[954Stealth]

QUOTES FROM BMW DRIVERS AND TEAM BEFORE SPIELBERG:

Augusto Farfus (car number 3, BMW Team RBM): “Spielberg is a great track. I love the landscape there. It's one of the most beautiful backdrops in the DTM. The track itself has extremely fast bends, which should suit our car. I like this type of corners. It's very important to have a car with a good high-speed balance, but that can also decelerate well. Last year we qualified well and had a good race. I hope that we can repeat that.”

Joey Hand (car number 4, BMW Team RBM): “Spielberg is one of the tracks on which I have already had good results and I really like the track. The surroundings are beautiful too. The atmosphere is just fantastic. It has everything: a great race track, fabulous scenery and excellent fans. All this is why the event is a real highlight of the season for me.”

Bruno Spengler (car number 9, BMW Team Schnitzer): “Spielberg is a great track. There are uphill and downhill sections and the track has a little bit of everything: long straights, hard braking zones, slow and fast corners. The final two corners are extremely demanding. The final corner, with a bump in the middle, is particularly fun. Last year went very well for us. I won the race and there were three BMW drivers on the podium. Of course each year is different, but we will do our best to be successful again.”

Martin Tomczyk (car number 10, BMW Team Schnitzer): “I have high expectations. I love Spielberg and the Red Bull Ring. It's a great race track and I'm happy we are returning there with the DTM. It's a sensational track with a great layout, which you don't see all that often. I have been successful there in the past and hope that will be the case this year.”

Timo Glock (car number 17, BMW Team MTEK): “I'm already looking forward to Spielberg. I've had some successful races there. The best memories are, of course, those from last year when we had three BMW drivers on the podium. I hope that we will be just as strong again this year. It's a very fluid track with many fast corners. But there is also a long straight. We should be well positioned once again.”

António Félix da Costa (car number 18, BMW Team MTEK): “We're looking forward to Spielberg. I think the track will suit our car, particularly in the second and third sectors, where there are lots of high-speed corners. I like this type of fast corner. It's like a home race for me and the Red Bull BMW M4 DTM and I always love representing the brand's colours. We need to remain focussed and do our homework so that we are competitive in qualifying and in the race.”

Marco Wittmann (car number 23, BMW Team RMG): “I'm really looking forward to Spielberg. The track is great, as is the landscape. It makes for a fantastic atmosphere. I achieved my best DTM result up to that point there last year, which is why I am really excited. I'm hoping for another strong result this year. Particularly after last year's success when I finished second in qualifying and in the race, I'm optimistic about the weekend.”


Maxime Martin (car number 24, BMW Team RMG): “I've already raced in Spielberg and tested there last year in the BMW M3 DTM. The landscape there is just fantastic, and the track is interesting. That's why I'm looking forward to the weekend. The track is really fast and demanding for us drivers. I like it. I'm already excited to see what we will be able to achieve there. BMW was really strong there last year and finished first, second and third. We will all be trying to repeat that success this year.”


Jens Marquardt (BMW Motorsport Director): “The first half of the 2014 DTM season is over and things couldn't have gone much better for BMW Motorsport, with three victories in five races. The BMW M4 DTM got off to a dream start: From the word go our new challenger was victorious as it crossed the finish line with Marco Wittmann at the wheel in Hockenheim. In Budapest Marco followed this up with his second victory and leads the drivers' standings. And Maxime Martin, one of our rookies this year, celebrated his first pole position and first victory at the last race in Moscow. We have been strong in the first half of the season. Now we will give it our all to stay on track. The fans can definitely look forward to an exciting second half of the season. As of this week, we now know we will return to Zandvoort at the end of September. Naturally we would have loved to visit China. However, in order for a DTM race to be held successfully, it is important that the general conditions are right, from a safety point of view, but also from a sporting and commercial perspective. It wasn't possible to meet the required standards for this race. But for now we are looking forward to the next race in Spielberg. It won't be easy for us: The performance weights that we have to carry in our cars as a result of our good results to date will definitely play a role from this point on.”