BMW Team RMG - Fairly lot of silverware in a short period

BMW Team RMG is the racing team from the town of Niederzissen, Germany, founded by Stefan Reinhold in 2010 in order to race in DTM championship.

The Bavarian manufacturer decided to return to the popular series in 2012 and Team RMG was chosen to be one of the factory-backed teams. Almost 30 people were employed to start the hard work from the scratch. Preparations for the DTM adventure were short and intense. New team quickly found its feet and was well-prepared for the debut.

Team RMG helped BMW to win Manufacturers’ title in the first season after return

The first season in DTM wasn’t perfect but several good results were scored. The reigning champion Martin Tomczyk and Joey Hand were the drivers and the German driver was the one who was better. He was 2nd at Spielberg and Norisring, and 3rd at Nurburgring before finishing 8th in the championship, while the American picked just eight points and took 20th position overall.

Martin Tomczyk, BMW Team RMG, 2012 DTM

BMW Team RMG finished 8th in the Teams’ Championship but helped the Munich-based car maker to win the Manufacturers’ Championship in the first year after returning to the series.

Major setback in 2013

Tomczyk stayed with the team during the next season while his teammate became experienced British driver Andy Priaulx. The ambitions have risen, but the results were declining. The drivers picked 10 points each that year and finished 19th and 20th respectively, while the team dropped to the penultimate 10th position in the standings.

Stefan Reinhold, BMW Team RMG principal

However, BMW won the Manufacturers’ title for the second year in a row, while the RMG Team was left to draw conclusions and to implement changes to both structures and personnel for the following campaign which proved to be one of the best in the team’s history so far.

Titles for BMW Team RMG and Marco Wittman in 2014

Two new drivers joined the youngest BMW team in DTM in 2014. Marco Wittmann and Belgian rookie Maxime Martin were in the seats of new BMW M4 DTM and they both did a perfect job. In his second year in the series, Wittmann became a champion. He won the season-opening race at Hockenheim, which was followed with victories at Hungaroring, Red Bull Ring, and Nurburgring, as well as with the 2nd place at Zandvoort.

Martin also scored impressive results in his first year in DTM. He won the race at Moscow Raceway and earned points in other three races before finishing 7th overall and ended the season as the best-placed rookie driver.

BMW Team RMG and Marco Wittmann – 2014 DTM champions

The excellent season was crowned with the title in the Teams’ championship. BMW Team RMG finished the season 65 points ahead of their closest rival, Audi Abt Sportsline. Interestingly, BMW lost the title in the Manufacturers’ championship to Audi.

Settling well in the new DTM format

The DTM format was changed for the 2015 season. The number of races was doubled and BMW Team RMG was able to adapt well. Even though both team and Wittmann lost their crowns, it was a good year for Team RMG. Wittmann won the race at Zandvoort and had other two podiums, while Martin was triumphant at Nurburgring and also had other two podium finishes.

BMW drivers Maxime Martin and Marco Wittmann at Hockenheim, 2015 DTM

German driver took the 6th place in the standings, while Belgian was 7th, scoring 18 points less than his teammate. BMW Team RMG finished as a runner-up, being 19 points short to the Mercedes HWA Team. However, the Niederzissen-based team played a decisive role in BMW’s return to the throne in Manufacturers’ championship.

Another title was won in 2016

In 2016, experienced Timo Glock joined the team and alongside Marco Wittmann made a strong pair of drivers. That season again was very successful when Wittmann won his second DTM title after a very tight battle with Audi’s Edoardo Mortara. Marco won the races at Red Bull Ring, Moscow Raceway, and Nurburgring and with other three podiums clinched another title.

Marco Wittmann won his second DTM title as a BMW driver in 2016

On the other side, Glock won the second race at Red Bull Ring and was among the point-scorers in most of the races before finishing 10th in the standings. BMW Team RMG again was vice-champion in the Teams’ championship, this time behind Abt Sportsline.

Prepared for the new challenge

BMW Team RMG will stay in DTM for 2017 campaign, ready to fight for new trophies. A total number of the cars on the grid is reduced but the team already proved that it is able to adapt to any changes and novelties.

Wittmann and Glock will stay with the team but they got a new teammate, experienced Brazilian driver and BMW’s long servant Augusto Farfus. Team RMG will be one of just two BMW’s teams in the championship after Team Schnitzer and Team MTEK ceased their DTM operations.

Glock, Wittman, BMW Team RMG, celebrating double win at Red Bull Ring in 2016 DTM

“The success we achieved so far is the result of hard work. Everyone does everything in their power to ensure we are successful, and that has paid dividends. We are continuously making little improvements,” commented once Stefan Reinhold, team principal.

Photo: dtm.com, eurocarnews.com, bimmertoday.de, bmwgroup.com, f1fanatic.co.uk