Audi Sport Team Phoenix will exclusively represent the factory with two cars, whilst four other teams with support from Audi Sport customer racing will line up on the grid including Mamerow Racing, Raeder Motorsport, Speedhunters Team WRT and two cars from the Audi race experience.

The R8 LMS has competed on three previous occasions at the Nürburgring 24 Hours, since its debut in 2009, and whilst it has always been a strong contender in the GT3 class, more powerful GT2 cars have always denied them a chance of overall victory. In 2012, with 30 GT3 cars from eight major car makers in the field, the time has come for Audi to aim for the top step of the podium.

Dieter Gass, Head of Racing at Audi Sport said, “In recent years, we celebrated major successes with the Audi R8 LMS at the Nürburgring in the GT3 class. This year, the big aim is to shoot for overall victory. We’ve got a very strong line-up of teams and drivers plus an updated vehicle.”

The R8 LMS ultra drivers competing in this year’s race include:

Audi Sport Team Phoenix
#2 Marcel Fässler, Christopher Mies, René Rast and Frank Stippler.
#3 Marc Basseng, Christopher Haase, Frank Stippler and Markus Winkelhock.

Speedhunters Team WRT
#4 Oliver Jarvis, Andrea Piccini, Edward Sandström and Allan Simonsen.

Raeder Motorsport
#9 Frank Biela, Christian Hohenadel, Luca Ludwig and Thomas Mutsch.

Audi race experience
#24 Luca Cappellari, Florian Gruber, Warren Luff and Alex Yoong.
#25 Christian Bollrath, Pierre Ehret, Peter Venn and Marco Werner.

Mamerow Racing
#26 Christian Abt, Michael Ammermüller, Armin Hahne and Christian Mamerow.

The race starts at 16:00(CET) on Saturday May 19th and you should be able to watch it via the live streaming service on www.audi.tv and on the TV channel Sport1, which will provide more than 23 hours of on-air coverage from May 17th to 20th.

* * *

The R8 LMS ultra in focus

The R8 LMS ultra boasts numerous technical and structural modifications in comparison to its predecessor (hence the ‘ultra’ tag), with more torque (now over 500Nm), better aerodynamics, 40 kg less weight, wider front wheels, better brake cooling and a new carbon fibre Audi Sport PS-1 racing seat.

The powerful V10 engine is based on the mass-produced engine and can clock up 20,000 kilometres or more of racing before needing its first overhaul.

Technical specifications

Gallery

Fear not though, DTM is back again this weekend from Lausitzring situated just 80 miles south of Berlin, whilst highlights of last weekend’s race from Hockenheimring can be viewed tomorrow (Saturday 5th May) on ITV4 and next week (8th & 9th May) on Sky Sports.

Lausitzring is typically a Mercedes-Benz circuit, with their drivers claiming twelve of the last fourteen pole positions and nine of the last twelve race wins at the circuit. However Audi were the dominant team last year, with Martin Tomczyk and Timo Scheider scoring a memorable one-two finish.

Meanwhile, for BMW, the race at Lausitzring this weekend will be a journey of discovery. Whilst all three BMW teams spent a few days testing there last year, this was quite early in the development of the BMW M3 DTM and the car has changed a lot since then.

Last weekend’s race winner, Gary Paffett, won there in 2005 and 2009, so he’s looking forward to another competitive race, “Our one-two result in the season opener at Hockenheim was a great start to the new era of the DTM,” said Paffett.

“We have a long season ahead of us, and we’ll be taking each race as it comes. The Lausitzring makes different demands from those we have to contend with at Hockenheim: the track is technically very demanding, with only one fast corner but several chicanes. It was clear in Hockenheim that our new DTM C-Coupé is very fast. Now, we aim to keep pushing and to improve our performance in qualifying.”

* * *

Race schedule and known TV coverage

To help you find your way, we’ve updated our TV listing to include the latest changes since last week. As before, to find out how to watch the broadcasts, take a look at our ‘How to watch it’ section below.

ITV4

ITV hold the rights to broadcast highlights of each race, with coverage delayed until a week after each live event (so far). The programming is filmed and produced by Whisper Films, the company founded by Harriet Humphrey, wife of BBC’s Formula One presenter Jake Humphrey.

Voice-over commentary is provided by none other than BTCC and F1 presenter, Louise Goodman, so you’re in safe and familiar hands.

You can keep an eye on the ITV website for any further details.

ESPN

If you’d like to watch the tyre-smoking action LIVE in the UK, then you’ll need to subscribe to ESPN, but that doesn’t mean you should expect live coverage of every race.

Coverage begins on Sunday 29th April on ESPN (CH.442 on Sky) from 10:30pm to 12:15am (Duration : 105 mins), with the race repeated on Monday 30th April at 8:15pm. However ESPN’s live coverage doesn’t kick-in until the Brands Hatch round on 20th May.

To gain access you’ll need to subscribe on either Virgin Media, Freeview, BT Vision or Sky. It will cost £9 extra a month for Sky Sports subscribers, or £12 extra a month for other Sky subscribers.

Sky Sports

If you are already a Sky Sports subscriber, then you can watch highlights of each DTM race on Sky Sports 3 and 4, but like ITV’s coverage, it is broadcast some 7-10 days after the live event.

Online coverage

If you don’t fancy forking out a minimum of £108 to watch each race in full on ESPN, then apart from the ITV4 highlights programme you’ll find additional coverage on dtm.tv and auditv.com.

The first highlights programme is now available on AudiTV, whilst you can also watch track previews from Lausitzring and interviews with the drivers over on DTM TV.

In Germany, the races are broadcast on ARD, n-tv and Sport1 – you can also catch video highlights and interviews (in German) on the Sport1 Mediencenter.

ARD is a public service broadcaster (just like the BBC), funded by German licence payers, and offers a ‘Livestream’ service on its website. You can then watch the livestream by accessing through a proxy server.

How to: (5 minute task) find a German proxy server address usinging http://hidemyass.com/proxy-list/. Copy down an IP address and Port No. Then open up your browser settings (in Chrome, go to Settings > Under the hood > Network (change proxy settings) > LAN settings > click the ‘Use a proxy server..’ checkbox > then enter the IP address and Port No of your proxy server. You should now be able to view the ‘live’ broadcast.

It was Paffett’s 18th DTM win and one of his most dominant. Despite starting in 6th, the 31-year old McLaren F1 test-driver had gained 3 places by the second lap.

Mercedes-driver Jamie Green passes Ekström on lap 5, followed shortly after by Paffett, who shadowed Green for the next 9 laps before taking the lead on lap 15. Ekström lost these two positions after locking up under braking and was never able to recover. “Of course, it is disappointing. Today, we simply weren’t quick enough and I have made a mistake. The result hurts a little bit, but surely, we will get chances to win”, said Ekström.

By this point, the race seems to be a two-horse battle between last year’s champions, Audi and their rival Mercedes, with only Priaulx and Farfus in the top-10.

Farfus’s race turned from good to bad on lap 22 when he came into the pits but missed his box. He came in again a lap later, but exceeded the pit lane speed limit, earning him a drive through penalty which he took on lap 25.

British driver Andy Priaulx finished up as the best-placed BMW driver in sixth position. “If somebody would have offered me sixth place before the weekend, I would gladly have accepted it. It was great fun, we had a fantastic crowd and we have seen that BMW is on the right way”, said 38-year old Priaulx.

Meanwhile David Coulthard was progressing through the field, from his start position of 18th, finishing up in 7th, just behind fellow Mercedes driver Ralph Schumacher.

Fellow-Scott, Susie Wolff, who started in 21st position, came through to finish a creditable 12th, just ahead of American-driver Joey Hand, who was BMW’s second highest finisher in 13th.

Of the Mercedes-Benz Junior Team drivers (mentored by F1 champion Michael Schumacher), Christian Vietoris finished highest in 4th just under 6 seconds behind Ekström. Canadian Robert Wickens ended the day in 14th, whilst the Persson Motorsport driver Roberto Merhi was the final runner in 18th.

Retirements included Timo Scheider (spin on lap 1 followed by collision with Mehri), Martin Tomczyk (retired on lap 4 after being forced off the track), Adrien Tambay (collision on lap 3 with Spengler) and Bruno Spengler (collision on lap 3 with Tambay).

Paffett’s Mercedes team mate Jamie Green, set the fastest lap of the race with a time of 1:34.901, further underlining the dominance of the Stuttgart car maker.

Paffet said after the race, “What a fantastic start to the new DTM era. Many thanks to the team for their hard work – my THOMAS SABO Mercedes AMG C-Coupé was tuned perfectly. After a difficult season in 2011, I am pleased to have found the way back to the podium top spot.”

71,000 spectators attended today’s race, whilst 142,000 spectators came through the gates during the race weekend. Unlike the (BTCC) touring car racing here in the UK, the inaugural DTM race from Hockenheim was run in unseasonably dry conditions.

A new points scoring format came into force this weekend, bringing DTM closer to the system used in Formula 1. Paffett leads the drivers’ standings with 25 points, followed by Green (18 points) and Ekström (16 points).

BMW Motorsport Director, Jens Marquardt, said after the race, “On the whole, I am very happy with our DTM comeback. Nobody really knew what the balance of power would be at the start of the new DTM era. The unexpectedly strong performance in qualifying on Sunday, and the good sixth place achieved by an in-form Andy in Sunday’s race are just reward for the hard work put in by our entire team.”

Dr. Wolfgang Ullrich, Head of Audi Motorsport, reflected on a disappointing race result, “On the whole, it was a fabulous start for the new DTM in front of a great crowd. All three manufacturers put all their cars on the grid under extreme time pressure. The cars functioned well and were very close together in terms of performance. Next week, in Lausitzring, we need to show that a perfect performance in qualifying can be converted to a win in the race.”

The next race is in a little over 6 days time, at the Lausitzring (May 4th to 6th), so we’ll soon see if Mercedes’ early lead in the championship is just a fluke and if BMW can inflict further damage whilst Audi struggles for pace.

DTM Race 1: Hockenheim. 27th – 29th April 2012.

Gallery

The traditional season opener at Hockenheimring provided the perfect backdrop for the first real test of strength, with each manufacturer securing a qualifying position in the Top-3.

Mattias Ekström in the new Audi A5 DTM, nosed in front to secure pole position for Sunday’s race. Ekström lapped the 4.574-km circuit in 1:34.680 minutes, pushing Mercedes-Benz driver Jamie Green down to 2nd place.

BMW celebrated a great comeback to DTM after a 20-year absence, with Dirk Werner landing third on the grid in his BMW M3 DTM.

Double DTM champion Ekström will start from his 19th pole position in DTM and was delighted to start the season where he left off at the end of 2011:

“A pole for the start of the season is the best thing that could happen to us. It’s like in school: You learn to do your homework and now you see the result.

“Although there are no points for the pole, it’s definitely the shortest path to finish from in the race”, said Eki.

* * *

Runner-up Jamie Green was equally pleased with his start to the new season, “We worked a lot in the winter and now we know where we stand. We are well on our way. You could see that it is very close between the three manufacturers and they all get to start at the front.”

Third place Dirk Werner was enthusiastic about BMW’s return to the DTM series, “This is a crazy result. I never thought that I can do it in the final qualifying round. We already had a good feeling, but it makes it even more beautiful to do so good,” said the delighted BMW driver.

Two Audi drivers, the Italian Edoardo Mortara and Mike Rockenfeller, are in fourth and fifth in the race, whilst Brit Gary Paffett was 6th in his DTM Mercedes AMG C Coupé.

A further six pilots celebrated their DTM debut at Hockenheim. Andy Priaulx (BMW) finished the qualifying session in 7th place, whilst Adrien Tambay (Audi) qualified in 12th. Canadian Robert Wickens (Mercedes-Benz) was 13th quickest, whilst Joey Hand (BMW) from the USA qualified in 16th.

Augusto Farfus (BMW) starts tomorrow’s race in 19th position, whilst Spaniard Roberto Merhi (Mercedes-Benz) will start from 20th.

* * *

FIA president Jean Todt spoke about the “new DTM”, saying “The cars are very interesting. I have seen many things you can learn from. The DTM is a good mix of young drivers and experienced pilots, many of whom come from Formula 1.”

The 40-lap race around Hockenheimring begins tomorrow at 14:00 CET, with all 182.960 kilometres broadcast live on German channel ARD. If you’re a UK viewer and would like to know how to catch the action, take a look at our 2012 DTM TV Guide.

* * *

Qualifying Positions

Gallery

The new 2012 season brings with it a new era for DTM racing. BMW join the line up after a 20 year absence, to fight it out against bitter rivals Audi and Mercedes whilst no fewer than five British drivers battle for glory, including Gary Paffett, Suzie Wolff, Andy Priaulx, Jamie Green and F1 legend David Coulthard. Whilst new coupe-style racing cars have been introduced which are both safer and cheaper to run.

Among the more revolutionary features are identical safety structures for all cars, a better protected safety fuel tank, and a new ‘Incident Cam’ which can be used as evidence in controversial racing situations.

Furthermore, the seat – similar to formula cars – is now installed in the carbon fibre monocoque that is joined to the roll cage made of high-strength steel.

Each car is powered by a 4.0-litre V8 engine with approximately 500bhp, carrying a minimum weight of 1,100kg – including driver and helmet.

Sticky 18″ Hankook tyres keep the cars glued to the track, 300 x 18 at the front and 320 x 18 on the rear. AP supplies the regulation carbon fibre brakes for all cars, with a limit of 3 sets per front and rear wheels during the season.

* * *

It looks like being a great spectacle, so how do you get to see it?

ITV4

ITV hold the rights to show highlights of the series, with coverage beginning on Saturday 5th May on ITV4 from 10:30am to 11:00am (Duration : 30 mins).

Future broadcast times have yet to be scheduled, so keep an eye on the ITV website.

ESPN

If you’d like to watch the tyre-smoking action LIVE in the UK, then you’ll need to subscribe to ESPN, but that doesn’t mean you should expect live coverage of every race.

Coverage begins on Sunday 29th April on ESPN (CH.442 on Sky) from 10:30pm to 12:15am (Duration : 105 mins), with the race repeated on Monday 30th April at 8:15pm. However ESPN’s live coverage doesn’t kick-in until the Brands Hatch round on 20th May.

To gain access you’ll need to subscribe on either Virgin Media, Freeview, BT Vision or Sky. It will cost £9 extra a month for Sky Sports subscribers, or £12 extra a month for other Sky subscribers.

Sky Sports

If you are already a Sky Sports subscriber, then you can watch highlights of each DTM race on Sky Sports 3 and 4, but it appears little better than ITV’s coverage, being broadcast some 7-10 days after the event.

Online coverage

If you don’t fancy forking out a minimum of £108 to watch each race in full on ESPN, then apart from the ITV4 highlights programme you’ll find additional coverage on dtm.tv and auditv.com.

In Germany, the races are broadcast on ARD, n-tv and Sport1 – you can also catch video highlights and interviews (in German) on the Sport1 Mediencenter.

ARD is a public service broadcaster (just like the BBC), funded by German licence payers, and offers a ‘Livestream’ service on its website. You can then watch the livestream by accessing through a proxy server.

How to: (5 minute task) find a German proxy server address usinging http://hidemyass.com/proxy-list/. Copy down an IP address and Port No. Then open up your browser settings (in Chrome, go to Settings > Under the hood > Network (change proxy settings) > LAN settings > click the ‘Use a proxy server..’ checkbox > then enter the IP address and Port No of your proxy server. You should now be able to view the ‘live’ broadcast.

Many thanks to Systems Engineer, Jason Patel, who has added further suggestions in the comments below, both for UK and US viewers.

* * *

Race schedule and known TV coverage

Whilst the race calendar has been finalised, TV coverage is only confirmed for the first two races. Here’s what we know for now:

More than 55,000 tickets have been sold for the eagerly anticipated first race of the new DTM season on the Hockenheimring next weekend. Organizers expect the grandstands to be completely sold out for the first battle between German’s big 3 car makers in DTM since the 1990s.

As you would imagine, there is a mountain of promotional material, some of which would bore even the most dedicated enthusiast, so we’ve selected some of the best snippets of information together with some great new pictures of the 2012 contenders.

BMW in the DTM 2012

BMW return to the DTM championship in 2012 for the first time in almost 20 years. The company’s most recent works involvement in the series came between 1984 and 1992, during which time it left its mark with 49 victories, 30 pole positions and 3 drivers’ titles.

The very first DTM race ever was won by a BMW driver: Harald Grohs, at the wheel of the BMW 635 CSi. By the end of the season, Volker Strycek had secured the title in the same car.

BMW Team Schnitzer is once again involved under the leadership of Team Principal Charly Lamm. Bruno Spengler and Dirk Werner will line up for the team from Freilassing. Three-time World Touring Car Champion, Andy Priaulx, and Augusto Farfus will represent BMW Team RBM, while reigning DTM champion Martin Tomczyk will race alongside Joey Hand in the newly formed BMW Team RMG.

The BMW M3 DTM has been developed from scratch by BMW Motorsport and is powered by the 4.0-litre BMW P66 V8 engine, equipped with
regulation air restrictors and producing around 480bhp.

BMW’s M3 made its racing debut in 1987 and was designed specifically to compete in the DTM. It went on to become the most successful touring car of all time and set new standards both on track and on the road.

Eric van de Poele finished in the points at nine of the ten races, clinching the 1987 DTM title for BMW in the M3′s first season.

BMW has scored more DTM victories at the Hockenheimring than any other circuit, with BMW drivers crossing the finish line first on ten occasions. Many of the stars from back then will also be there at the track to watch the return of BMW to the DTM live: Grohs, van de Poele and Ravaglia will be joined in Hockenheim by Steve Soper.

Mercedes-Benz in the DTM 2012 – Vital Statistics

Eight drivers from four countries will contest the 2012 season in the Mercedes AMG DTM C-Coupé, the successor to the AMG Mercedes C-Class – the most successful ever DTM car to date.

Two rookies – Roberto Merhi and Robert Wickens – will make their DTM debuts with Mercedes-Benz in 2012.

These rookies, together with Jamie Green, Ralf Schumacher, Gary Paffett, Christian Vietoris, Susie Wolff and David Coulthard form a powerful Mercedes-Benz works team in the DTM.

A new Mercedes-Benz Junior Team has been formed for the first time in 2012 with Merhi, Vietoris and Wickens. It is modelled on the successful concept from the 1990s – which launched the careers of Michael Schumacher, Heinz-Harald Frentzen and Karl Wendlinger.

The eight Mercedes-Benz DTM drivers have a combined total of over 29 years’ experience and 294 DTM races to their credit.

Gary Paffett and Jamie Green – with win rates of 21 percent (17 wins in 81 races) and 10 percent respectively (7 wins in 74 races) – are among the four most successful current DTM drivers.

Mercedes-Benz is the most successful manufacturer in the DTM with 165 victories and ten drivers’, thirteen team and nine constructors’ championships.

The DTM Mercedes AMG C-Coupé weighs 1100kg and is powered by a 500bhp 4.0-litre V8 engine with 500 Nm.

100 facts about Audi and the DTM

1. Audi has won a total of eight DTM titles to date.
2. 2012 marks the 17th DTM season tackled by Audi.
3. The brand with the four rings has so far contested 194 DTM races and won 61 of them. 64 times an Audi racer took the pole position and 53 times the fastest race lap to date was set by an Audi driver.
4. In 1990 and 1991, Audi was the first automobile manufacturer to achieve two consecutive DTM title wins.

DTM coverage on TV (UK viewers)

The good news is – ITV4 have secured a deal this season to show all 10 rounds of the 2012 DTM championship. The bad news is – they’ll only be showing the highlights and at the moment there’s nothing in the schedule to indicate ‘when’ coverage will be shown and importantly how long after the race it will take to see it.

We’ll update you the moment we get confirmation from the folks at ITV, but at least DTM will be on free-to-air TV, which is something that hasn’t been the case for many years.

5. In 2007, 2008 and 2009, Audi was the first – and has so far remained the only –automobile manufacturer to win the DTM title three times in succession.
6. The Audi V8 quattro won in 1990 at its seventh race, the A4 DTM in 2004 at its third race in the DTM.
7. For eight years, Audi in the most popular international touring car series was relying on its top seller, the A4, that took a total of five DTM titles (in 2004, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2011).
8. The Audi A4 DTM clinched 34 of the 61 race wins achieved by Audi in the DTM.
9. There have been a total of seven different versions of the Audi A4 DTM: R11 (2004), R12 (2005), R12 plus (2006), R13 (2007), R13 plus (2008), R14 (2009) and R14 plus (2010).
10. From 2006 to 2011, Audi and Mercedes were battling for the DTM title between themselves. The final score: 4–2 for Audi.
11. From 2000 to 2003, the Audi brand was represented in the DTM by the customer team Abt Sportsline that privately fielded coupes based on the Audi TT, and in 2002 won the title with Laurent Aiello.

  A5 DTM

1. After the V8, the TT and the A4, the A5 is the fourth model to be fielded by Audi in the DTM. So far, Audi has clinched at least one title with each model range for Ingolstadt and Neckarsulm.
2. Length, width, height, wheelbase and overhangs are identical for all DTM vehicles to assure maximum equality of opportunity. Models that do not fit the mold are scaled accordingly. The A5 DTM required almost no scaling versus the production model.
3. An Audi A5 DTM consists of around 4,000 parts – about 50 of them are specification parts prescribed by the DTM regulations for all manufacturers.
4. The Audi A5 DTM bears the internal project name “R17” at Audi Sport.
5. The “R17 project was launched on May 4, 2010.
6. The prototype of the Audi A5 DTM did its first kilometres on the Audi test track in Neustadt on July 29, 2011.
7. The Audi A5 DTM celebrated its world debut on September 12, 2011 as part of the Volkswagen Group Night held before the International Motor Show (IAA) in Frankfurt.
8. Since March 1, 2012 the technology of the DTM vehicles for the 2012 season has been largely frozen.
9. Around 30,000 test kilometres were reeled off by Audi Sport with the A5 DTM prior to its first racing run.
10. The Audi A5 DTM is 5.01 meters long, 1.95 meters high and 1.15 meters low. All DTM vehicles have an identical wheelbase of 2,750 millimetres.



11. A DTM wheel weighs over 22 kilograms – the teams’ mechanics train at the gym to handle this weight.
12. The current-generation DTM vehicles are regarded as the race touring cars boasting the highest safety standards in motorsport history.
13. The carbon fibre monocoque of the Audi A5 DTM weighs merely 126 kilograms, the roll cage 32.5 kilograms.
14. In the mandatory crash test the side wall of the monocoque has to resist a force of 360 kN, which equates to 36 metric tons or 36 small cars.
15. The requirements specified for the – now 65-centimeter-long – crash absorbers at the front and rear ends of the vehicles have been raised. In addition, a total of four side-impact crash absorbers are installed in the cars for the first time.
16. The A5 DTM is currently using the same engine as its predecessor model, the A4: a V8 with 4.0-litres of displacement, around 340 kW (460 hp) and thus comparable performance ratings as the 4.2-liter V8 unit used in the top-of-the-line RS 5.
17. The transmission that is now operated by means of paddle shifters on the steering wheel can achieve a mileage of up to 24,000 kilometres.
18. The steering wheel of the Audi A5 DTM has a diameter of merely 28 centimetres.
19. Unlike the A4 DTM, which still had a steel roof, the Audi A5 DTM has a body made of CFRP.
20. Just like the production model, the Audi A5 DTM has headlights with LED daytime running light. Audi is a trendsetter in the field of LED technology. At the Le Mans 24 Hours, Audi has been the first automobile manufacturer to compete with full LED headlights since last year.

Audi Sport

1. Around 200 employees work for Audi Sport at the two locations Ingolstadt and Neckarsulm.
2. Head of Audi Motorsport Dr. Wolfgang Ullrich has been at the helm of Audi Sport since November 1993. In 2004, he led Audi back into the DTM and has clinched the title six times since then.
3. For over 30 years, Audi Sport has been part of the Technical Development division of AUDI AG. This is one of the reasons why the technology transfer between motorsport and production is very intensive at Audi. Dr. Wolfgang Ullrich reports directly to Michael Dick, Member of the Board of Management of AUDI AG for Technical Development.
4. Dieter Gass has been serving in the role of “Head of Racing Commitments” at Audi Sport since January 1, 2012, reporting directly to Head of Audi Motorsport Dr. Wolfgang Ullrich.
5. In parallel to the DTM, Audi in 2012 is involved in the FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC) and the two 24-hour races at the Nürburgring and at Spa. In total, the Audi Sport squad of around 200 members with support by the partner teams is handling no less than 21 factory racing commitments in the 2012 season.
6. For 2012, Audi Sport concurrently developed three new race cars: the A5 DTM, the R18 ultra and the R18 e-tron quattro – the first diesel hybrid vehicle for the Le Mans 24 Hours that marks the return of quattro drive to motorsport. Audi Sport customer racing – with the R8 LMS ultra and the R8 GRAND-AM – contributed two other new customer sport race cars.

Teams

1. Audi Sport Team Abt Sportsline is fielding four vehicles in the DTM, supported by 53 employees. Audi Sport Teams Phoenix and Rosberg are each entering two Audi A5 DTM cars, with 26 employees being assigned to the DTM commitment by each team.
2. All three Audi Sport teams have been involved in the most popular international touring car racing series ever since the DTM was re-launched in 2000. ABT Sportsline relied on Audi vehicles from the outset. Phoenix Racing and Team Rosberg have been partners of Audi Sport since the 2006 season.
3. Audi Sport Team Abt Sportsline is based in Kempten in the Allgäu region of Bavaria, Audi Sport Team Phoenix in the industrial park Meuspath near the Nürburgring and Audi Sport Team Rosberg in Neustadt an der Weinstraße.
4. With five DTM driver titles to its credit, Audi Sport Team Abt Sportsline is the so far most successful Audi DTM team.

Drivers

1. With an average age of barely 27 years, Audi is competing with the youngest driver line-up of the three manufacturers in the 2012 DTM.
2. Aged 21, the Frenchman Adrien Tambay is the “junior” in Audi’s line-up, Mattias Ekström (33) the “senior.”
3. The Audi drivers in the 2012 DTM season hail from seven different nations (France, Germany, Italy, Portugal, Sweden, Switzerland, Spain). Edoardo Mortara has dual citizenship (Italy/France). Timo Scheider is German but races with an Austrian license.



4. Switzerland is clearly the preferred residence of the Audi drivers. Four of the eight DTM racers live there.
5. With 17 wins under his belt, Mattias Ekström is the brand’s most successful DTM racer in front of Hans-Joachim Stuck (11).
6. Mattias Ekström, Timo Scheider and Mike Rockenfeller have achieved all of their previous 24 victories in the DTM at the wheel of Audi vehicles.
7. Six of the eight 2012 Audi DTM drivers have been on the DTM podium at least once.
8. Audi most recently provided the best DTM rookie – Miguel Molina (2010) and Edoardo Mortara (2011) – twice in succession.
9. Mattias Ekström was pleased about the allocation of number “3” to his car. It was the number of the car in which the Swede won his second DTM title in 2007.
10. Filipe Albuquerque and Miguel Molina took German lessons at the Audi Academy in Ingolstadt during the winter.
11. Tipping the scales at 50 kilograms, Rahel Frey – as could be expected – is the flyweight in the 2012 Audi driver line-up, Mattias Ekström – with 77 kilograms – the heaviest Audi racer.
12. Audi’s 2012 Le Mans driver line-up includes four former DTM racers – Dindo Capello, Oliver Jarvis, Tom Kristensen and Allan McNish – and one from the current season, Mike Rockenfeller.

Partners

1. Audi Sport was able to secure the support of a total of 21 partners for its involvement in the 2012 DTM.
2. “Audi Sport performance cars” stands for all high-performance cars from AUDI AG, such as the Audi R8 or the RS models from quattro GmbH.

  Rules

1. For the first time since 2005, the DTM includes a manufacturers classification again, which Audi 2004 decided in its favor once before. The six best vehicles of a manufacturer, respectively, are classified.
2. In the 2012 DTM, points are awarded for the first time according to the system used in Formula 1: 25-18-15-12-10-8-6-4-2-1 for positions one to ten.



3. Refuelling during DTM races is no longer permitted. The Audi A5 DTM has a 120-liter fuel tank.
4. Each race has two mandatory pit stops for tire changes. A quick pit stop in the DTM takes less than three seconds, the same time it takes the Audi A5 DTM to accelerate from rest to 100 km/h.
5. 14 mechanics perform a DTM pit stop – three per wheel, plus one man with the wand that supplies compressed air to the air jack system in the car and the famous “lollipop man” who directs the A5 to the right position in the pit lane with a sign that looks like an oversized lollipop.
6. The minimum weight of a DTM vehicle was specified at 1,100 kilograms for the 2012 season – including 85 kilograms for the driver. Drivers who weigh less than that have to take appropriate ballast on board.
7. Per race weekend, a driver may use a maximum of 28 unused slicks (14 front and 14 rear tires). 40 tires are permitted for the first weekend.
8. For all DTM events – from the beginning of the first DTM event to the end of the last classification race – a maximum of three engines are permitted per two registered drivers. No mechanical component inside the sealed engines may be worked on, removed or exchanged.
9. Two drivers combined may use a maximum of six sets of brake discs.
10. The length of the free practice sessions was increased to 100 minutes (per each of two sessions) in the 2012 season.
11. In addition to the national flag and the driver’s last name, the so-called “three letter code” that clearly identifies each driver must be displayed on the rear side windows this year. The codes at Audi are: ALB (Albuquerque), EKS (Ekström), FRE (Frey), MOL (Molina), MOR (Mortara), ROC (Rockenfeller), TAM (Tambay), TSC (Scheider).
12. Since the past season, Hankook has been the DTM’s exclusive tire supplier. Compared with last year, the wheels have larger dimensions (12 x 18 instead of 10 x 18 inches at the front and 13 x 18 instead of 11 x 18 inches at the rear axle).

  Tracks/events

1. For the third consecutive time, the official season presentation is held in Wiesbaden, the capital of the state of Hesse.
2. The DTM season opener is taking place at the Hockenheimring for the 16th time. Since 1995, the circuit in Baden-Württemberg has been the traditional venue of the first DTM race of the year.
3. At a total of ten classification races, points are awarded in the 2012 season. In addition, like last year, there is a show event at the Munich Olympic Stadium at which two drivers per run compete against each other in a knock-out format.
4. Seven DTM events are held in Germany in 2012; in addition, there are visits to Great Britain, Austria, the Netherlands and Spain.



5. All DTM qualifying sessions and races are broadcast by ARD live on “Das Erste”.
6. According to calculations by Audi Sport the top speed (around 260 km/h) in the 2012 DTM season is reached at the end of the Parabolika at the Hockenheimring. The slowest corner – at around 50 km/h – is turn 1 at the Norisring in Nuremberg.
7. 62,000 spectators on average attended the DTM events last year. On its debut, the show event at the Munich Olympic Stadium immediately attracted 54,000 spectators.
8. On a total of five of the nine DTM tracks, Audi is holding the qualifying record (Hockenheim, Spielberg, Zandvoort, Oschersleben and Valencia).
9. On the Spanish circuit at Valencia, Audi has remained unbeaten in the DTM so far – the same applies to Audi factory driver Mattias Ekström.
10. Audi was most successful in recent years at Zandvoort and Oschersleben with five victories since its return to the DTM with a factory commitment in the 2004 season.

  DTM history

1. “DTM” was originally an abbreviation for “Deutsche Tourenwagen-Meisterschaft.” The three letters subsequently stood for “Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters.” “DTM” has meanwhile become an independent trade mark.
2. 2012 marks the 26th season for the DTM – including its international offspring, the “ITC”, in 1996. 269 DTM events with 379 classified races have been held so far in total.
3. The narrowest finishing gap at a DTM race was 0.089 seconds (Norisring 1996), the largest lead 51.96 seconds (Mainz-Finthen 1985).
4. The most commanding victory in the DTM since its re-launch in 2000 was achieved by Mattias Ekström in the Audi A4 DTM 2011 at Oschersleben. After a memorable wet race the Swede crossed the finish line with a 42.167-second advantage.
5. Audi, BMW and Mercedes-Benz last competed against each other at a DTM race on June 18, 1992 at the Nürburgring Nordschleife.

Gallery

The Supervisory Boards of AUDI AG and Volkswagen AG approved the acquisition today in Hamburg, with Ducati soon to become the third Italian brand in Audi’s arsenal – joining Lamborghini and Italdesign.

If you’re wondering what possible synergies there are between Ducati and Audi, then you’re not alone.

Audi’s spokesperson talked about “..the progressive control systems and special combustion chamber process of Ducati engines, plus Ducati’s extensive know-how in lightweight construction offer great potential for AUDI AG and the Volkswagen Group.”

However most people see this as a ‘trophy purchase’ by VW chairman Ferdinand Piech, who has long wished to own the superbike maker and famously said that he wished he’d bought Ducati in 1985 when it cost “peanuts”.

Rupert Stadler, Chairman of the Board of Audi AG, said this morning: “Ducati is known worldwide as a premium brand among motorcycle manufacturers and has a long tradition of building sporty motorcycles. It has great expertise in high-performance engines and lightweight construction, and is one of the world’s most profitable motorcycle manufacturers. That makes Ducati an excellent fit for Audi.”

Ducati produces around 40,000 bikes per year, generating revenues of €480 million from a staff of 1,100 employees. The deal includes Ducati’s debts, which are estimated at around €200 million.

The company was founded by Adriano and Marcello Ducati in Bologna in 1926. Known originally as Società Scientifica Radiobrevetti Ducati, it initially built parts for radios.

It ventured into the manufacture of motorcycles in 1949 and now produces a full range of cruiser, supermoto, adventure, naked and superbikes.

Ducati has been actively involved in motorcycle racing for many decades through its racing division Ducati Corse, most notably in the MotoGP. Two-time world champion Casey Stoner delivered Ducati’s first MotoGP world championship, whilst current riders Valentino Rossi and Nicky Hayden are seeking to add to Stoner’s scorecard.

With 355bhp the RS Q3 will sprint from zero to 62mph in 5.2 seconds, on its way to a top speed of 165mph.

Lowered by 25 mm, the RS Q3 cuts a more aggressive stance than regular Q3 models, boasting a dynamic-looking body-kit, 20-inch wheels fitted with 255/30 tyres, finished off with carbon-ceramic brake discs.

The bumper is redesigned and subdivided into two segments – the inner sections with honeycomb screen inserts, while their outer sections, made of CFRP, have a smooth funnel shape. The front spoiler is also made of CFRP with its lower section coloured matt black.

In fact, carbon-fibre is featured throughout the RS Q3, including the door mirror housings, rear diffuser, interior panels, control stalks and it even covers some of the chrome parts within the front headlights.

Most of the steering wheel is covered with black Velvet leather – a leather that gives the hands a secure grip and repels dirt, and the door panels are trimmed in blue Alcantara.

In the tachometer, Chinese characters replace the usual Arabic numerals, whilst RS Q3 badges adorn the instrument cluster, the seatbacks, door sill plates and floor mats.

The seven-speed S tronic transmission conveys the RS Q3′s horses to the tarmac via quattro permanent all-wheel drive, with the front wheels performing most of the work until slip is detected.

Thereafter it can redistribute power to the rear axle via a hydraulic multi-plate clutch with electronic control – instantaneously and without the driver being aware of the transition from front to rear.

For the moment Audi describe the RS Q3 as an interpretation of a high-performance compact SUV, but it seems remarkably similar (in concept) to Porsche’s 370bhp Macan, which is due to hit UK showrooms next October.

Given how production-ready the RS Q3 Concept looks, I would be surprised if we didn’t see it on sale some months before its more illustrious sibling.

Gallery

In the build up to the season opener, Audi has brought their fully-liveried A5 DTMs to a test session at Valencia, sporting the colours of the three Audi Sport teams, Abt Sportsline, Phoenix and Rosberg.

Whilst each team has supported development of the A5 DTM, which was homologated on March 1st, this is the ‘first time’ they’ve tested their ‘own’ customer cars.

Mattias Ekström, Mike Rockenfeller, Timo Scheider and Edoardo Mortar will drive the cars in Valencia, whilst Filipe Albuquerque, Rahel Frey, Miguel Molina and Adrien Tambay will take to the track in their cars two weeks later at Hockenheim.

Dr. Wolfgang Ullrich, Head of Audi Motorsport said, “Without the support of our [sponsoring] partners it wouldn’t be possible to field a total of eight cars under a factory commitment in such a high-caliber racing series. In addition, they are adding color. I think that our designers in collaboration with our partners have managed to get very beautiful cars off the ground. I’m convinced that the fans will feel similarly..”

As a reminder, the Audi teams competing in this year’s 2012 DTM series are:

Audi Sport Team Abt Sportsline
Mattias Ekström (Red Bull Audi A5 DTM)
Timo Scheider (AUTO TEST Audi A5 DTM)

Audi Sport Team Abt
Rahel Frey (E-POSTBRIEF Audi A5 DTM)
Adrien Tambay (Audi ultra A5 DTM)

Audi Sport Team Phoenix
Mike Rockenfeller (Schaeffler Audi A5 DTM)
Miguel Molina (Red Bull Audi A5 DTM)

Audi Sport Team Rosberg
Edoardo Mortara (Playboy Audi A5 DTM)
Filipe Albuquerque (TV Movie Audi A5 DTM)

Meanwhile at BMW and Mercedes..

BMW DTM factory driver Andy Priaulx showed off his new M3 DTM car at the Goodwood Festival of Speed Media Day last week, he later tweeted these pictures of his new ‘office’ along with the rather ominous message, “If you see this in your mirror…..move over!”

Mercedes-Benz confirmed that 29-year-old Susie Wolff (previously Stoddart) will drive the TV Spielfilm Mercedes AMG C-Coupé in 2012, continuing with Team Persson Motorsport, who she has driven with since 2008. And Jaime Green will start his 8th DTM season with the marque and will try and add to his tally of 7 wins from 74 DTM race starts.

Gallery

This is one of the new cost-saving measures, introduced to DTM in 2012, in addition to the use of standardised parts across all manufacturers, including the fixed rear spoiler.

With just 8 weeks remaining until the season starts on April 29, Audi has been testing the final version of the new A5 DTM in top-secret conditions, away from the general public (and the roving camera lenses of their competitors).

“More than ever before, even the minutest detail will count this year in the DTM,” says Head of Audi Motorsport Dr. Wolfgang Ullrich. “Obviously, you want to keep the things you’ve worked out over the past few months under wraps for as long as possible.”

Whilst the new DTM regulations prescribe more shared parts than in the past and impose restrictions on aerodynamics , the Audi engineers are convinced they have come up with several interesting and innovative solutions that will steal a march on the teams from BMW and Mercedes.

Compared to the prototype car first shown at the Frankfurt Motor Show last September, the team have homologated some key changes – a single-frame radiator grille and air intakes on the sides of the front spoiler, the characteristic LED daytime running lights from the production A5, and 3D-aerodynamics components in the lower third of the vehicle flanks are the most obvious.

The three factory Audi teams are now beginning to prepare their race cars at Audi Sport in Ingolstadt, with four cars expected at the official track tests in Valencia (Spain) from 20 to 22 March.