DTM Coming to North America in 2013

[Mike H]

HOCKENHEIM, Germany — The German DTM touring-car series has announced plans to stage races in the United States in 2013, with its high-performance four-door sedans competing on the same program with NASCAR and Grand American Road Racing events.

DTM, the abbreviation for the series' official title, Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters, competes on road courses at many European tracks such as the Hockenheimring, site of Formula 1 and other events.

Autosport magazine reported Friday the comments of Hans Werner Aufrecht, director of DTM's management group. "Beginning in 2013, we hope to have a championship with 12 races in the United States," Aufrecht said. He added that six races are to be staged with Grand-Am and six with NASCAR events.

NASCAR's premier Sprint Cup Series presently competes on only two road-course venues, Infineon Raceway in California and Watkins Glen International in New York. The Grand-Am series is closely affiliated with Daytona Beach, Florida-based NASCAR. The series has one race at each track each year.

American-style stock car racing is popular in other parts of the world, particularly in Mexico and England, but the touring cars are a bigger draw, with Britain and Germany hosting national championship series. The FIA (Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile) sanctions European and world championships. And Australia's V8 Supercars series produced present NASCAR driver Marcos Ambrose.

There are significant differences in the equipment compared to NASCAR machines. DTM and other series use production automobiles (Audis, BMWs, Mercedes-Benzes) which have been modified for racing, similar to the GT sports coupes which compete in various forms of sports car racing.

[Adam Lipcsey]

Originally Posted by Mike H

DTM and other series use production automobiles (Audis, BMWs, Mercedes-Benzes) which have been modified for racing, similar to the GT sports coupes which compete in various forms of sports car racing.

Not true at all! The DTM cars are purpose-built racing cars, not modified from production. They have carbon silhouette bodywork, carbon monococque frame underneath. Handle like single seaters.

[Corner2 Cory]

Infact they are single seaters in a way -

[John Powell]

It'd be nice to see them at Mosport or Mt.-Tremblant, but if they're gonna be tied up with "Not A Stock CAR" racing ...

[Doug Stark]

I hate to say this but Adam is correct - these cars are space ships and almost F1 spec in equipment used and engine build quaility.

2012 is still a long way away - a lot can happen in the meantime that could alter or delay their plans. I see the Daytona mafia looking to make some badly needed income from this as their own road race series has lost money each and every year it has been run. The brain trust (LOL) at the beach *think* the fans will come out to see the crapwagon like proto turd's and the sedan's and hope to use DTM as the draw when it will be the reverse - they will be there to watch the DTM's boys and girl.

What are they going to do when the DTM cars are way faster then the DP's?? LOL Are they going to ask DTM to slow them up? Yup - thats going to happen. Either that or they will have to re-engine the DP engine spec's to allow a LOT more power. As far as the sedans? Lunch bag let down.

It won't take DTM long to figure out they are with the wrong group and either do stand alone events or get a better offer from Indycar. Think about the demographics of NASCAR fans for a moment. What precentage of them drive German cars? Exactly.

Recall the stillborn super touring series that imported cars from OZ to run at different tracks around north america - it went no where and outside of road course fans radar screens it went unnoticed.

Think about a field of DTM's SCREAMING down the start finish at the Glen and then a few hours later watching the Cup cars lumber along the same piece of track. The difference will be startling and not too welcomed by the NASCAR groups who will have to explain to sponsors why their American (we'll adopt the Yoda's here!) cars look 'slow' against the luftwaffe ranks...

[Adam Lipcsey]

Of course, we do not yet know the DTM techincal regs for 2012 and 2013 (BMW must like the proposal behind closed doors, otherwise would not have joined), it could be all-hybrid, maybe even based on production cars!

I also do not understand how the Frances believe the presence of DTM will not cast a shadow on their "brilliant" inventions: the CoT and the DP.

[CAllen]

It's not the cars, it's the overall formula and rulebook for the series. Are the cars reasonably affordable to the average professional race team. Consider that Paul Gentilozzi puts out about $2 million a year to run his Jag in the ALMS ( his number from a presentation he gave at Mosport in August ). A tight rules package for spec, plus proper marketing, plus competitive action works, regardless of the actual cars themselves. That's why V8 Supercar looks so good, both at home and internationally.

DTM is a completely different marketing scheme, mentality, rules setup, and attitude compared to NASCAR/GARRA, and the likelihood of a good partnership is very slim. I hate to say it too, but I also agree with Adam.

BTW, anybody other than me notice that the press release says "United States" only? It would seem that DTM doesn't think there is a market in Canada at all. Ironically, I suspect there's more of a market here for DTM than in the US.

[CAllen]

BTW, I would hope that DTM would require NASCAR to clean up this mess before they let them start officiating races for DTM in North America....

http://www.prnewswire.com/news-relea...104705264.html

[SlotMotorsports]

Let's face it series like v8 supercar and DTM make NASCAR look bad. When the
Announcer yells "3 wide" at California and there is room for 4 more cars.

[oblio125]

Quote
"It would be a real shame to see the sport of stock car racing go the way of professional wrestling, with the perception that the outcome of a competitive event is scripted or predetermined."

Too late!

[CAllen]

Ya think?

Originally Posted by oblio125

Quote
"It would be a real shame to see the sport of stock car racing go the way of professional wrestling, with the perception that the outcome of a competitive event is scripted or predetermined."

Too late!

[Maverickflyer]

It would interesting to watch.

Although looking at this, it looks like more of a smash up derby. Definetly not production automobiles.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uMdjCUqCWHA

[Adam Lipcsey]

Since the initial announcement the silence is deafeningly obvious.
The DTM approached Grand-Am, not the other way...
This is probably because Grand-Am is the only suitable - if you still believe what I am saying! - sanctioning body in America having the capacity for such an undertaking.
The ALMS is fully behind their GT cars: out.
Indycar is indycar and they have just undertook a huge project they don't know where that will lead them, having already asked BMW, Merc and Audi for engine deals: out.
SCCA: No commercial wherewithal: Out.

if BMW, Mrc and Audi really want to spend a lot of money on the American DTM project, ALMS and Indycar will unquestionably be denied form that money and marketing opportunity.

Where Doug described how the NATCC failed in America, it was because the manufacturers - except upstart Chrysler - did not back that series. If they wanted, it would have succeeded.

When a press release says "in the United States only", it does not mean that it would exclude Canada from its schedule. Canada is part of the US calendar as far as racing is concerned, like it or not. It is just not worth mentioning.

Did you know that the Australian V8 Supercar (AVESCO) holds race(s) in New-Zealand too? Does anyone care mentioning it when talking about the series?
Canada is to the US what New-Zealand is to Australia.

[23Racer]

Originally Posted by CAllen

BTW, I would hope that DTM would require NASCAR to clean up this mess before they let them start officiating races for DTM in North America....

http://www.prnewswire.com/news-relea...104705264.html

That is very interesting. It does support a number of stories I have heard about "calls from on high" that have affected the outcomes of races.

But enough about potential race fixin', lets get back to "Whats wrong with Junior" dadgammit!!!!!!!

Eric

[Doug Stark]

As far as I can find anywhere - there is no 'signed contract' between the 'Beach Mob' and the DTM group. What we have here is a 'if you announce it it will come' sorta kinda thing in baseball terms. Or at least thats what they want it to to be I guess.

The fact remains that there is a whole season ahead where they are not up and running and that is a long time in the motorsports world. Stockmarkets and firms meltdown and come and go in months let alone a year and a half.

What if this dating thing between Daytona and DTM never comes about? What if the addtion of BMW becomes the thrust behind a 'world' DTM sort of class and they rename it to WTM?? It's not hard to see that Ratal's idea's of GT2 are NOT the be all and end all of sportscar racing.

Think of the road course tracks in North America that have not signed up for events run through ISC or Nascar Holdings Inc. There are a lot of tracks left that are not owned by ISC or Smith.

What if the major brands in the DTM (and with BMW) were to decide to expand into the world market and hire a management firm to run a series who would contract with race tracks in each market to run their event along with contracting local support series to fill in the weekends?

Any event in the US could be run under SCCA sanctioning (through ASCUS) just as any event here could run under ASN Canada Inc with local CASC officials.

What if they are smarter then the avg bear and this so called 'news' is nothing more then checking to see what the fans think. Remember that the DTM is more of a marketing dept program of the major German car companies then anything else - it has nothing to do with sport but to sell cars. They see that the US racing industry has done nothing for their brands. They have about saturated the home market with the DTM program - they have no where to go but down quite frankly without expanding.

If the DTM group allow the beach boys to ruin (oops I meant 'run') things they will never live down my emails to them telling them 'I told you so'.