In July of this year, Mercedes-Benz said it will shift its racing priorities from the DTM to Formula E in a rather unexpected move. This not only showed the growing importance of the Formula E competition but also brought to the forefront something we always knew but never really acknowledged: the DTM really is a three-pony race. That hasn’t always been the case but in recent years, only BMW, Audi and Mercedes have been going at it in the Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters. With the latter leaving, this will become a two-horse race that won’t really be as entertaining.
To address the issue at hand, BMW Motorsport Director Jens Marquardt issued the following statement:
“After the announcement that Mercedes-Benz is going to leave the DTM at the end of 2018, we promised the fans that we would fight for the future of the DTM. We are working hard to do just that. We are involved in intensive discussions with ITR chairman Gerhard Berger and with manufacturers to develop a viable concept for the future, retain the DTM as an attractive and innovative platform and continue to provide fans with exciting motorsport in a top-level competitive environment.
We support the introduction of the so-called Class One regulations and are prepared to equip DTM cars with extremely highly efficient and more powerful four-cylinder turbo engines and reduced aerodynamics. This would open the door for standardised, global regulations and allow the DTM to drive on the same technical foundation as the cars in the Japanese Super GT Championship, for example.
This concept would secure the future of the DTM, open it up internationally, and make the whole platform more attractive. We would welcome it if other manufacturers followed and would also commit to the DTM.”
