Marco Wittmann hopes to increase points account in Moscow

The sixth round of the 2016 Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters season takes place this weekend at the Moscow Raceway. BMW Motorsport travels to Russia leading all three championship classifications.

2014 champion Marco Wittmann is the current leader of the Drivers’ standings, with a tally of 105 points, seven ahead of his closest rival, Audi’s Jamie Green. The Team RMG driver has scored points in every race so far but the first one, winning at the Red Bull Ring.

Wittmann is already thinking in championship terms, and will head onto the track with the calculator in his hand: “Last year I was denied victory by a tyre issue, but my pace was very good. Because of this, I go into this year’s two races with plenty of confidence. I would like to get my second win of the season there and, with an eye on the Drivers’ Championship, obviously want to score as many points as possible.”

Maxime Martin is the second best driver for the Bavarian manufacturer, in sixth place, with a total of 63 points. The Belgian is fresh from his home win at the 24 Hours of Spa and had his first DTM win in Moscow two years ago. Martin thinks he can achieve a good result this time around: “I obviously have great memories of Moscow. After all, it was there that I claimed my first win in the DTM in 2014. I then had one good race and one poor one in 2015. This year, I think we once again have a package that will allow us to put on a good show in Russia.”

Team RBM’s Tom Blomqvist is the other BMW driver in the top ten in the championship, currently ninth in the standings. The Briton has scored two podiums this year, eyeing a points’ result in Russia: “It is going to be a very interesting weekend. The races have all been very close this year, and I fully expect it to be the same story in Moscow. I did pretty well on my debut there in 2015, and finished in the points. That is the goal again this year.”

BMW Team RMG leads the Teams’ standings, seven points ahead of Audi Sport Team Abt Sportsline. The Bavarian squad also leads the Manufacturers’ table with 358 points, 10 ahead of Audi Sport and 54 over Mercedes AMG. The M4 DTMs will start the weekend as the lightest cars in the field, with a base weight of 1,115 kg.

Jens Marquardt, BMW Motorsport Director, vows to keep fighting to stay ahead: “Our goal for the remaining eight races is to defend our promising positions in the Drivers’, Team and Manufacturers’ competitions. That will undoubtedly be a big challenge. So far, our drivers and teams have done a virtually flawless job. That is why we are in the fine position we find ourselves in. If possible, we want to maintain this maximum level of concentration. The trip to Moscow is always rather special. We have always done really well at this track in the past. We have a very good record here, and one we are looking to improve this weekend.”

DTM on track action starts this Friday at 17:30 local time for the first free practice session.