Timo Glock targets podiums in rookie DTM season

The 30-year-old German was announced as BMW's eighth and final driver for the 2013 series on Friday morning, less than a week after being released from his Marussia Formula 1 seat for commercial reasons.

Despite having never raced a touring car before, he plans to use the inspiration of 2012 rookie Augusto Farfus, who claimed his maiden series win at Valencia last September, to spur him on.

"Even though I will initially have an awful lot to learn, I would obviously like to be in the points and, where possible, challenge for podiums," Glock said.

"Augusto showed in 2012 what can be achieved as a rookie. That is driving me on. I want to get the very maximum out of my package and claim the best results possible for BMW."

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After finishing on grand prix podiums three times with Toyota, Glock has spent the past two seasons fighting for scraps with Marussia, having joined the team when it was known as Virgin.

He admitted that the mental anguish of repeatedly battling for tail-end positions has made him even more determined to make a success of his DTM career.

Glock believes that the closeness of the competition in the DTM is a good thing for his prospects.

"It was not always easy to spend three years in Formula 1 regularly watching other drivers from behind who were sometimes doing a worse job than me, but were still way ahead as they were in better cars.

"You want to finally be back challenging at the front of the field again and are hungry for good results. This hunger became more intense over the winter. Now is the right time for me to make a change. I am really up for the DTM."