Glock secures BMW ride for his DTM debut

Timo Glock did not let the grass grow under his feet after Marussia F1 parted ways with the German driver. With the contacts he has built over the years before and since his Formula One days, Glock was invited by BMW Motorsport to test one of their M3 DTM cars at the Circuit Ricardo Tormo in Valencia, Spain.

He was more than ready for the challenge and well aware of the still empty seat that was available. After their return to the German-based series last year, the teams and Jens Marquardt, BMW Motorsport Director, had a great driver lineup. Even if on different teams under the BMW banner, they all were aiming for the year-end top awards. Canadian racer Bruno Spengler took his first DTM championship, while BMW secured their title along with BMW Team Schnitzer landing their crown.

Timo Glock

Photo by: BMW AG

BMW has been preparing for the 2013 season and they are well aware that the battle will be close again. One would think it was odd that they now added Glock since the German has never raced in a touring car. His foray has always been single-seater racing machines.

Yet Glock impressed the powers that be enough that he was ended up with the coveted seat that was still available. Interesting was the way the German manufacturer spread the word. On their twitter account recently, they stated: “Great news. Timo Glock returns to the BMW family and is announced as the eighth BMW DTM driver.”

One can say that Glock has returned home as he won the Formula BMW ADAC championship in 2001 and later he was the test driver for the BMW Sauber F1 Team.

Glock was utilizing Martin Tomczyk's M3 during his test runs. “My first impressions of the BMW M3 DTM were very positive. It did not take me long to get used to the car, and I came to understand it better with every lap. The fact that we were able to test in all conditions, from wet to dry, was perfect,” said Glock.

His real test will be in early May at Hockenheim in Germany for the season opener.