Old hands Spengler and Tomczyk give BMW rookies Félix da Costa and Martin a behind-the-scenes tour of the DTM

Hockenheim (DE), 2nd May 2014. The season-opener in Hockenheim (DE) sees António Félix da Costa (PT) and Maxime Martin (BE) embark on their careers as DTM drivers. Before they even climbed into the cockpits of their BMW M4 DTMs for the first time on Friday, the two newcomers were given a very special and exclusive introduction to the DTM. The two former DTM champions Bruno Spengler (CA) and Martin Tomczyk (DE) took the two BMW rookies on a tour of the paddock.

The tour began in the press conference room, where Spengler and Tomczyk slipped into the role of journalists to ask their two colleagues on the stage a few questions. Next up was the place DTM drivers like to visit more than any other – the podium. Spengler and Tomczyk have already stepped onto the podium over 60 times over the course of their careers, which span a combined 22 seasons in this series. For Félix da Costa and Martin, on the other hand, this was a first glimpse of the subject of their DTM dreams. “Thankfully seeing a podium is not really anything new for me. However, the belief that I could at some point achieve that in the DTM gives me even greater motivation for the 2014 season,” said Félix da Costa. The BMW drivers also gained a rare insight into the offices of Race Control. DTM Race Director Sven Stoppe took time out to reveal the secrets of the many monitors and decision processes during the race. “This insight into what goes on behind the scenes was very interesting. As a driver, you very rarely get to see inside this room,” said Martin.

The tour ended where the drivers and their BMW M4 DTMs will be seen regularly over the course of the race weekend – the weighing station, where the weight of their vehicle is checked thoroughly. Feedback after the tour was positive. “It is obviously clear that António and Maxime already have enough experience in motorsport to know all the important places at a racetrack,” said Spengler. “But it was still fun to give them an introduction to our world in the DTM. For me, personally, it was a bit of a trip back down memory lane. I have very fond memories of some of these places – particularly the podium and the press conference room, of course.”

Tomczyk added: “I am now entering my 14th season in the DTM, but I can still remember clearly how I felt when I joined the old stagers at the age of 19 back in 2001, when everything was still new to me. The DTM has changed a lot since then. It is a great racing series, and one that António and Maxime can really look forward to.”