Mercedes driver Gary Paffett who finished in second place. Brazilian DTM Augusto Farfus crossed the finish line in third place in the Castrol EDGE BMW M3 DTM to complete an amazing team result for BMW.

In terms of numbers, the BMW DTM victory in Lausitzring marks a milestone in the DTM history of the Bavarian car manufacturer. Canadian DTM driver Bruno Spengler follows in the footsteps of Italian Roberto Ravaglia, who scored the brand’s 49th victory in the DTM on 11th October 1992 on the famous Hockenheim race-track. Back then, BMW Team Schnitzer, with Team Principal Charly Lamm was responsible for the BMW M3.

Almost 20 years later, the team from Freilassing once again made DTM history by scoring the BMW's 50th DTM victory and the first win since the company’s return to the series, after a period of absence of almost 20 years. The victory also represents a landmark for Bruno Spengler, as the 28-year-old Canadian driver secured the tenth victory of this DTM career at the 3.478-kilometre Lausitzring. Bruno Spengler first win came at the Norisring on 23rd July 2006.

Reigning DTM champion Martin Tomczyk (BMW M Performance Parts M3 DTM) finished seventh to score six points for BMW Team RMG. His American team-mate Joey Hand crossed the line 14th in his Samsung BMW M3 DTM. British driver Andy Priaulx (Crowne Plaza Hotels BMW M3 DTM) and German driver Dirk Werner (E-Postbrief BMW M3 DTM) crossed the finish line in 17th and 19th position respectively. The race weekend was eagerly followed by 72,000 motorsport fans at the Lausitzring.

Right from the start, BMW DTM drivers Bruno Spengler and Augusto Farfus were involved in a thrilling duel with the two Mercedes’ of the British drivers Gary Paffett and Jamie Green. Bruno Spengler defended his lead by coining a brilliant start from pole position and holding onto his position at the front of the field till he crossed the finish line in a deserved light to flag race victory, thanks to excellently timed and executed two pit-stops by the BMW Schnitzer Team.

Jamie Green, 2nd in the opening race of the season in Hockenheim a week ago, finished in fourth position and posting a time of 1:19.025 minutes, the fastest lap of the race at the Lausitzring. This is the second time he achieves this at the Lausitzring. In total, Mercedes has clocked eight out of thirteen fastest laps in DTM races at this track since 2001. It was also the 164th fastest lap for Mercedes-Benz since 1988.

Although Brazilian BMW DTM driver Augusto Farfus was passed by Gary Paffett on lap one, the Brazilian brilliantly withstood constant attacks from the fourth-placed Jamie Green for lap after lap. His reward came in form of scoring his first podium finish in the DTM.

After the first two races of the 2012 DTM season, Gary Paffett retains the overall championship lead with 43 points from his fellow Mercedes-Benz driver Jamie Green (30 points). Bruno Spengler and Matthias Ekstr?¶m are tied in fourth place with 25 points each.
Mercedes-Benz also leads in the DTM manufacturer championship with 96 points to BMW’s 54 points and Audi, 52 points.


DTM Lausitz – results:

1. Bruno Spengler Schnitzer BMW 1h09m45.795s
2. Gary Paffett HWA Mercedes + 1.019s
3. Augusto Farfus RBM BMW + 7.069s
4. Jamie Green HWA Mercedes + 7.676s
5. Mattias Ekstrom Abt Audi + 21.362s
6. Timo Scheider Abt Audi + 22.607s
7. Martin Tomczyk RMG BMW + 25.446s
8. Edoardo Mortara Rosberg Audi + 32.202s
9. Filipe Albuquerque Rosberg Audi + 32.658s
10. Ralf Schumacher HWA Mercedes + 35.513s
11. Christian Vietoris HWA Mercedes + 45.699s
12. David Coulthard Mucke Mercedes + 46.355s
13. Mike Rockenfeller Phoenix Audi + 47.667s
14. Joey Hand RMG BMW + 48.034s
15. Miguel Molina Phoenix Audi + 48.836s
16. Roberto Merhi Persson Mercedes + 56.454s
17. Andy Priaulx RBM BMW + 58.984s
18. Adrien Tambay Abt Audi + 1m04.646s
19. Dirk Werner Schnitzer BMW + 1m05.201s
20. Rahel Frey Abt Audi + 1m08.570s
21. Susie Wolff Mucke Mercedes + 1 lap

AE
06.05.2012
Lausitz - Dubai - Cairo