The new BMW M4 DTM with the turbo engine has started from pole position in all four races of the season so far: Wittmann has claimed first place on the grid twice, while Eng and rookie Sheldon van der Linde have done so once each. There have been two wins (Wittmann and Eng) and two further podium finishes for Eng and Joel Eriksson. The DTM paid a visit to Misano for the first time last year – with two spectacular night races. BMW driver Eriksson celebrated his first DTM win as a rookie in the Sunday race. Making a guest appearance for BMW, Alessandro Zanardi thrilled the fans with a fantastic performance. This year, the Misano races will take place during the day. Wittmann and Timo Glock will both be celebrating a special anniversary in Italy: the two drivers will each be contesting their 100th DTM race.

“It has been a successful start to the new turbo era in the DTM for us. Four races, four pole positions, two wins and two further podiums – those are good results for our new BMW M4 DTM. In the races thus far, we have seen that all six BMW drivers are very competitive and can record some top results. With Philipp leading the championship and Marco in third place overall, we are heading to Misano with plenty of momentum. We are aiming to build on the good performances from the first races there. We can all well remember the great debut that we all experienced at Misano last year. Now we are curious to discover what this coming weekend will bring.”

“We have used the short break since Zolder for in-depth preparation ahead of the race weekend at Misano. At Hockenheim and Zolder we could see that the new BMW M4 DTM gives us a really good pace – as shown by Marco’s pole positions, his win and the very strong performances from Bruno and Timo. However, a series of circumstances that included some bad luck with the safety car prevented us from converting these performances into the corresponding results in each race for our drivers. The foundations are right and at Misano it is essential that we work towards the right set-up for the challenging combination of fast and slow sections, right from the word go. We are extremely motivated and are looking forward to the weekend, which also marks a very special anniversary for Marco and Timo.”

“I think that daytime driving at Misano will represent the biggest change. The night-time conditions in the rain were really difficult last year. That means that it will be something new for us, in a sense. This circuit is a challenging one and has a bit of everything, with fast and slow sections. All things considered, it’s cool to drive in Italy and it is great that Andrea Dovizioso will be making a guest appearance too. We have made a very good start, with very good performances. We haven’t had luck on our side in every race but I think that we can satisfied with the season so far. Now we are hoping to have good pace at Misano.”

“Of course, we are heading to Misano with plenty of momentum from our fantastic home round at Zolder. Philipp’s first DTM win and moving to the top of the standings, Sheldon’s first pole position, Joel also on the podium after finishing second on Saturday – we will remember Zolder for a long time to come. Now we are looking forward to the second DTM appearance at Misano. We were able to celebrate there last year when Joel claimed his first win on the Sunday. We are starting from a good position and we want to make use of this momentum. The whole team will be working hard to record some more great results at Misano.”