Team/car:
BMW Team RBM / BMW M4 DTM

Duration:
Approx. 7 seconds stationary, no refuelling allowed

Persons:
9 team members directly on the car, plus one person at the pit wall manning pit board, one person on the team radio and the leader of the stop

Procedure:
Decide to stop, use the pit board to show the driver and confirm via radio, radio signal to the pit crew, instruct the driver on the change position, after braking, lift the car using the pneumatic jack and loosen front tyres, change the front tyres, mechanics run to the rear, change the rear tyres, all-clear handsign of gunmen, release the car, drive off and check the traffic in the pit lane via radio and/or the lollipop man

Speed limit:
60 km/h (Norisring, Zandvoort, and Brands Hatch 50 km/h)

"The pit stop is of great significance in the DTM. The level of performance in the DTM is very high, which is why the pit crew is important. You always win and lose together. It is important that you brake as late as possible before the pit stop line and don't waste any time. You can’t drive too fast when turning off the ‘fast lane’ to your spot because you need to stop exactly at the lollipop. When the car is in the air and the guys are changing the tyres, you can tell whether it is a fast or slow stop. When they run to the rear axle, I look in the rear-view mirror to make sure that no other car is entering the ‘fast lane’. Then, when the car is lowered, that’s my cue to put my foot on the accelerator."

"It seems like everything all around you is running in slow motion because it is so quiet. The engine is off and everyone out there is doing their job. The car goes up super fast, you really feel it in your lower back. The engineer gives the driver and pit crew the information on how much fuel has already been put in and counts down the time. Then, at the end, the mechanic at the front right of the car removes the air hose and the car drops very quickly. It’s almost like being on a roller coaster. Then the adrenaline kicks back in."

Team/car:
ROWE Racing / BMW M6 GT3

Duration:
Approx. 35 seconds stationary (depending on the volume refuelled). The organiser defines a minimum duration for the entire pit stop, including entry and exist for each track (in Spa it is 1:50 minutes)

Persons:
8 team members in the pit lane (1 lollipop man,
1 windscreen washer, 2 tyre changers, 3 people for refuelling, holding the hose and fire extinguishing, where applicable, 1 brake controller), another 4 mechanics for taking the tyres into the pitlane

Procedure:
Refuel, change tyres and check all at the same time, driver change in parallel, where applicable

Speed limit:
50 km/h

Sticking to the predefined minimum pit stop times as closely as possible so that you don’t lose any time, and timing the pit stops in the race to perfection strategically and tactically, for example during yellow flag or safety car periods. This applies to the predefined technical stop between the 10th and 15th hour of racing, which must take a total of five minutes, including entry and exit, and ideally is used to change the brake discs. Also, in each quarter of the race (once within six hours), the team has a joker pit stop, for which no minimum duration applies. Ideally, you can gain 10 to 15 seconds in these stops.

“The challenges of the pit stops at Spa start with the actual pit lane. It is by far the longest pit lane on the racing calendar. Basically, it is two lanes that are linked by a narrow turn. This means it takes a long time to drive through the pit lane, which enables the driver to check everything in advance. When changing drivers, we have quite a bit of time since the refuelling only takes 30 seconds in the pit. Primarily, it is important that the drivers sit perfectly. There is a display in the car to stick to the minimum time from entering the pit lane to exiting as closely as possible.”