Timo Glock will be BMW’s eighth driver in DTM this season. He joins Bruno Spengler—the reigning DTM champion—Augusto Farfus, Joey Hand, Andy Priaulx, Martin Tomczyk, Dirk Werner, and Marco Wittmann. BMW ran six M3 DTM cars with three teams in 2012; it is adding two cars and a fourth team for 2013. Drivers have not yet been assigned to specific teams.
Glock’s appointment marks his return to BMW. He began his career in BMW Formula Junior, where he won the BMW Formula Junior ADAC Cup in 2000, and won the Formula BMW ADAC championship in 2001. After running in Formula 3 for two years, he switched to Formula 1, where he raced for Jordan in 2004. He switched to Champ Car in 2005, where he was named rookie of the year. After that he returned to Europe to run in the GP2 series; he won the championship in 2007. He was also a test-driver for Sauber-BMW in Formula 1 that year.
After that he raced for Toyota in Formula One; at that time BMW Motorsport Director Jens Marquardt ran the Toyota team. Glock switched to the Formula One Virgin team in 2010, and continued with the team when it became Marussia in 2011 and 2012.
Glock said, “It is very exciting for me to drive for BMW again after all these years – and in such a top-class racing series as the DTM. I had a fantastic time in Formula One, but am now looking forward to battling for victories again with my old friends at BMW Motorsport. That is the approach I shall be taking to the challenge of the DTM.
“I am obviously aware I will have to adapt to a few areas. Not all former Formula One drivers have found their feet immediately in the DTM. But I am using precisely that as my motivation.
“After winning the title in such impressive fashion last year, there can be absolutely no question that the BMW M3 DTM has everything it needs to allow us to compete at the front of the field again in 2013.”
The DTM season begins on May 5 at Hockenheim.—Brian S. Morgan
