“That race was a lot of fun,” said series manager Jörg Michaelis after the race. “We had wheel-to-wheel racing, but everything was fair, that’s how it should be! Maxime was a cut above today, but the action was really exciting behind him. The fans certainly got their money’s worth.”

Starting from first on the grid, Oosten (#54) made a perfect getaway and didn’t look back all race. He maintained the lead for the entire duration. “I am delighted with my performance,” said the 18-year-old, who also took his maiden BMW M2 Cup pole at the Norisring. “Last year I was making mistakes here, but today I managed to get the win. All in all, it was perfect. I was consistent and had good pace.” Behind the winner, Tom Nittel (#7) and Lausitzring winner Fabian Kreim (#43) crossed the finish line, followed by Leonard Hoogenboom (#27) and Robert Hefler (#53).

With Oosten clear at the head of the field, the door-to-door action could be found back in the midfield. Bart Horsten (#50) was one of the stand-out performers: Starting from eleventh on the grid, the Australian driver moved up to seventh and took the win in the rookie classification. Michal Makeš (#47) was the second-best rookie, defending his sixth position valiantly in the early stages of the race before finishing back in eighth. Lorenz Stegmann (#99) rounded out the rookie podium.

Alongside the action on the track, there was also plenty to discover in the BMW M2 Cup paddock. Nowhere else on the calendar do the fans get so close to their favourite cars and drivers than at the Norisring, BMW M’s home race. Fans have another race to enjoy on Sunday, with the green flag set to fly at 11:25.