Dress rehearsal at the Slovakiaring: DTM Race Director Stoppe prepares class of 2013 for the “Grand Final”

Munich (DE). With four weeks to go until the “Grand Final” in Oschersleben (DE), DTM Race Director Sven Stoppe (DE) visited the Formula BMW Talent Cup class of 2013 at the Slovakiaring (SK) to help with its comprehensive preparations for the highlight of the season, which takes place as part of the DTM weekend in the etropolis Motorsport Arena on 14th-15th September. Stoppe, who has been responsible for ensuring that DTM races run in accordance with the rules and regulations since 2007, delved deeper into the extensive race regulations that will apply for all the participants at the season finale.



“There are a lot of rules to consider. Not only during the final races in Oschersleben, but also before and after,” said Stoppe. “The drivers are already well versed in the valid German circuit regulations. Despite this, detailed questions keep cropping up, and they must be clarified before such an important event as the final. Over the course of several training sessions, we intensified the participants’ knowledge of the rules and analysed videos with practical examples, in order to make the rules in question crystal clear.” Three final races will be held in Oschersleben, with BMW financing the overall winner for a season in a higher-level single-seater racing series in 2014.



Another focus of the course in Slovakia was a module on performance and enhancement coaching, which was run by Professor Dr. Dieter Hackfort from the Bundeswehr University Munich (DE). “The priority at the Slovakiaring was to develop and test the mental programme for a competitive situation,” said Professor Dr. Hackfort, who had already laid the foundations at the simulator training session in Silverstone (UK). “The transfer from simulator to racetrack worked well. The drivers have now received some extra tips on how to develop their mental performance ahead of the final in Oschersleben.”



The talented young drivers were also able to put what they have learned into practice in three test races on the 5.922-kilometre Slovakiaring. In temperatures of up to 40 degrees near the Slovakian capital Bratislava, Jules Szymkowiak (NL) claimed two wins at the wheel of the standard BMW FB02, with Kaan Öner (TK) winning the third race. The final on-track event for the season finale takes place at the Hungaroring (HU) on 16th to 18th August.



Result of test race 1: 1. Jules Szymkowiak (NL), 2. James Allen (AU), 3. Nico Menzel (DE), 4. David Droux (CH), 5. Michael Waldherr (DE), 6. Florian Stüger (DE), 7. Bar Baruch (IL), 8. Michael Wolf (SA), 9. Vivianne Mainusch (DE). Did Not Finish: Kaan Önder (TR).



Result of test race 2: 1. Jules Szymkowiak (NL), 2. Michael Waldherr (DE), 3. Bar Baruch (IL), 4. Nico Menzel (DE), 5. James Allen (AU), 6. David Droux (CH), 7. Vivianne Mainusch (DE), 8. Kaan Önder (TR). Did Not Finish: Florian Stüger (DE), Michael Wolf (SA).



Result of test race 3: 1. Kaan Önder (TR), 2. David Droux (CH), 3. Jules Szymkowiak (NL), 4. Nico Menzel (DE), 5. Michael Waldherr (DE), 6. James Allen (AU), 7. Michael Wolf (SA), 8. Florian Stüger (DE), 9. Bar Baruch (IL), 10. Vivianne Mainusch (DE).



You can find more information on the Formula BMW Talent Cup at www.formula-bmw.com. Video highlights of the 2012 events are also available on the BMW Motorsport YouTube channel: www.youtube.com/BMWMotorsport



You can find the latest BMW Motorsport media information and copyright-free images for editorial purposes online at www.press.bmwgroup-sport.com.