Zandvoort is a track Augusto Farfus likes and has done well on, so he is heading to the Dutch seaside town hoping he can get back on the podium with his Shell BMW M4 DTM and perhaps even replicate his 2013 result when he won the race there.
It will be rounds seven and eight of the DTM season that will be run on the circuit set in the sand dunes on the North Sea coast, and the Brazilian’s thoughts ahead of the race were: “I really like the place, as it has a special atmosphere. Also I won there two years ago so I know it can be good for our car. I am certain, along with BMW Team RBM, we can do a good job there. My aim is to get back on the podium and score some big points.”
That win in 2013 was also the 50th victory in the DTM for the BMW M3 and so was even more special. The 4.307 kilometre track has been part of the DTM since 2001. It is a sort of home event for Augusto, as it is only about 200 kilometres from the Belgium town of Mechelen where Team Principal Bart Mampaey’s team is based.
With its proximity to the coast the weather can be a bit tricky and the DTM has raced there in the rain. As well as that, the winds blow the sand across the track, so this can also makes racing there a bit difficult. The weekend’s action starts on Friday with two 15-minute roll outs separated by a five minute break from 11.45 to 12.20 local time. Free practice one is then from 15.45 to 16.30. On Saturday free practice two is from 11.30 to 12.15, followed by qualifying for race one from 14.55 to 15.15. The 40-minute race starts at 18.03. On Sunday there is a 15-minute warm up starting at 09.45, qualifying for race two is from 11.35 to 11.55 and the 60-minute race starts at 14.13.
