Bruno Spengler hopes to put BMW on top quickly

Bruno Spengler is hoping to quickly establish BMW in the top of the Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters.
“As a racing driver and as a team you always want to win races as soon as possible. With that in mind, our goal is to challenge at the front of the field, finish on the podium, and start winning races as quickly as possible,” said Spengler.

The Canadian has switched from Mercedes to BMW ahead of the 2012 season and the main reason was to be a part of a new project from the start.
“I was very successful at Mercedes-Benz. I claimed victories and pole positions, and narrowly missed out on winning the championship on four occasions. At this point, I would like to thank Mercedes-Benz for the support they gave me over the last few years – and for giving me a start in the DTM back then. However, moving to BMW is a new challenge for me. To be part of a project like this from the very beginning, and to work with a completely new team and one of the largest automobile brands in the world – that is very interesting and exciting for a racing driver like me,” said Spengler.

Spengler recently got his first taste of the new BMW M3 DTM and says that he is impressed, while the differences compared to the old cars are big.
“Generally speaking, the 2012 cars are quite different to those we have driven in the past. For example, they produce less downforce and have a different chassis. My first impression was that the BMW M3 DTM is already very good. We obviously have more work ahead of us, but we have another couple of tests before the start of the season,” said Spengler.

A radical change for Spengler is that his main rival for the title this season, Martin Tomczyk, is going to be his team mate next season.
“If someone had told me at the start of last season that Martin and I would be driving for the same brand, I would scarcely have believed them. I really wouldn’t have expected that back then. However, I am pleased we are both driving for BMW now. We have known each other for years. I’ve been around since 2005, and Martin has been racing in the series for even longer. I was still driving Formula 3 when Martin was already a DTM driver. He has a wealth of experience and it is good to have him on our side. It does not make a huge difference to me, however. We will all be working together to push the team forward,” said Spengler.

While Spengler and BMW’s ambitions are high for the 2012 DTM season, Spengler admits that there are major challenges ahead of them.
“The team still has little experience when it comes to pit stops and race strategies. These are all new things that play an important role. For that reason, we must first be well prepared before we can set ourselves the goal of winning the championship. It goes without saying, however, that we would like to finish as high up as possible straight away,” said Spengler.