BMW officially announce DTM from 2012

  • Thread starter MatskiMonk
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I don't know if he'd call it a mistake. He has had some good results and is relatively consistent. He's not going to win any races, but he is still relatively young. He still has the desire to race at the top level. It's a shame because his career could still be going strong now had BMW's strategy not cost him dearly in Montreal in 2008. Since BMW pulled out, no one has wanted him really. He's just been called up due to his experience, but he was no one's first choice. When he first came into F1 eleven and a half years ago, he seemed destined to become a big star.

Perhaps if he was slightly more aggressive, it could have been.
 
BMW_M3_DTM_2012_04.jpg


Looks nice!
 
It does look nice and some that have been to the BMW Welt said the car looks even better in reality...

So far the drivers that have been confirmed driving for BMW Team Schnitzer are Andy Priaulx and Augusto Farfus. There are still two more teams of BMW Team RBM and Reinhold Motorsport that are yet to announce their official driver line up. Nick Heidfeld could be part of either one of them still...
 
InvincibleM5
It does look nice and some that have been to the BMW Welt said the car looks even better in reality...

So far the drivers that have been confirmed driving for BMW Team Schnitzer are Andy Priaulx and Augusto Farfus. There are still two more teams of BMW Team RBM and Reinhold Motorsport that are yet to announce their official driver line up. Nick Heidfeld could be part of either one of them still...
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Bruno Spengler was confirmed as a BMW driver for next season at Brands Hatch.
 
Tired Tyres
Bruno Spengler was confirmed as a BMW driver for next season at Brands Hatch.
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I know it's likely, but I don't think this has been officially announced yet has it?

Jorg and Dirk Müller are testing the car this week along with Priaulx and Farfus..
 
I mean it's an unusualt design. Most of the time the struts holding up the rear spoiler usually connect on the underside of the spoiler. But here, they connect to the top.
 
interludes
I mean it's an unusualt design. Most of the time the struts holding up the rear spoiler usually connect on the underside of the spoiler. But here, they connect to the top.
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The "swan neck" wing is a new-ish design a lot of GT and sportscars have been taking on recently. It supposedly makes air flow under the wing more efficient.
 
Same size is my guess. I think they are all the same under the skin. It's a Silhouette series. One Chassis fits all.
 
Jackington
The "swan neck" wing is a new-ish design a lot of GT and sportscars have been taking on recently. It supposedly makes air flow under the wing more efficient.
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It creates more surface area under the wing, producing more downforce. The first racers (that I know of) was the Acura ARX-02a. I think the Audi R15 had it too.
 
Tired Tyres
Same size is my guess. I think they are all the same under the skin. It's a Silhouette series. One Chassis fits all.
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Maybe your right but there has been a regulation change for this next year... so they could have increased the size of the chassis for 2012... one thing is for sure they changed the 4 doors chassis to 2 doors chassis on all cars... and I think the 3 diferent chassis have 3 diferent engines also but dont quote me on that...

Audi-A5_DTM_2012_1024x768_wallpaper_08.jpg


EDIT

Audi A4 DTM 2009

length 4800 mm / 189 in
width 1850 mm / 72.8 in
height 1200 mm / 47.2 in

Audi A5 DTM 2012

5.01 meters long
1.95 meters wide
1.15 meters low

It seems I was right the A5 is bigger... larger and lower... I wonder if that will affect the handling in a neg. way.

EDIT 2

It seems they are all wider due to the fact that they will use wider tires for more mechanical grip...
 
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This info was taken from www.touringcartimes.com http://www.touringcartimes.com/article.php?id=6706

The new carbon fibre monocoque and steel cage of the car are identical to all DTM vehicles, Audi, BMW and Mercedes, and are two of 50 standardized parts.

The engine sub-frame at the front and the transmission at the rear are identical for all DTM cars and limit the freedom of the engineers with respect to the suspension, which has to be mounted to these shared components.

In addition, steel as the material for the A-arms and the tube dimensions are specified. For the hub carrier, the regulations define the material and the production process to be used. A milled aluminum part with a minimum weight is prescribed. Furthermore, a strict provision in the regulations defines the wheel hubs and the rims for all entrants.
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edit: Just wanted to add that the Audi looks like poo compared to the Merc and the BMW, but this isn't a beauty contest!
 
interludes
I mean it's an unusualt design. Most of the time the struts holding up the rear spoiler usually connect on the underside of the spoiler. But here, they connect to the top.
Click to expand...

"It's hard to overlook the rear wing mounts. The "swan necks" mount to the less sensitive, less important high pressure side of the wing freeing up low pressure side wing area and reducing airflow disruption." Taken from here
​
 
Same length I think:

Mercedes C Class Coupe DTM
Length: 5.010 mm
Width: 1.950 mm
Height: 1.210 mm
Wheelbase: 2.750 mm
Fuel tank: 120 litres
Weight: 1050 kg (with driver)

Audi A5 DTM 2012
5.010 meters long
1.950 meters wide
1.150 meters high
 
MatskiMonk
Same length I think:

Mercedes C Class Coupe DTM
Length: 5.010 mm
Width: 1.950 mm
Height: 1.210 mm
Wheelbase: 2.750 mm
Fuel tank: 120 litres
Weight: 1050 kg (with driver)

Audi A5 DTM 2012
5.010 meters long
1.950 meters wide
1.150 meters high
Click to expand...

Same lenght the metal plate under the cars (or chassis structure) as you can see on the shadow of the Merc its about the same size the shadow of the Audi but the shape of the Audi hood is much bigger and ugglier IMO...
 
Not much info from the first group test.

http://www.touringcartimes.com/article.php?id=6715

BMW pleased with Lausitzring test session

BMW completed two days of testing at Lausitzring alongside Audi and Mercedes with the new 2012 specification cars.

"We can look back positively on the test at the Lausitzring," said BMW Motorsport Director Jens Marquardt.

Four BMW drivers took part in the test, including Andy Priaulx, Augusto Farfus, Jörg Müller and Dirk Müller.

"Monday's test was great fun. It reminded me of my time in single-seater racing. The BMW M3 DTM also generates a lot of downforce. I felt comfortable with the car from the word go," said Dirk Müller.

The next test for BMW is scheduled for the 21-22nd September at Hungaroring where the same four drivers will be behind the wheel again.

"Our four drivers got a lot of kilometres under their belts at the Lausitzring and collected a lot of data. It was interesting to test together with our rivals for the first time, although it is still too early to make any real comparisons between the manufacturers. Congratulations to Audi and Mercedes-Benz. They will also be lining up with really beautiful and impressive cars. I think the fans can look forward to a great season with the BMW M3 DTM, the Audi A5 DTM and the Mercedes-Benz C-Class Coupé," said Marquardt.
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It'll be nice to see BMW jump back on the DTM bandwagon. It's just a shame that none of that stuff gets televised in Canada - maybe the highlight reels on Speed every so often. Now if only Alfa-Romeo and Opel would get back in it'd be a real good show!
 
The rear and side of the car:

dtm11102203-a.jpg


dtm11102203-b.jpg


Just look at that... So guys, whose watching the DTM race today will have a chance to see some demonstration laps of this beast. Lucky, I don't have a coverage for it strangely this weekend.

[Source is Touring Car Times]
 

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