Munich. The waiting is over
: this weekend (22nd to 24th November),
BMW M Motorsport will compete at the first joint race event between
the DTM and the Japanese SUPER GT Championship in Japan. Three BMW
M4 DTMs will be in action at the ‘SUPER GT x DTM Dream Race’ at Fuji
(JPN). They will be driven by the BMW M Motorsport ‘Dream Team’,
consisting of two-time DTM champion Marco Wittmann (GER), BMW works
driver and Brand Ambassador Alessandro Zanardi (ITA), and local
favourite Kamui Kobayashi (JPN). The three BMW M4 DTMs will be run
by BMW Team RBM.
Wittmann finished third overall in the 2019 DTM season, making him
the best-placed BMW driver. The Sunday at Fuji is a special date for
him, as he will celebrate his 30th birthday that day.
Zanardi will be making his second appearance in the DTM at Fuji,
following his thrilling guest start at Misano (ITA) in 2018. As at
Misano, his BMW M4 DTM will be equipped with a handbrake system, which
allows him to drive without his artificial legs. Kobayashi will be
driving a BMW M Motorsport race car for the first time at Fuji.
The ‘Dream Race’ at Fuji marks takes the collaboration between the
DTM and SUPER GT series up a notch. The schedule for the event is
similar to DTM race weekends. Two free practice sessions are scheduled
for the Friday. Saturday and Sunday will each feature a qualifying
session in the morning, followed by one race (55 minutes plus one lap)
in the afternoon. As in the DTM, each driver must complete at least
one mandatory pit stop in the race, during which all four wheels are changed.
The ‘Dream Race’ at Fuji is part of the ‘BMW Motorsport Mega Weekend’
at the end of 2019. At Kyalami, South Africa, BMW Team Schnitzer and
Walkenhorst Motorsport will contest the final round of this season’s
Intercontinental GT Challenge (IGTC) with their BMW M6 GT3s. At the
same time, Season 6 of the ABB FIA Formula E Championship gets
underway in Diriyah (KSA), with BMW i Andretti Motorsport Team looking
for a good start to the new season. BMW DTM driver Philipp Eng (AUT)
is also in action at the weekend, at the 2019 FIA GTC World Finals in
Monte Carlo (MON). The best Gran Turismo sim racers in the world will
go head to head there. Eng is competing in the ProAm race and will
support the BMW racers in the Grand Final of the Manufacturer Series
during the World Final.
Quotes ahead of the ‘SUPER GT x DTM Dream Race’ at Fuji.
Jens Marquardt (BMW Group Motorsport Director):
“We are all looking forward to the ‘Dream Race’. The intensified
collaboration with Japanese SUPER GT is an important symbol of the
internationalisation and future of the DTM. The guest appearance of
the SUPER GT cars at the DTM finale in Hockenheim at the start of
October gave us a taste of what we can look forward to at the event at
Fuji. We are now very much looking forward to appearing with our BMW
M4 DTM in front of the Japanese fans, who are mad about motorsport. In
Marco Wittmann, Alessandro Zanardi and local favourite Kamui
Kobayashi, we line up with a real ‘Dream Team’ in the ‘Dream Race’. We
are in a strong position with this trio. It is going to be a fantastic
event and we are already very excited about the races against the
backdrop of Mount Fuji.”
Bart Mampaey (Team Principal BMW Team RBM):
“Racing in Japan is something special for everyone in our team. We
have great memories of victories in Japan in the FIA WTCC. Two years
ago, we looked after the BMW M4 DTM at the DTM show run, which formed
part of the SUPER GT finale in Motegi. That was a fantastic weekend,
which made quite an impression on us, thanks to the passionate fans
and great atmosphere. As such, we are really looking forward to
returning to Japan and running the three BMW M4 DTMs at Fuji. I think
the ‘Dream Race’ is going to be a fantastic event for all involved –
for the drivers and teams from the DTM and SUPER GT, as well as the
fans, who are sure to come in great numbers to Fuji.”
Marco Wittmann:
“I am delighted to be involved in the ‘Dream Race’ with SUPER GT and
the DTM at Fuji. It was a big thing when the Japanese cars made guest
appearances at our season finale at Hockenheim, and now it is our turn
to travel to Japan. I will be driving at Fuji for the first time. The
circuit looks very exciting, particularly with the long straight. I am
already looking forward to the event and hope that we have a good
weekend and are competitive. Although there is no championship at
stake, I would still like to get a good result there. Plus, it is my
30th birthday on the Sunday. A big birthday on a race
weekend, and in Japan – you can’t ask for more than that. That is
another reason for me to look forward to this nice and special end to
the season.”
Alessandro Zanardi:
“I am really excited about competing with the BMW M4 DTM at this
special event. Being a racer, I can obviously not be happy simply
taking part. I want to do my very best, but I also have to be
realistic and understand that these days I drive in races very rarely
– unlike my opponents in the Dream Race. For this reason, I can’t
expect much. However, I went to the DTM round at Misano last year with
the same approach and I came home with a great result. All in all, I
am hoping to surprise myself again this time. I’ve already been to
Fuji in 1990 – which was a long, long time ago. I am very much looking
forward to racing there in the BMW M4 DTM, which is a very enjoyable
car. I am sure it will be a blast in the long, smooth corners at the
Fuji circuit.”
Kamui Kobayashi:
“I am really looking forward to being a part of the first joint race
event between SUPER GT and the DTM in Japan, competing in a BMW M4
DTM. I feel very honoured that BMW M Motorsport has put its faith in
me and, at the same time, I want to thank Toyota for allowing me to
make this appearance at Fuji. For me, it will be a completely new
experience, as I have not driven a DTM car before. However, I am
pretty sure that I will get to grips with the BMW M4 DTM very quickly.
I am also looking forward to being team-mates with Marco Wittmann and
Alex Zanardi, who I already met at Daytona in January. It is great to
have an event like this in Japan and I am convinced that we put on a
thrilling show for the fans. I can’t wait to get to Fuji and to start
this special weekend.”
Media Schedule (all times local times).
Friday, 22nd November
15:30-16:30, Press conference with Marco Wittmann, Briefing Room
Saturday, 23rd November
16:35-17:15, Mixed Zone with the BMW drivers, Briefing Room
Sunday, 24th November
11.05-11.35, Media Round Table with BMW Group Motorsport Director
Jens Marquardt, location to be defined
16:35-17:15, Mixed Zone with the BMW drivers, Briefing Room