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Encyclopedia > Deutschen Tourenwagen Masters

DTM is the initials for the current Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters, formerly known as Deutsche Tourenwagen Meisterschaft (German Touringcar Championship), a motorsport series based in Germany, but with rounds held all over Europe. The championship is organized by ITR. Auto racing (also known as automobile racing or autosport) is a sport involving racing automobiles. ... A satellite composite image of Europe Europe is geologically and geographically a peninsula, forming the westernmost part of Eurasia. ...

Contents


History

The championship was started in 1984 under FIA Group A rules, but was extensively modified throughout the years, allowing "Evolution" models. In 1993 the Group A rules were abandoned in favor of a more liberalized 2.5-liter engine series, that allowed extensive use of electronics, ABS, four wheel drive, and carbon fibre chassis. Opel, Mercedes, and Alfa Romeo all fielded works team, Audi and BMW having abandoned the series. For other meanings of the acronym FIA, see FIA (disambiguation). ... An anti-lock braking system (commonly known as ABS, from the German name Antiblockiersystem given to it by its inventors at Bosch) is a system on motor vehicles which prevents the wheels from locking while braking. ... Four wheel drive or 4x4, is a type of four wheeled vehicle drivetrain configuration that enables all four wheels to receive power from the engine simultaneously in order to provide maximum traction. ... Carbon fiber composite is a strong, light and very expensive material. ... Opel, originally and more correctly known as Adam Opel AG is an automobile maker in Germany. ... The word Mercedes can refer to a number of things: A brand of automobiles and trucks: Mercedes-Benz, brand of automobiles and trucks from the German automobile manufacturer DaimlerChrysler A number of places: Mercedes, Buenos Aires province, Argentina Mercedes, Eastern Samar, Philippines Mercedes, Texas, United States Mercedes, Soriano department, Uruguay... Alfa Romeo is an Italian automobile manufacturing company, founded as Darracq Italiana by Cavaliere Ugo Stella, an aristocrat from Milan in partnership with the French automobile firm of Alexandre Darracq. ... Press photograph of the newly merged Audi NSU range, 1969. ... The BMW logo is a circle (known as a roundel) divided into quadrants of alternating white and light blue color. ...


DTM to ITC, and demise

Having expanded its horizons for the 1995 season to include several non-German rounds dotted around Europe (including rounds in Helsinki, Finland and Donington Park, England), the DTM made plans to morph into a completely international championship known as the ITC (International Touring-Car Championship) for 1996. The ITR governing body then sought approval and support from the FIA to begin the new series. In exchange for FIA support, the ITR let the organization take control over many aspects of the way the ITC was run: crucially, the financial side of the championship was revolutionized. A large proportion of the revenue generated by the championship went to the FIA, with the result that less went to the teams who subsequently complained of little return on their increasingly large investment in the high-tech series (this was further exasperated by the travel costs to the new international rounds in Suzuka, Japan and Interlagos, Brazil). The FIA also increased the price for television rights dramatically with the result that television coverage of the series disappeared from all European countries except Italy and Germany, prices for tickets to races were almost doubled, and access to the circuit paddock to meet the drivers (which had previously been a big hit with fans) was drastically reduced. The choices of circuits on which to hold rounds of the championship were also unsuccessful - the rounds at Magny-Cours, France and particularly Interlagos suffered very poor attendance. Questions were also raised by the manufacturers as to why they were racing in countries in which their cars were not actually sold (Alfa Romeos are not sold in Brazil, and neither Opels nor Alfa Romeos are sold in Japan). Opel and Alfa Romeo both left the championship after the 1996 season, leaving only Mercedes; the championship was consequently cancelled. 1995 was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Helsinki (pronounced with the stress on the first syllable in Finnish: ), or Helsingfors in Swedish  listen?, is the capital of Finland. ... Map sources for Donington Park at grid reference SK420259 Donington Park is a site near Castle Donington in North West Leicestershire, England owned by millionaire motoring enthusiast Tom Wheatcroft. ... Royal motto: Dieu et mon droit (French: God and my right) Englands location within the UK Official language English de facto Capital London de facto Largest city London Area  - Total Ranked 1st UK 130,395 km² Population  - Total (2001)  - Density Ranked 1st UK 49,138,831 377/km² Religion... 1996 is a leap year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar, and was designated the International Year for the Eradication of Poverty. ... For other meanings of the acronym FIA, see FIA (disambiguation). ... Investment is a term with several closely-related meanings in finance and economics. ... Suzuka (鈴鹿市; -shi) is a city located in Mie, Japan, about 50 miles south west of Nagoya. ... Interlagos is a neighborhood in the city of São Paulo, Brazil, home to the Formula One Brazilian Grand Prix at the Autódromo José Carlos Pace race track. ... Map of Circuit de Nevers Magny_Cours Circuit de Nevers Magny_Cours is a motor racing circuit located in France, near the towns of Magny-Cours and Nevers. ... Opel, originally and more correctly known as Adam Opel AG is an automobile maker in Germany. ... Alfa Romeo is an Italian automobile manufacturing company, founded as Darracq Italiana by Cavaliere Ugo Stella, an aristocrat from Milan in partnership with the French automobile firm of Alexandre Darracq. ... 1996 is a leap year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar, and was designated the International Year for the Eradication of Poverty. ...


The new DTM

The DTM returned in the year 2000, but without Championship status, and the DTM initials now standing for Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters (German Touring Car Masters). The cars had V8 engines and purpose-built chassis, which was in some ways more related to prototype racing (many drivers have in fact described the handling of the cars as closer to single seater racing cars than road cars). Alfa Romeo, who at the time were mounting successful campaigns in the European Touring Car Championship, did not return to the series, but Mercedes and Opel did accompanied by long-time absentee Audi. Unlike the previous incarnation which primarily used sedan models, the new DTM featured only 2-door coupés, with Mercedes using their CLK model, Audi using the TT and Opel using the coupe version of the Astra. The series adopted the format of the 1995 championship, with most rounds held in Germany with occasional rounds throughout Europe, but having learnt the lessons of the ITC disaster the ITR constantly strived to keep costs in the series from exploding to unreasonable levels, and to keep the championship firmly tied to its German roots. A chassis (plural: chassis) consists of a framework which supports an inanimate object, analogous to an animals skeleton; for example in the construction of an automobile or of a firearm. ... Press photograph of the newly merged Audi NSU range, 1969. ... 1995 Buick Riviera coupe A coupe (or coupé) is a two or four-seater car with a fixed roof and two doors. ... Categories: Mercedes-Benz vehicles | Luxury vehicles | Automobile stubs ... 2003 Audi TT roadster The Audi TT is an automobile produced by Audi in Győr, Hungary. ... The Astra is a General Motors (GM) small family car, badged as an Opel in continental Europe, a Vauxhall in the United Kingdom, a Holden in Australasia, and a Chevrolet in Latin America. ...


The three constructors involved decided to switch to sedan bodies in 2004, the three models currently involved being the Audi A4 DTM, Opel Vectra GTS V8 and the Mercedes C-Klasse. A Ford Taurus, a typical 1990s sedan. ... 2005 B7 Audi A4 The Audi A4 is an automobile series made by Volkswagen Group, first sold in 1995 as a 1996 model and replacing the Audi 80. ... The Opel Vectra is a medium-sized family car produced by Opel, the main European subsidiary of General Motors. ... DaimlerChrysler assembles the C-Class, a series of automobile models, in Stuttgart and offers it to the public under the Mercedes-Benz brand. ...


The drivers are a mixture of young and older drivers, including well known former Formula One drivers Bernd Schneider, Allan McNish, Jean Alesi, Heinz-Harald Frentzen and former two-time F1 world champion Mika Häkkinen. Others, such as Laurent Aiello, Tom Kristensen and Rinaldo Capello, have made their career racing sports cars and touring cars. However increasingly the DTM is being used by young guns such as the newly-crowned champion Mattias Ekström or Gary Paffett to jump-start their racing careers. One driver this strategy appears to have worked for is the Netherlands' Christijan Albers, who built a reputation by finishing 2nd and 3rd in the 2003 and 2004 championships and then graduated to Formula One in 2005. Formula One, abbreviated to F1 and also known as Grand Prix racing, is the highest class of single-seat open-wheel formula auto racing. ... Bernd Schneider (b. ... Allan McNish was a Formula One driver from Britain. ... Jean Alesi at the 2001 US Grand Prix at Indianapolis Jean Alesi, born Giovanni Alesi on June 11, 1964 in Avignon, Vaucluse, France is a French racing driver of Italian origins. ... Heinz-Harald Frentzen, born May 18, 1967, is a German racing driver most famous for his career in Formula One. ... Mika Häkkinen at the 2000 United States Grand Prix Mika Pauli Häkkinen (b. ... Laurent Aiello is a race car driver born in Fontenay, France on the 23rd of May 1969. ... Tom Kristensen can refer to two different people. ... A Honda NSX sports car A TVR Tuscan sports car A sports car is a car designed for sporting performance above utility. ... Gary Paffett is a British racing driver. ... Albers at the 2005 United States Grand Prix Christijan Albers (b. ... 2005 is a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar and is the current year. ...


The championship suffered a setback in 2004 when long-time also-ran Opel decided to pull out of the series at the end of the 2005 season, as part of a large cost-cutting operation in General Motors' European division. Initially the gap looked set to be filled by MG Rover, however their plans to enter the series were cancelled after the company collapsed in April 2005. Opel, originally and more correctly known as Adam Opel AG is an automobile maker in Germany. ... 2005 is a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar and is the current year. ... General Motors Corporation (NYSE: GM), also known as GM, is a United States-based automobile maker with worldwide operations and brands including Buick, Cadillac, Chevrolet, Daewoo, GMC, Holden, Hummer, Opel, Pontiac, Saturn, Saab, and Vauxhall. ... MG Rover are the largest independent manufacturer of cars in the British motor industry. ... April is the fourth month of the year in the Gregorian Calendar and one of four with the length of 30 days. ...


DTM Champions

The BMW logo is a circle (known as a roundel) divided into quadrants of alternating white and light blue color. ... AB Volvo is a Swedish world leading manufacturer of commercial vehicles, buses and construction equipment, drive systems for marine and industrial applications, aerospace components and services. ... Volvo 240 GLE Sedan The Volvo 200 series is a range of mid-sized automobiles produced by Volvo from 1974 to 1993. ... Turbo is an acronym for TURbine BOosted This means that it comprises turbine to extract energy from an internal combustion engine and using this energy to boost the air input to the engine, thus increasing the volumetric efficiency i. ... 1962 Rover 80 Rover (the MG Rover Group) is a manufacturer of automobiles in the United Kingdom, based at the famous Longbridge plant in Birmingham. ... Rover SD1 is the code name given to a series of large executive cars made by British Leyland and Austin Rover Group from 1976 to 1987. ... Eric van de Poele was a Formula One driver from Belgium. ... The BMW logo is a circle (known as a roundel) divided into quadrants of alternating white and light blue color. ... 2002 BMW M3 convertible The BMW M3 is a sports version of the popular compact 3-Series automobile made by BMW Motorsport. ... Ford may mean a number of things: A ford is a river crossing. ... 1991 Ford Sierra 3-door in period publicity photograph. ... The BMW logo is a circle (known as a roundel) divided into quadrants of alternating white and light blue color. ... Hans Joachim Stuck was a Formula One driver from Germany and son of the legendary Hans Von Stuck. ... Press photograph of the newly merged Audi NSU range, 1969. ... 1993 Audi V8 Quattro The Audi V8 was an executive sedan made by Audi AG of Germany from 1989 to 1994. ... Press photograph of the newly merged Audi NSU range, 1969. ... The word Mercedes can refer to a number of things: A brand of automobiles and trucks: Mercedes-Benz, brand of automobiles and trucks from the German automobile manufacturer DaimlerChrysler A number of places: Mercedes, Buenos Aires province, Argentina Mercedes, Eastern Samar, Philippines Mercedes, Texas, United States Mercedes, Soriano department, Uruguay... The Mercedes 190 (W201) Class of automobiles was introduced in November 1982 as a compact Mercedes. ... Nicola Larini was a Formula One driver from Italy. ... Alfa Romeo is an Italian automobile manufacturing company, founded as Darracq Italiana by Cavaliere Ugo Stella, an aristocrat from Milan in partnership with the French automobile firm of Alexandre Darracq. ... 155: The Alfa Romeo 155 was launched as a new class of car in 1992. ... The word Mercedes can refer to a number of things: A brand of automobiles and trucks: Mercedes-Benz, brand of automobiles and trucks from the German automobile manufacturer DaimlerChrysler A number of places: Mercedes, Buenos Aires province, Argentina Mercedes, Eastern Samar, Philippines Mercedes, Texas, United States Mercedes, Soriano department, Uruguay... Bernd Schneider was a Formula One driver from Germany. ... The word Mercedes can refer to a number of things: A brand of automobiles and trucks: Mercedes-Benz, brand of automobiles and trucks from the German automobile manufacturer DaimlerChrysler A number of places: Mercedes, Buenos Aires province, Argentina Mercedes, Eastern Samar, Philippines Mercedes, Texas, United States Mercedes, Soriano department, Uruguay... Opel, originally and more correctly known as Adam Opel AG is an automobile maker in Germany. ... The Opel Calibra (badged as a Vauxhall in the UK and a Holden in Australia) was launched in 1989, a front-wheel drive coupé based around the running gear of the Opel Vectra A which had been launched the year before. ... Bernd Schneider was a Formula One driver from Germany. ... The word Mercedes can refer to a number of things: A brand of automobiles and trucks: Mercedes-Benz, brand of automobiles and trucks from the German automobile manufacturer DaimlerChrysler A number of places: Mercedes, Buenos Aires province, Argentina Mercedes, Eastern Samar, Philippines Mercedes, Texas, United States Mercedes, Soriano department, Uruguay... Bernd Schneider was a Formula One driver from Germany. ... The word Mercedes can refer to a number of things: A brand of automobiles and trucks: Mercedes-Benz, brand of automobiles and trucks from the German automobile manufacturer DaimlerChrysler A number of places: Mercedes, Buenos Aires province, Argentina Mercedes, Eastern Samar, Philippines Mercedes, Texas, United States Mercedes, Soriano department, Uruguay... Laurent Aiello is a race car driver born in Fontenay, France on the 23rd of May 1969. ... Press photograph of the newly merged Audi NSU range, 1969. ... Bernd Schneider was a Formula One driver from Germany. ... The word Mercedes can refer to a number of things: A brand of automobiles and trucks: Mercedes-Benz, brand of automobiles and trucks from the German automobile manufacturer DaimlerChrysler A number of places: Mercedes, Buenos Aires province, Argentina Mercedes, Eastern Samar, Philippines Mercedes, Texas, United States Mercedes, Soriano department, Uruguay... Press photograph of the newly merged Audi NSU range, 1969. ...

External links

  • DTM official site
  • Audi Sport
  • AMG-Mercedes
  • Opel Motorsport


 
 

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