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Former BMW Motorsport boss Dr. Mario Theissen revealed in an interview with France's AutoHebdo that he was confident the foundations he had laid down for the DTM program could bear fruits rapidly.
Theissen stopped working in 2011, when he stepped down to be replaced by Jens Marquardt.
In 2012, BMW came back to the German DTM touring car series, after 20 years of absence.
At the end of the season, Marquardt tasted the champaign when Bruno Spengler and Team Schnitzer took the driver and team titles.
But it was Theissen who, before retiring, pushed for BMW's comeback to the DTM and put everything together for the project to start on the right foot.
"2009 was very tough, as we were pulling out of F1. I had to restructure the whole of BMW Motorsport according to Peter Sauber's needs for his F1 team," Theissen is quoted saying by AutoHebdo.fr.
"I presented the DTM project to the board in 2010, and they agreed to the comeback under two conditions: making the DTM more international, and win right from year one," he added.
Theissen knew both conditions could be met. He did not fear the same kind of difficulties to win he faced during his F1 days.
"Everything was in place, including the drivers we had secretly hired. The result was almost beyond expectations, but we knew we had the tools to race at the front.
"We had five or six chassis engineers left from F1, and the whole engine department to ourselves."
Theissen stopped working in 2011, when he stepped down to be replaced by Jens Marquardt.
In 2012, BMW came back to the German DTM touring car series, after 20 years of absence.
At the end of the season, Marquardt tasted the champaign when Bruno Spengler and Team Schnitzer took the driver and team titles.
 |
| Bruno Spengler proved Mario Theissen was right to bring BMW back to DTM (Photo: DTM.com) |
But it was Theissen who, before retiring, pushed for BMW's comeback to the DTM and put everything together for the project to start on the right foot.
"2009 was very tough, as we were pulling out of F1. I had to restructure the whole of BMW Motorsport according to Peter Sauber's needs for his F1 team," Theissen is quoted saying by AutoHebdo.fr.
"I presented the DTM project to the board in 2010, and they agreed to the comeback under two conditions: making the DTM more international, and win right from year one," he added.
Theissen knew both conditions could be met. He did not fear the same kind of difficulties to win he faced during his F1 days.
"Everything was in place, including the drivers we had secretly hired. The result was almost beyond expectations, but we knew we had the tools to race at the front.
"We had five or six chassis engineers left from F1, and the whole engine department to ourselves."