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.”

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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:

The move by the sport’s second most successful team, follows on from the news last month that Ferrari and Red Bull had already agreed to join the board of Formula One, in exchange for greater controls and share of the sport’s $500 million annual earnings.

At the time we suggested that it wouldn’t be long before McLaren and Mercedes joined Ferrari and Red Bull, but Mercedes has been holding out for more favourable terms in the new Concorde Agreement – the sport’s commercial contract between the rights holder and teams, which will run from 2013 until 2020.

“I don’t see much (racing) history in this team which would justify a bigger bonus” Ecclestone told German magazine auto, motor und sport, after his meeting with Daimler AG CEO Dieter Zetsche last week.

The article in thisismoney.co.uk, written by Christian Sylt and Caroline Reid of Formula Money, said that F1’s board had not yet voted to approve an initial public offering of the company’s stock, but that the sport’s majority owner, private equity firm CVC Capital, is working towards a flotation in June.

This could be delayed until later in the year or postponed even further, depending on market conditions and whether there are problems in gaining approval from the board of F1’s Jersey-based parent, Delta Topco.

A decision to go ahead will be sought at an extraordinary board meeting next month.

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.

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It is 20 years since Giovanna Amati drove for the Brabham F1 team (coincidentally the outfit Bernie Ecclestone ran during most of the 1970s and 1980s), but Williams are the only team to have won a grand prix with a female driver. Back in 1980, Desiré Wilson won at Brands Hatch in the British Aurora F1 series, securing her name in the record books.

Now Williams take the lead, yet again, confirming today that Susie Wolff will join the team as its Development Driver.

Born in Oban, Scotland, Susie Wolff (formerly, Susie Stoddart) has had the classic racing career, beginning in karting and then moving to junior single-seater series and was twice nominated for the prestigious Young Driver of the Year Award before moving up to DTM. In 2012, Susie will contest her seventh season in DTM.

[Read Matt Roberts "Q&A with Susie Stoddart - DTM Race Driver for AMG Mercedes"]

Frank Williams, Team Principal of the Williams F1 Team, said, “Susie is a talented, successful and highly professional racing driver who competes in one of the world’s most fiercely-contested racing series. Susie will join Williams as a Development Driver, in which capacity she will assist us with the development of our simulator and other technical challenges.

“Susie will also undertake some aerodynamic testing of the FW34 and a full track test in the coming months. Susie will also attend a number of races with us. I should add that, as Susie is married to Toto Wolff, a Director of Williams, her appointment was carefully considered and then approved by the Board, with Toto recusing himself from the process.”

Susie Wolff said, “I would like to thank Sir Frank for giving me this opportunity both on and off the track. I must also thank Mercedes Benz AMG and HWA for supporting me to take up this new experience with Williams. Formula One is the ultimate challenge for any racing driver and it offers me the chance both to apply and to improve the skills I have developed racing in DTM.

“In return I shall be offering some of my own technical insight and experience – coming from a different discipline – and helping the team engage with its partners. I hope also to demonstrate that women can play a role at the highest levels of motorsport and I shall be working closely with the team on its social responsibility programme in the areas of education and road safety.”

Bernie Ecclestone, Chief Executive of Formula One, welcomed the announcement with an unsuitably sexist remark, saying: “If Susie is as quick in a car as she looks good out of a car then she will be a massive asset to any team and on top of that she is very intelligent. I am really looking forward to having her in Formula One.”

Oh well, Bernie will be Bernie..

You see, with the 529 bhp/800 Nm SL 63 AMG costing £106,820.00 and the 563 bhp/650 Nm SLS AMG Roadster requiring a bonus-quenching £176,895.00, you’d need a seriously good reason to spend £162,000.00 (est.) on the V12 SL 65 AMG (the 2009 model retailed at £153,050.00).

Most customers will chose the significantly cheaper SL 63 AMG, which is more than fast enough for even the straightest of autobahn, and if ‘flashing some cash’ is your raison d’être, then look no further than the gorgeous SLS AMG, which brings the added bonus of being the official Formula One Safety Car.

As with the SL 63 AMG, the new SL 65 AMG is some 170 kg lighter than before, thanks to its all-aluminium bodyshell, there’s also a new AMG Speedshift Plus 7G-Tronic transmission replacing the old 5G-Tronic system, so power is delivered even more smoothly than before.

But the SL 65′s real party-trick is that engine and its ability to catapult you towards the horizon with no discernible limit, except the courage to keep your right foot pinned to the floor. The old model could reach 100 mph in around 7.5 seconds and cover the quarter-mile in 11.6 seconds (Car & Driver figures), whilst this 2013 model is quoted by Mercedes as being capable of 62 mph in 4.0 seconds and 125 mph in just 11.8 seconds.

The AMG 12-cylinder bi-turbo engine impresses more for its effortless performance, than sporty feel, but for a small and loyal community of fans, that’s precisely why they choose to buy one.

At 1950kg, the SL 65 could never be described as ‘lightweight’ (despite the meaning behind those initials) but will still average 24.4 mpg (combined) with CO2 emissions of 270 g/km. The 105 kg lighter SL 63, by comparison, achieves 28.5 mpg (combined) and 231 g/km of CO2 emissions.

It’s hard to argue against the 35% less-expensive SL 63 AMG, but if you must have your roadster with all the toppings, then the new SL 65 AMG will be a riot of fun to own.

Mercedes are yet to confirm the SL 65′s final UK pricing and specifications, but it’s available to order now and will arrive in the UK from Autumn 2012.

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According to BMW, the £93,795 M6 competes against the £97,000 Jaguar XKR-S Coupé, £92,410 Maserati Gran Turismo S and £91,950 Aston Martin Vantage Coupé, but we could equally include the £106,820.00 Mercedes SL 63 AMG and £108,090 Audi R8 V10 Coupé.

But in my mind its closest rival has always been the M5. Fitted with an identical 4.4-litre twin-turbo V8 engine and powertrain, both models essentially achieve the same task, with equal aplomb and self-assured swagger. So why would anyone pay a £20,755 premium over the £73,040 M5?

What does the M6 offer compared to the M5?

Perhaps the best way to answer this question, until we actually drive both cars, is by looking at their specifications. As already mentioned, the M6 comes with the same 552 bhp 680 Nm (502 lb-ft) 4.4-litre V8 engine with M TwinPower Turbo technology, seven-speed M Double Clutch Transmission with Drivelogic and Active M Differential with fully variable distribution of drive between the rear wheels.

The Coupe will accelerate from 0–62 mph in 4.2 seconds, whilst the M6 Convertible needs a further 0.1 seconds (4.3 seconds) for the same increment (The M5 takes 4.4 seconds). Their 0–124 mph times are 12.6 and 13.1 seconds respectively (M5: 13.0 seconds), whilst both cars are credited with an electronically governed top speed of 155 mph, or 189 mph when fitted with the M Driver’s Package.

So, just from looking at the on-paper figures we can see that the M6 is lighter, shorter, lower and wider than the M5, with a quicker steering to take advantage of its shorter wheelbase.

Sounds good so far, but is that enough to justify its place as BMW’s top performance model?

The M styling cues and features

As you would expect, the new M6 is suitably attired with all the familiar M styling cues; a newly designed M kidney grille bearing an awkwardly positioned “M6″ badge, hallmark M gills with integrated direction indicator bars, flared front wheel arches and the customary M twin exhausts positioned each side of the rear diffuser.

It’s clearly a much more aggressive car than the standard 6 Series, which goes some way in justifying the £22,000 premium over the 401 bhp 650i M Sport.

The M6 Convertible inherits the high-quality soft-top from the standard 6 Series, boasting its distinctive “fin” architecture, but the most notable difference between M6 Coupe and Convertible – apart from the extra £5,200 – is the additional 140 kg that its 552 bhp engine has to carry.

Performance, although reduced, is still bahn-stormingly quick, whilst fuel economy is knocked back a bit from the M6 Coupe’s 28.5 mpg to 27.4 mpg in the Convertible, but still an impressive 30 per cent improvement over the previous 5.0-litre V10-engined M6.

I understand why BMW chose to serve the convertible market, but I can’t help feel disappointed at the compromise it imposes on the dynamics and performance of BMW’s top M car.

What else is there to know?

The carbon fibre-reinforced plastic (CFRP) roof, introduced on its predecessor (codenamed E63), continues, but this time featuring a striking double-bubble contour that perfectly showcases the technical advances made by BMW’s Landshut production facility.

Other influences from BMW’s lightweight design strategy include aluminium for the doors and bonnet, thermoplastic for the front side panels and glass-fibre composite (SMC) for their boot lids (and roof cover in the case of the M6 Convertible).

For the first time on an M car, BMW are offering M carbon-ceramic brakes, further reducing un-sprung weight and providing fade-free performance even under heavy loads.

The diameter of the inner-vented and perforated brake disks increase by 10mm at the front to 410 mm, whilst the rears remain at 396 mm. The six-piston fixed-callipers are painted a special gold-coloured finish complete with M logo, replacing the standard dark blue metallic callipers used on steel discs.

The carbon-ceramic brakes are provided in conjunction with 20″ M light-alloy wheels and are made from a new type of carbon-fibre compound ceramic, but its not just stopping power that improves – a total of 19.4 kg is saved from the M6′s unsprung weight, further improving the M6′s ride quality and agility.

Technology

The biggest downside of being a near £100k car is that most customers expect every toy and gadget available in BMW’s armoury. That’s great for cruising on the motorway or in traffic, but not so good for a b-road blast or (heavens forbid) a gentle track-day dalliance.

But if gadgets ‘are’ your thing, you’ll not be disappointed with what you find in the new M6.

Adaptive LED Headlights are fitted as standard, as are an extensive range of BMW ConnectedDrive features including BMW Head-Up Display with M-specific information, High Beam Assistant, BMW Night Vision with pedestrian recognition, Lane Change Warning, Lane Departure Warning, rear-view camera, Surround View, Speed Limit Info, internet access, extended integration of smartphones and music players, Real-Time Traffic Information and apps for receiving web radio and using Facebook and Twitter.

To this already extensive list you can add; Comfort Access, active seats, heated steering wheel, doors with Soft Close Automatic function, Navigation system Professional and Bang & Olufsen High-End Surround Sound System with 16 loudspeakers in the M6 Coupe (12 speakers in the Convertible).

The M styling cues continue inside the M6 and include a newly developed M double-spoke leather steering wheel; M gear selector and car set-up controls on the centre console; exclusive M sports seats with integrated belt system (optional: M multifunction seats); Merino leather upholstery with extended features; exclusive carbon-fibre interior trim strips; illuminated door sill finishers with “M6″ lettering; M-specific instrument cluster with black-panel technology; 2-zone automatic climate control with extended features and special ambient lighting.

Customers can choose from 1 non-metallic and 8 metallic shades for the exterior paintwork (including four exclusive M finishes), while the Convertible’s soft-top is available in Black and Beige, or Anthracite Silver effect as an option.

At £93,795 for the M6 Coupe and £98,995 for the Convertible, both cars will go on sale in the UK from 15 September 2012 after making their world premiere at next month’s Geneva Motor Show.

So, do all these features justify its £20k premium over the M5? Probably not. But then neither is the M6 just a 2-door coupe version of the M5. There’s all the extra style and image that only a coupe can offer, plus of course the inevitable peer association with Aston Martin’s Vantage.

It’s interesting to note Porsche’s 911 is no longer used for comparison, which is probably a reasonable move, given that it is 400kg+ lighter than the M6, but then maybe that’s where BMW are aiming for with the next M3..

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It’s a major coup for BMW, not only because Tomczyk was one of Audi’s quickest drivers, but he brings with him the coveted No. 1.

“Our squad of drivers is gradually firming up,” said BMW Motorsport Director Jens Marquardt. “With Martin Tomczyk we are proud to have gained an absolute top-notch driver for our DTM involvement. Despite being fairly young in the touring car context, he is one of the most experienced DTM drivers around: he’s consistently fast, of impeccable character and an out-and-out winner.

In 2011 he was the first driver ever to win the DTM championship in an older spec car. We will do everything we can to consolidate this success with him in the future. Our target is to become competitive as quickly as possible, and from that point of view we see Martin as an extremely important asset.”

After several years in karting, 1998 and 1999 saw Tomczyk compete in the BMW Formula ADAC junior racing series initiated by the ADAC and BMW. Following a year in Formula 3, he took the step up into the DTM, where he has been driving for Audi since the 2001 season. In 2007 and 2011 Tomczyk was voted ADAC Motor Sportsman of the Year.

The highlight of his career so far came this season, in which he celebrated three out of his total of seven DTM wins, made it onto the podium eight times, and became the first driver in DTM history to take the title in an older spec car.

From 6th to 8th December, Tomczyk will get behind the wheel of the BMW M3 DTM for the first time in Monteblanco, southern Spain.

With three BMW factory teams gearing up for the 2012 season, there are now just 2 seats available.