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The calibre of the drivers
that have helped the marque
with the three-pointed star
is a who’s who of touring car
legends and future racing
starts, from the likes of
Kurt Thiim, Klaus Ludwig,
Marcel Fässler and the man
known as “Mr. DTM,” 5-time
champion Bernd Schneider
DTM has also been an
extension of other drivers’
careers, with both Mika
Häkkinen and Jean Alesi
moving there in the early
2000s post-Formula 1 and
proving their worth by taking
a combined total of seven
race wins.
Mercedes has also been
instrumental in being the
pillar of the DTM itself, as
whenever the going got
tough, they were always there
to make sure the series was
revitalised and firing on all
cylinders.
When the ITC folded in 1997,
the DTM re-emerged in a new
way in 2000, with Opel also
being instrumental in another
new era, which eventually
led to the cars that we see
now, with the current set of
regulations having come into
force for 2012.
Silhouette racing was the
result, bringing noise, drama
and controversy to some
great tracks, with all the
drivers fighting for mere
thousands of a second in
qualifying, and for every inch
out on the race track.
BMW coming back in 2012
was thanks in part to the
Stuttgart manufacturer being
the top dog in the DTM, as
the Munich manufacturer
wanted to compete in the
championship against
top-class rivals.
Cost-cutting has been one
of the deciding factors that
has hit motorsport hard,
with multiple manufacturers
considering viable alternatives
that will still allow them to
compete at the highest level.
In many respects, that is why
top global brands including
Audi, BMW and Renault
amongst others, have made
the move to Formula E.
The costs of running in this
type of championship are
significantly lower than the
likes of the LMP1 category
in the FIA World Endurance
Championship and sportscar
racing.
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PRO-AM
SUMMER 2017
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