German Touring Car Championship

Class 1 is a redirect to this article. For the term from graph theory, see classification (graph theory) ; for other meanings see Class 1 .

Rover Vitesse on the Nürburgring (1985)

Volvo 240 Turbo at the 1985 Touring Car GP

The German Touring Car Championship , or DTM for short , was held from 1984 to 1995 and was considered the most important racing series in German motorsport, thus taking on the role of the German racing championship . After the touring car championship and the International Touring Car Championship were discontinued at the end of 1996, the DTM was revived in 2000 as the German Touring Car Masters.

history

German Touring Car Championship

founding

In Germany since 1972, was German Racing Championship (DRM) popular in the original production- FIA - Group 2 - touring cars from Ford , BMW and Porsche took part, from 1977 as a turbo-driven FIA Group 5 versions. From 1982, the FIA changed the rules, the DRM moved to the new Group C - sports cars , but which were not available or very expensive, like the Porsche 956 C. The starter numbers declined as costs rose higher and higher.

The then Supreme National Sports Commission for Motor Sports in Germany (ONS) reacted and again developed regulations for near-series touring cars that were cheaper. The new FIA Group A vehicles from the European Touring Car Championship served as the basis . In the EM the champions were determined in three engine displacement classes (up to 1600 cm³; up to 2500 cm³; over 2500 cm³), while in the DTM, which in its first two years was still called the German Production Car Championship (DPM), attempts were made by different ones Vehicle weights and tire widths to adjust the performance even with different engines. One spoke of the "classless society". This made it clear to the audience who had really won, namely the one who crossed the finish line first - regardless of whether it was a light BMW 323i or a heavy Chevrolet Camaro with more than twice the displacement.

Beginnings

The first season of the German Production Car Championship already brought a full starting field. There were seven different vehicles that could claim a victory: Rover Vitesse , BMW 635 CSi , BMW 325i, Alfa Romeo GTV6 , Ford Mustang , Chevrolet Camaro and Volvo 240 Turbo - not to mention the other vehicles that went with them, but not won. The very first race did not start in Germany, but in Zolder, Belgium . The winner of this historic race was the Essen BMW driver Harald Grohs , who won five races but still not the championship. This went to today's Opel Motorsport Director Volker Strycek in a BMW 635 CSi, who had not won a single race.

The media interest is increasing

A big problem at the time was the lack of interest from viewers and sponsors. The DTM umbrella organization ITR responded with a change in the regulations: Instead of just one race over 100 km, two separately ranked races were held one after the other. This concept was later adopted by other racing series. In addition, thousands of free tickets were distributed on the Belgian Circuit Zolder for the season opener in 1988 , with the result that after 5000 spectators in 1987, around 53,000 spectators came to the track. The races were also broadcast live on ZDF and 3sat ; By 1992, the DTM's TV presence had been expanded to 86 stations in 52 countries.

Ascent

Over the years the field has developed from an event for private tuners to a pure works championship for large automobile manufacturers such as Audi , Alfa Romeo , BMW , Mercedes-Benz , Ford and Opel . The DTM achieved great popularity with the public primarily through extremely "close" races. Unlike in Formula 1 , wheel-to-wheel duels are possible with touring cars and the cars from the various manufacturers were almost equivalent.

In addition, the DTM started several times up to 1993 (1988–1990 and 1992/93) as part of the 24-hour race on the Nürburgring in front of a large backdrop and showed spectacular scenes on this traditional circuit .

The entry of the automobile manufacturer

A Mercedes 190E Evo II from 1992

The DTM was created to enable affordable racing for private teams. However, the growing success of the DTM led to automobile manufacturers participating with works teams. The works invested more money in the further development of the vehicles, and the private teams found it difficult to keep up. This meant that more and more private teams dropped out and the starting fields shrank. While there were 46 touring cars at the season finale in Hockenheim in 1988, only 27 touring cars took to the starting line in the last DTM race in 1992 with “ Group A vehicles”. The manufacturers brought the "classless regulations" out of their concept. In order to maintain equality even with different types of basic models, the regulations were repeatedly adapted, but this led to conflicts.

The problem of turbo engines

Stumbling block: the Sierra RS Cosworth

Engines with an exhaust gas turbocharger have the advantage over naturally aspirated engines that they have significantly more power with the same displacement. Therefore, as in the DRM of the 1970s, a so-called “turbo factor” of 1.4 applied in the DTM. This means that the displacement of the turbocharged engines is multiplied by 1.4 in order to classify them as equivalent to the naturally aspirated engines. In Formula 1 at the time, the turbo factor 2 was common, although additional restrictions could hardly stop the performance explosion. Due to the advantageous low “turbo factor”, the cars with turbo engines won seven out of nine races in 1985. Responsible for this were two names that have already won together in the DRM: Driver Klaus Ludwig in a Ford Turbo, here a Ford Sierra Cosworth or Sierra XR4TI. The Sierra had teething troubles at first, but if it held it was practically certain victory. The ONS reacted: The “turbo factor” was raised from 1.4 to 1.7 and the base weights increased. Since racing successes were punished by additional weight, the Sierra had a mass of 1.6 tons when racing at the Berlin AVUS in 1988. Since the front suspension broke in this race, the ONS had to come up with a different regulation for the turbos. The solution was called an air flow limiter on the intake side. Less air supply means less power. Nevertheless, Klaus Ludwig won the title with Ford in 1988 with his Sierra Cosworth. It should not be the last title for "King" Ludwig, as he was quickly called by the fans. Since no fair classification could be found for turbo engines, the ONS imposed a ban on turbo engines in 1991. A year before the ban came into effect , this meant that the Ford brand withdrew from the DTM , because they did not want to build a 2.5-liter naturally aspirated engine, as in the BMW M3 and Mercedes-Benz 190.

Audi with V8 engine

After Ford withdrew, Audi was able to close the gap again in 1990. After the one technology controversy was resolved, Audi came up with some innovations. While BMW and Mercedes used 2500 cc 4-cylinders, Audi chose a 3600 cc 8-cylinder type Audi V8 , and thus had almost 75 kW more power. In addition, Audi absolutely wanted to keep the quattro all-wheel drive system from the production car in the touring car. The ITR had asked Audi not to use all-wheel drive , but Audi could not be changed. On high-speed routes such as the old Hockenheimring and the AVUS, the powerful V8s overtook the cheaper four-cylinder engines. Only on winding roads like Zolder could the higher weight of the large Audi V8 compensate for the performance and grip advantages. The result were two seasons in which Audi was able to win the drivers' championship. While the first championship went to veteran Hans-Joachim Stuck in 1990 , Frank Biela was able to defend it the following year for the Audi brand. Audi is the first DTM manufacturer to defend its title. However, the Audi V8s never won the team championship. But in 1992 Audi no longer had a chance. The ITR had further increased the weight of the touring car so that they had to give up their dominance. With a new "twisted" crankshaft, with a 180 ° instead of 90 ° crank pin offset, they wanted to try to keep the connection, but such a fundamentally "reworked" part was against the sense of the regulations. BMW and Mercedes protested and got right at the second attempt, Audi was no longer allowed to use the wave. The consequence was the immediate exit of the Audi brand from the DTM in the middle of the 1992 season.

The end of the "Group A" regulations

The near-series Group A regulations no longer had a future. The “classless society” led to too many discussions about the classification of individual vehicle types. Ford demonstrated this with the turbo engine , Audi with a V8 engine and all-wheel drive. Mercedes and BMW sold several Evo variants, so that the spoilers used there , which improve the vehicle's aerodynamics , could also be used in the DTM. The call for new regulations for a “class society” became louder and louder.

The new "Class 1" regulations

In order to be successful with the new regulations, the interests of all automobile manufacturers should be aligned. That turned out to be very difficult, because with Alfa Romeo , Audi , BMW , Mercedes-Benz and Opel , five brands developed these regulations. A very revealing regulation was created. Technically, the touring cars didn't have to have much in common with the production car.

The FIA ​​announced the new, so-called " Class 1 " regulations internationally. This means that all countries had the right and the opportunity to drive according to these regulations. In addition to Germany, France was also interested in the “class 1” rules, but they opted for the near-series “ class 2 ” regulations.

From 1993 so-called "class 1" vehicles were used, with which strong modifications were allowed. In particular, the previous sheet metal bodies could be replaced by carbon fiber chassis, which resulted in a move away from the actual touring car to the prototype racing car. Four and six-cylinder engines with 2500 cm³ were used, which were just as complex as the F1 engines of the time and produced outputs of up to 370 kW. All-wheel drives were used at Opel and Alfa Romeo . The electronics were very complex.

"Class 1" with only two manufacturers

Audi 80 quattro 2.5 DTM (1993) "Class 1"

One after the other withdrew from the five manufacturers who had participated in the “Class 1” regulation. Audi had developed a “class 1” touring car based on the Audi 80, but it did not participate in the DTM. BMW also withdrew for a short time in December 1992. In its touring car based on the M3 E36 , the Munich-based manufacturer built a brand-typical six-cylinder in-line engine and feared disadvantages in the weight distribution compared to the shorter V6 engines of the competition, which is why an application was made for the engine to be installed further back - in contrast to the series solution has been. The application was rejected because exceptions should not be approved at the beginning of the “society of the same class”. From then on, BMW and Audi continued the original idea in the new Super Touring Car Cup , with two-liter cars of the "Class 2" regulations that were relatively close to series production and a large variety of brands, among others. a with Peugeot , Nissan , Ford and Honda . Opel hesitated after the two other brands had withdrawn and "initially put the development of the new Calibra V6 on hold". Mercedes stuck to the DTM and thanks to the entry of Alfa Romeo, the DTM survived with only two manufacturers.

Alfa Romeo's DTM entry

An Alfa Romeo 155 V6 TI DTM from 1996

The first year of the "Class 1" touring car, 1993, was dominated by the new manufacturer Alfa Romeo. The Italians jumped into the ice-cold water of the DTM and outclassed the long-established rival Mercedes. The Alfa Romeo 155 , which went into series production in 1992, began its career as one of the most successful touring cars of all time. Mercedes justified its own bad idea with the fact that the 190 was old and only a temporary solution that was adapted to the new "Class 1". After the 1993 season belonged to the Italians, Mercedes-Benz was in the lead again in the following years with a significantly higher budget.

The comeback of Opel

At the 1993 finale, Opel returned to the DTM with the brand new Calibra V6 4x4, after the brand had already been active with the Kadett and Omega in “ Group A ” times. The success of the DTM seemed assured even without the two Bavarian brands. With the new car, Manuel Reuter qualified for the third row of the grid despite a training accident. Ex-F1 world champion Keke Rosberg scored the first championship points for Opel on the debut of the second Calibra. This not only secured the future of Opel in the DTM, but also the future of the "Class 1" touring car races. In the following year, Opel competed for the entire season, but a few notable successes could not be achieved. At the guest race in 1994 in Donington Park , England , Manuel Reuter scored the Calibra's first victory, which was only decided at the green table. The breakthrough of the Calibra was not to come until 1996.

The arms race is escalating

The arms race in the DTM began with the debut of the Mercedes C-Class , which was also a real “Class 1” touring car from 1994 onwards. Mercedes had overtaken Alfa Romeo with the C-Class. With more and more high-tech, the three manufacturers tried to keep up or to come out of the lagging ahead. The costs exploded and there was no more room for private teams. From 1995 there were only the three factory teams. Even before that, the private parties only played an extra role. But the factories also had problems mastering the new technology. Alfa Romeo even upgraded back to the previous year's model in 1994. Opel had problems making the technology stable. With fewer difficulties than the competition, Mercedes was able to win the championships in 1994 with “King” Klaus Ludwig (his third and last DTM title) and in 1995 with Bernd Schneider (his first of five titles). The manufacturers' investments were too high for a national series that only ran in Germany. However, in order to stick to the technology and not have to present new regulations again, other paths were taken that were supposed to justify the costs.

International Touring Car Championship

→ Main article : International Touring Car Championship

Only for a World Touring Car Championship did it seem justifiable to invest such high sums in “Class 1” touring cars. So the idea of ​​internationalizing the DTM matured. As early as 1991, some invitation races were held in Brno in the Czech Republic and in Donington Park in England under the name ITR Cup. But these did not count towards the championship. Brno was also visited in 1992, Donington Park in 1993 and 1994 instead.

In 1995, in addition to seven races in Germany, five races for the International Touring Car Championship were held. In 1996 only the ITC was held and the DTM disappeared. The high costs that led to the establishment of an international series were also its downfall. The technology had escalated completely over the course of the season and now significantly exceeded the expense of Formula 1 at the time. At the end of the year, Alfa Romeo and Opel got out of the championship, which effectively brought the series to an end.

German Touring Car Masters

→ Main article : DTM

After the ITC ended, the three manufacturers looked for a new field of activity. Opel and Alfa Romeo continued with " Class 2 " touring cars. There they also met old DTM friends such as Ford , BMW and Audi . Mercedes-Benz continued with sports car races in the FIA GT championship . In Germany, the "Class 2" touring cars also drove in the Super Touring Car Cup . The series had the task of replacing the DTM. But she couldn't do this. The "Class 2" touring cars were too close to series production and unspectacular and were therefore not accepted by the public. In 1999, the STW in Germany reached its end point. Here, too, the costs became too high, due to the very narrow scope of the regulations, which should or had to be exploited at great expense. A new DTM has been held since 2000 , now known as the German Touring Car Masters .

driver

In the DTM, great talents for Formula 1 were "discovered" time and again , as well as former Formula 1 drivers who got into touring car racing after their active time in the top formula class. The Formula 1 drivers Gerhard Berger , Volker Weidler , Eric van de Poele , Roland Ratzenberger , Karl Wendlinger , Jan Magnussen , Juan Pablo Montoya , Ricardo Zonta , Alexander Wurz and Giancarlo Fisichella previously demonstrated their talent in the DTM. Another did not succeed: Michael Schumacher , assigned as a guest driver for Mercedes to support Kurt Thiim in the season finale in the Sauber sports car, only made it to the first corner on his touring car debut at the Hockenheimring. He misjudged himself, slipped across the meadow and, of all people, took the lead in the standings. Cecotto on BMW was deprived of any chance of victory and title. But Mercedes did not benefit from the campaign either, because ultimately the third party was happy about the championship honors, Stuck on Audi.

Some DTM drivers like Giorgio Francia , Naoki Hattori , Hans-Joachim Stuck , Lella Lombardi , Dieter Quester , Johnny Cecotto , Jean-Louis Schlesser , Jacques Laffite , Allen Berg , Jochen Mass , Keke Rosberg , Alessandro Nannini , Stefano Modena , Danny Sullivan , Michele Alboreto , Yannick Dalmas , JJ Lehto , Christian Fittipaldi , Aguri Suzuki , Christian Danner , Bernd Schneider , Michael Bartels , Olivier Grouillard , Nicola Larini , Emanuele Pirro , Gabriele Tarquini , Joachim Winkelhock or Manfred Winkelhock previously drove in Formula 1.

With Lella Lombardi (Alfa Romeo), Beate Nodes (Ford), Traudl Klink (Ford), Ellen Lohr (BMW, only female DTM winner with Mercedes, in Hockenheim 1992), Annette Meeuvissen (BMW) and Mercedes Stermitz (BMW) also women at the start.

Other prominent drivers in the old DTM were the rally world champions Walter Röhrl (Audi) and Markku Alén (Alfa Romeo), the Dakar rally winner Freddy Kottulinsky (Audi), the motorcycle world champion Wayne Gardner (BMW), the former ski racer Franz Klammer (Alfa Romeo / Mercedes-Benz), the racing cyclist Klaus-Peter Thaler (Opel), the Formula 1 track architect Hermann Tilke (Toyota) and the later manager of Michael Schumacher, Willi Weber (VW).

statistics

Champion of the DTM 1984–1995

year	Master (brand)		Pts	2nd place (brand)		Pts	3rd place (brand)		Pts		Brand master
1984	Volker Strycek		155	Olaf Manthey		147.5	Harald Grohs		147		BMW
1985	Per Stureson		117.5	Olaf Manthey		100	Harald Grohs		96		BMW
1986	Kurt Thiim		130	Volker Weidler		113	Kurt Koenig		104		BMW
1987	Eric van de Poele		127	Manuel Reuter		124	Marc Hessel		123		BMW
1988	Klaus Ludwig		258	Roland Asch		242	Armin Hahne		238		BMW
1989	Roberto Ravaglia		285	Klaus Niedzwiedz		274	Fabien Giroix		265		BMW
1990	Hans-Joachim Stuck		189	Johnny Cecotto		177	Kurt Thiim		162		BMW
1991	Frank Biela		174	Klaus Ludwig		166	Hans-Joachim Stuck		158		Mercedes Benz
1992	Klaus Ludwig		228	Kurt Thiim		192	Bernd Schneider		191		Mercedes Benz
1993	Nicola Larini		261	Roland Asch		204	Bernd Schneider		172		Alfa Romeo
1994	Klaus Ludwig		222	Jörg van Ommen		175	Nicola Larini		150		Mercedes Benz
1995	Bernd Schneider		138	Jörg van Ommen		113	Klaus Ludwig		80		Mercedes Benz

Points evaluation 1984–1995

	Surname	Points	Championships
1.	Klaus Ludwig	1792.5	1988, 1992, 1994
2.	Bernd Schneider	1770.5	1995
3.	Kurt Thiim	1405.0	1986
4th	Roland Asch	1141.0	-
5.	Manuel Reuter	1107.0	-
6th	Jörg van Ommen	1045.5	-
7th	Johnny Cecotto	959.0	-
8th.	Steve Soper	744.0	-
9.	Frank Biela	652.0	1991
10.	Nicola Larini	636.0	1993

See also

• DTM statistics
• List of DTM teams

Web links

Commons : German Touring Car Championship  - album with pictures, videos and audio files

• The official website of the DTM
• Database with all DTM results
• Events for historic DTM vehicles

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Dylan Smit: Shock Art - 1993 BMW E36 M3 DTM Prototype. February 5, 2018, accessed May 5, 2020 .