Moscow Raceway, just outside the Russian capital it is named after, is a track where Augusto Farfus believes his fortunes could turn around again for the sixth weekend of the 2015 DTM season. He remembers it was a BMW that won at this new facility last year, so is encouraged by that.
Despite what happens on track, the BMW Team RBM driver likes the circuit that will be hosting the DTM for the third time, and his comment was: “Moscow is a nice place and I have had good results and good memories from there in the past. A BMW won there last year, so the track can potentially be good for us this year. It is a shame we left the Red Bull Ring with a very disappointing result. However, I am hopeful the test we had there immediately after the race has helped us improve the car.”
The driver from Curitiba knows that he has a lot of ground to make up in his Shell BMW M4 DTM and that there is not a lot of races left. “In Moscow it is the sixth weekend, so we only have three left after that and we are really far behind. Let’s hope we can pick up some important points. However, I am aware the track itself, while flowing, is one where it is difficult to overtake.”
Moscow is without doubt the longest trip for the teams and perhaps one of the most difficult places to get used to, with the language and different culture. However, this doesn’t worry the Brazilian as he explained: “I went to Moscow itself last year for the first time for a press conference. It was a beautiful place and I am hoping I may get some time to visit it again. I have a lot of Russian friends living near me in Monaco, so I am quite into their culture. Though I don’t speak Russian, my daughter knows some words as she has Russian friends at school.”
The track was opened on the 13th July, 2012 and was the first international standard one to be built in that country, although now there is a second one in Sochi where the Formula 1 race is held. The Moscow track, designed by German track architect Hermann Tilke, is 3.931 kilometres long and is 79 kilometres from the Russian capital, in the Volokolamsky District of Moscow Oblast. The first DTM race was held there on the 4th August in 2013, Augusto started from third on the grid, was the highest placed BMW driver in qualifying and replicated this result in the race. His hope is that he can improve from his current 11th in the drivers’ championship where he has just 43 points.
The weekend’s action starts on Friday with two 15-minute roll-outs separated by a five minute break from 12:00 to 12:35 local time. Free practice one is then from 16:00 to 16:45. On Saturday free practice two is from11:40 to 11:45, followed by qualifying for race one from 13:00 to 13:20. The 40-minute race starts at 16:33. On Sunday there is a 15-minute warm up starting at 11:10, qualifying for race two is from 13:25 to 13:45 and the 60-minute race starts at 16:13 local time.
