Photo: BMW Motorsport
This year was the first one for the brand new M4 DTM model on behalf of BMW. The 2014 DTM Championship was a successful one for the Bavarian manufacturer, claiming two of the three titles up for grabs. However, that’s only a small portion of the story.
Looking over the statistics the blue and white roundel company has in the German Touring Car championship, it’s hard not to notice that they are by far the most successful, especially since their return to the series in 2012.
Over the last 3 seasons, BMW won six of nine titles that were up for grabs. Two of them solely this year, after last year they claimed the Manufacturer’s Title and in 2012 they achieved the trifecta, winning everything in their first run in the series after 20 years.
Since returning to the competition, the M3 Coupe and new M4 won 15 of the 30 races so far which translates into 50 percent of the total. That means Mercedes and Audi had to split the remaining 50 percent between themselves. At the same time, 13 of these 30 races had a BMW on pole position.
In total, the BMW drivers claimed 35 podium, the grand total of points gathered for their manufacturer rising to 1,094 in three years, more than any other company involved in the competition. Speaking of points and positions on the finishing grid, BMW is also the only manufacturer that managed to occupy the top four positions at the end of a race in the last three years (Spielberg, 2014).
Marco Wittmann just became the youngest German DTM Champion of all time, at just 24. He also managed to secure the title in the eight race of the season, a performance that didn’t happen since 2001 when Bernd Schneider did the same.
His team was also all inspiring and the driving force behind him. Finishing second from bottom in the 2013 Team Standings, BMW Team RMG managed to win the Teams’ title this year, showing incredible change of pace.
To top it all up, the new M4 managed to fill the huge shoes it had to wear this year. Following in the footsteps of all great cars that raced in the DTM before it, the new model won the title in its inaugural year, just like the BMW 635 CSi in 1984, the BMW E30 M3 in 1987 and the BMW M3 DTM in 2012. Furthermore, the M4 also won its first race ever, on the Hockenheim in the opening of the 2014 DTM season.
Over the last 3 seasons, BMW won six of nine titles that were up for grabs. Two of them solely this year, after last year they claimed the Manufacturer’s Title and in 2012 they achieved the trifecta, winning everything in their first run in the series after 20 years.
Since returning to the competition, the M3 Coupe and new M4 won 15 of the 30 races so far which translates into 50 percent of the total. That means Mercedes and Audi had to split the remaining 50 percent between themselves. At the same time, 13 of these 30 races had a BMW on pole position.
In total, the BMW drivers claimed 35 podium, the grand total of points gathered for their manufacturer rising to 1,094 in three years, more than any other company involved in the competition. Speaking of points and positions on the finishing grid, BMW is also the only manufacturer that managed to occupy the top four positions at the end of a race in the last three years (Spielberg, 2014).
What about the numbers for this year?
In the 2014 season, the high-pace was maintained by BMW. Overall, the eight drivers claimed 5 victories this year out of 10 races, with 11 podium finishes, four pole positions and four fastest laps. Those numbers are hard to come by.Marco Wittmann just became the youngest German DTM Champion of all time, at just 24. He also managed to secure the title in the eight race of the season, a performance that didn’t happen since 2001 when Bernd Schneider did the same.
His team was also all inspiring and the driving force behind him. Finishing second from bottom in the 2013 Team Standings, BMW Team RMG managed to win the Teams’ title this year, showing incredible change of pace.
To top it all up, the new M4 managed to fill the huge shoes it had to wear this year. Following in the footsteps of all great cars that raced in the DTM before it, the new model won the title in its inaugural year, just like the BMW 635 CSi in 1984, the BMW E30 M3 in 1987 and the BMW M3 DTM in 2012. Furthermore, the M4 also won its first race ever, on the Hockenheim in the opening of the 2014 DTM season.
Google News