BMW’s 2012 DTM season in 11 exciting photos

2012 marked BMW’s return to the Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters (DTM), after a break of almost two decades.

The carmaker came back in style and won all three titles in 2012: drivers’, teams’, and constructors’. As a gift to its fans, BMW released a photo gallery with 11 of the most striking images from the 2012 season.

Photo 1: Andy Priaulx brought BMW the first point after the brand’s return to DTM.

Photo 2: One rule change for 2012 was the elimination of refuelling during the race. This made pitstops shorter, with Dirk Werner having the fastest pit crew, a title awarded after the DTM Finale in Hockenheim.

Photo 3: Marco Wittman has gained a place as a race driver for 2013, with BMW Team MTEK. Previously a test driver, 23-year-old Wittmann will be one of the youngest DTM drivers.

Photo 4: A DTM rookie in 2012, Augusto Farfus finished on podium in his second race, at Lausitzring. He gained points in each of the five races following the summer vacation and grabbed pole-position at Valencia and Hockenheim. His impressive first season got him the title of „DTM Rookie of the year”

Photo 5: Martin Tomczyk is one of the most experienced DTM drivers, with more than 100 starts. A DTM champion in 2011, he got three consecutive podiums last year, but a series of bad lucks in the second half of the season denied him the title.

Photo 6: BMW Team Schnitzer’s drivers Bruno Spengler and Martin Tomczyk finished first and third respectively in the Nurburgring race.

Photo 7: Joey Hand is the first American in the history of DTM.

Photo 8: Bruno Spengler became DTM champion in 2012 after failing to grab the title four times in the past. He was the most efficient driver last year, scoring an average 18.6 points each race.

Photo 9: Bruno Spengler helped BMW become the manufacturer with the most victories – 5 (Spengler – 4, Farfus – 1), the biggest number of pole positions – 5 (Spengler – 3, Farfus – 2), and the highest points average per race (57.7).

Photo 10: Paralympic gold medallist and former BMW WTCC driver Alex Zanardi and supported BMW Motorsport at the DTM Finale in Hockenheim (pictured with Jens Marquandt).

Photo 11: As a sign of appreciation, BMW offered Zanardi a test session with a BMW M3 DTM.