BMW officially announce DTM from 2012

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MatskiMonk

MatskiMonk

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BMW's participation in the DTM series has been officially confirmed now from the 2012 season onwards.

http://www.bmw-motorsport.com/ms_en/news/october_2010/bmw_to_return_to_dtm_in_2012

Personally I think this is great news. Good for the DTM as well as us BMW fans. With just Audi and Mercedes competing it lacks variety, hopefully with the new rule changes we'll see even more variety soon as well.

Shame it's over a year away!


edit: apologies if this is a repeat thread, BMW and DTM aren't search friendly terms! Merge if necessary!
 
interludes
Shame there's no concept art.
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Not official, and it's over a year old now, but:

BMW_E92_M3_DTM_racecar_by_jonsibal.jpg


The process of design:
http://jonsibal.com/blog/2009/09/bmw-e92-m3-dtm-concept/
 
Even though I've never followed DTM very much, I've always loved the E30 DTM race car. So I'm glad to see BMW making a comeback!
 
This is a great news indeed!

After one by one and 3 or 4 years ago when Opel left DTM, it has become a really boring racing series. With the comeback of BMW, the battle between BMW, Audi and Mercedes is going to be EPIC!

The rendering by Jonsibal looks like a real killer! We should be able to see the official rendering in a year or less...
 
Good news, just Audi against Mercedes got boring pretty quickly, now all they need is Opel with their Insignia and maybe a few 'outsiders' like Alfa Romeo ( remember the 155 DTM car? ) and it becomes a real manufacturers competition again.
Maybe a Japanese brand would be interesting, wait a minute..., where's Ford ( also a German manufacturer as well ) with their history in touring car racing?
 
analog
Maybe a Japanese brand would be interesting
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DTM and Super GT are looking to commonalise regulations for 2012, meaning Lexus, Nissan and Honda would be coming over too, and vice versa.

There are also rumours that Grand-Am are preparing a new set of regulations too, which could mean massive new global formula.
 
Dijital Majik
DTM and Super GT are looking to commonalise regulations for 2012, meaning Lexus, Nissan and Honda would be coming over too, and vice versa.

There are also rumours that Grand-Am are preparing a new set of regulations too, which could mean massive new global formula.
Click to expand...

Well, it's a weak link but Daytona Prototypes that they use in the Grand Am Rolex series have raced in SuperGT already.. well at least one has (the Shiden)... so anythings possible!
 
When I first got into racing back in about 1999, I always imagined what a BMW DTM race car would look like. Of course, I loved the old BMW M3 GTRs of the late 1990s and early 2000s. I am a bit surprised as to how come any other companies didn't challenge DTM when Opel left (like if Volkswagen or somebody. Then too, VW and Audi against Mercedes-Benz doesn't seem fair). I guess that's because I always envisioned the DTM to be a three-manufacturer league, and so having just two makes represented makes it more like the classic duels between Ford Australia and Holden in the Australian V8 Supercar Series.

All things considered, it would be great to see BMW in the modern DTM series. I just wonder who would fill the seats of the BMWs for when they race today's DTM proper in 2012. My best guess would probably be BMW racers in various touring car and GT cars.
 
Dijital Majik
DTM and Super GT are looking to commonalise regulations for 2012, meaning Lexus, Nissan and Honda would be coming over too, and vice versa.

There are also rumours that Grand-Am are preparing a new set of regulations too, which could mean massive new global formula.
Click to expand...

Actually, The DTM organisers announced plans to create a US-based DTM series in conjunction with NASCAR and the Grand-Am. It's supposed to happen in 2013 with a 12-race series (6 races backing NASCAR events, 6 backing Grand-Am events).

Source: http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/87473
 
JohnBM01
All things considered, it would be great to see BMW in the modern DTM series. I just wonder who would fill the seats of the BMWs for when they race today's DTM proper in 2012. My best guess would probably be BMW racers in various touring car and GT cars.
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well, from the current BMW motorsport crop there are some fine drivers.. personally I rate Priaulx and Farfus :) I'd also always imagined Nick Heidfeld staying as part of the BMW motorsport squad..

... but I suspect a large number of BMW entries will be current Audi/MB drivers...?
 
Kingofweasles
Actually, The DTM organisers announced plans to create a US-based DTM series in conjunction with NASCAR and the Grand-Am. It's supposed to happen in 2013 with a 12-race series (6 races backing NASCAR events, 6 backing Grand-Am events).

Source: http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/87473
Click to expand...
A twelve-race DTM USA calendar, huh? I wonder where they'll go ... I'd say Watkins Glen, Montreal, Sears Point, Baltimore, Laguna Seca, Long Beach, Road Atlanta, Barber, St. Petersburg and Austin would be best. Maybe one or two oval races - like Homestead-Miami and Fontana - for good measure.
 
Let's just hope this "USDTM" lasts much longer and features much more entrants than the old NATCC from 1996 and 1997...
 
I'd rather see a proper American Touring Car championship, rather than DTM. I've said it many times, but DTM is really dull lately with the aerodynamic-focus. Though to be fair, much of the Touring Car scene is pretty dull these days, BTCC is good but its lacking a decent field (don't get me wrong, the current teams and drivers are good but it could be better), WTCC lacks a decent field and races on unsuitable circuits, DTM and SuperGT are too aero-reliant.

Don't really care for BMW going back to DTM, though I kind of think Priaulx would be better off in DTM as WTCC is a pretty dead series. Would rather see BMW in GT/Sportscars, seems a better fit to me.
 
Ardius
I'd rather see a proper American Touring Car championship, rather than DTM.
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This is how I feel, I would also like them to do it Aussie V8 style and have the cars actually look similar to their road going versions.

Anyways, hopefully the real car looks somewhat like that rendering.
 
Erm...but the render looks nothing like a BMW roadcar....which is the point - huge aero parts, its rediculous. It may as well be GT, its not really Touring Cars anymore.
Touring Cars to me is about basic, cheap, road cars with some basic racing upgrades (slicks, suspension, gearboxes, maybe a small bit of aero but not much). The cheaper, the better, DTM doesn't look cheap to me, its all about manufacturers.
 
Ardius
Erm...but the render looks nothing like a BMW roadcar....which is the point - huge aero parts, its rediculous. It may as well be GT, its not really Touring Cars anymore.
Touring Cars to me is about basic, cheap, road cars with some basic racing upgrades (slicks, suspension, gearboxes, maybe a small bit of aero but not much). The cheaper, the better, DTM doesn't look cheap to me, its all about manufacturers.
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Well don´t watch it then:dopey:. Im just saying, u don´t have to like everything and everyone has his own series he likes. I kinda like to watch WTCC and haven´t watched DTM in a while. Happy to see more than 2 manufacturers in DTM now.
 
I want to watch it though, but its nothing like the 90s DTM....its nothing like Touring Cars anymore.
I don't complain because I hate it or because I don't want to watch it...its because I feel its a shadow of its former self and I dislike the idea that its going to the US when there could be a proper Touring Car championship over there.

I have tried many times to get into current DTM but it just doesn't work. I still watch WTCC but you have to admit its pretty dire right now, its just all going the wrong direction in my opinion.
 
That BMW is the sexiest I've ever seen. But I have to agree that it looks nothing like a basic m3. I didn't even know it was an m3 until I read it.
 
I love the idea of combining DTM and Super GT. I 'm not clear on how these two series are combined but my preference would be a few entrances from Mercedes, Audi and soon BMW into the Japanese SGT series and vice-versa (with Honda, Nissan and Lexus/Toyota).

I've watched a few DTM races but unlike Super GT, it captivated neither my attention nor my interest. Because, I'm first and foremost a car lover- aesthetically- both the Audi and Mercedes in DTM is no match in looks when compared to GT500 Nissan GTR and the Honda HSV. The BMW looks interesting enough but still quite drab next to what the GT500 Lexus LFA could possibly look like:

lexus-lfa-supergt.jpg


Still, I see good thing if the two series are combined and maybe it will even push the German cars into looking a bit more Japanese :)
 
Ardius
I want to watch it though, but its nothing like the 90s DTM....its nothing like Touring Cars anymore.
I don't complain because I hate it or because I don't want to watch it...its because I feel its a shadow of its former self and I dislike the idea that its going to the US when there could be a proper Touring Car championship over there.

I have tried many times to get into current DTM but it just doesn't work. I still watch WTCC but you have to admit its pretty dire right now, its just all going the wrong direction in my opinion.
Click to expand...

Yesi agree with you. Don't get me wrong here mate, i loved DTM and still am, but nowadays with just Audi and Mercedes Benz its not so fun anymore.

Even though i still watch WTCC, its nearing its end what i don't i hope.
 
Ardius
I still watch WTCC but you have to admit its pretty dire right now, its just all going the wrong direction in my opinion.
Click to expand...

I still watch it until today, but I also want to admit that I can see the dullness of the series began to be very noticable since last year.

The problem with WTCC is that I think they lack of promoting the event, lack of car manufacturers and very short races each weekend (compared to BTCC). I really understand why BMW pulled out both BMW Team Germany and BMW Team UK and sold it to RBM for them to run the series under BMW...

If it keeps on going like this, it's going into darkness but starting next year I think the series has got a good chance with Volvo planning to make a comeback.
 
What DTM should do is merge with SuperGT and V8 Supercars as well as establish a race series in America. Make them limited-marque championships (ie DTM Europe would be Mercedes/Audi/BMW, DTM Australia would be Ford/Holden, DTM Asia would be Toyota/Honda/Nissan, etc.), and at the end of the first year, the top three teams in each regional series get promoted to a world series; after the first year, the top team from each of the four regional series gets promoted at the expense of the bottom four teams in the world series, kind of like football divisions. That, I think, would be much more interesting than the WTCC - but the problem is that DTM has its own difficulties with rules that limit overtaking (for example, blue flags are shown to cars that haven't pitted yet). Those need to be sorted out first.
 
This is very good news. I hope It doesn't mean BMW stop with WTCC ? I like watching both, but have to admit that especially DTM sometimes can be boring. WTCC races are short, but I like the reversed grid for the 2nd race. I like that better than the 2 DTM pit stop rule. What I would really like; Opel back in DTM.
With the ideas I have read, It can only get better.
 
Ardius
I'd rather see a proper American Touring Car championship, rather than DTM.
Click to expand...

Justin
This is how I feel, I would also like them to do it Aussie V8 style and have the cars actually look similar to their road going versions.
Click to expand...

We've got that, it's just not televised right, and no one seems to care about it. Really great racing. Continental Tire Series, nearly stock cars going flat out.

 
BMW have also said they're interested in V8 Supercars - but only if the new Car of the Future regulations allow them to enter the same car as they will enter in DTM.
 

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