BMW M Motorsport had started preparations for 2020 by working on reliability over the winter.
The progress made in this area had already been confirmed at the test at Vallelunga (ITA) in mid-February. The focus therefore shifted to the performance of the BMW M4 DTM at the Nürburgring. The test also gave the two new BMW DTM drivers Lucas Auer (AUT) and Jonathan Aberdein (RSA) the chance to familiarise themselves with the BMW M4 DTM. Together with Marco Wittmann (GER), Timo Glock (GER), Philipp Eng (AUT) and Sheldon van der Linde (RSA), they shared driving duties on the four days of testing.
In total, the six BMW DTM works drivers completed 1,725 laps or 6,260 kilometres of testing during the Nürburgring tests. The 2020 DTM season starts on 1stand 2ndAugust at Spa-Francorchamps in Belgium.
Reactions to the DTM tests at the Nürburgring:
Jens Marquardt (BMW Group Motorsport Director):
“The past few months have been really difficult for all of us. This was a situation that no one among us has ever experienced before, neither in private nor in professional life. That is why it is great that all the safety measures have allowed us to return to the racetrack with the DTM tests at the Nürburgring. A big thank you to ITR for making this possible with their safety concept. Guaranteeing the safety and health of everyone is the top priority and the ITR and all participants have done a great job in that respect. It is fantastic to hear the sound of the engines again and to see how the drivers and teams are working – even though the way we work is very different to how it used to be, but we have got used to this very quickly. A certain normality is returning to proceedings, albeit a very different one. However, we are back and we are looking forward all the more to the start of the season at Spa-Francorchamps in August. We’ve still got some work to do beforehand but I think that we are on the right track. We are hoping to provide great race action on TV and streaming for the fans, who have also had to wait a long time.”
