The first race of the season offered up plenty of close racing at the Lausitzring. Fabian Kreim controlled the race from the front, but behind him there was action up and down the field.

Behind Kreim, Tom Nittel (#7) was able to benefit from a perfect start and move up from fourth to second in the first lap. Dutchman Maxime Oosten (#54) had a less-than-perfect start from second on the grid. “I got away poorly,” Oosten said, “but fortunately I was able to get in the slipstream of the cars in front, position myself well and retake second before the end of the first lap. All in all I am very happy with the result.”

One reason for Oosten’s satisfaction was his ability to defend second place from Tom Nittel behind. Despite finishing third, Nittel was still happy with the final result: “I began the race really well and was able to make up two positions, but then I ran a little wide at the exit of the final turn and Maxime Oosten came past me. After that it was a tough battle with Maxime, who didn’t make any mistakes and barely gave me any chance.”

The battle for positions four to nine was just as hard-fought throughout the race. In the middle of the action were some BMW M2 Cup rookies: Michal Makeš was the best-placed rookie in fifth position, with the Czech finishing ahead of Bart Horsten and Lorenz Stegmann, who were also completing their first race in the BMW M2 CS Racing. As a result, Michal Makeš is now leading the rookie classification ahead of Horsten and Stegmann.

The second BMW M2 Cup race takes place on Sunday at 11:15 am. Fans can follow all the action in English and German on the official website (bmwm2cup.com).