DTM News

In advance of the DTM heading to Donington this weekend, English residing tin-top specialist, Frenchman Alain Menu, has been speaking exclusively to Crash.net. Q: Are you looking forward to racing in the UK again?

Five Audis like you've never seen before roar in to the Donington Park motor racing circuit near Derby this weekend! The outrageously styled Abt-Audi TT-Rs contest the third round of the Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters on Sunday (19 May) aiming to continue their dominant form.

The third round of the 2002 DTM takes place at Donington Park this weekend, returning the series to the oldest existing race track in Great Britain and the scene of battles between many of the predecessors of the current DTM field.

The DTM calendar for the 2002 season, as proposed by the ITR (Internationale Tourenwagen Rennen e. V.), has been approved by the DMSB (Deutscher Motor Sport Bund e.V.) during its board meeting in Frankfurt/Main yesterday.

The high-class DTM starting field with several international champions will be further increased in 2002 when ex-F1 drivers' Jean Alesi and Karl Wendlinger join the fold.

After two years of co-operation, the representatives of the DTM (Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters) and the German public television broadcasters ARD and ZDF have decided to extend the successful partnership.

Mercedes have officially confirmed today that they have signed former F1 driver Jean Alesi to race in the DTM series for them in 2002 and 2003. The team released the following statement:

It was excitement until the very last seconds of qualifying for the final round of the 2001 DTM at the Hockenheimring. After a total of seven lead changes, Opel-driver Michael Bartels set the best lap time in qualifying - the first pole-position for Opel in 2001.

The DTM-commission has today announced a series of rule changes for 2002 which will include the adoption of standing starts and an F1 style points system.

In an exciting finish to the DTM's visit to Zandvoort, Uwe Alzen took his Mercedes-Benz CLK past fastest qualifier and erstwhile race leader Christian Abt on the last lap after a breathtaking fight, crossing the finish line as the race winner.

Bernd Schneider drove his D2 AMG Mercedes to victory in the eighth round of the 2001 DTM at Austria's A1-Ring and defended his championship title.

McLaren Mercedes Formula One test driver Alexander Wurz, is to drive the DTM-race taxi at the A1-ring this weekend.

Marcel Fassler has taken his first ever DTM pole position today at Oscherleben. Fassler just beat Laurent Aiello in the 2001 Abt Sportlines Audi TT-R.

Marcel Fassler qualified his Warsteiner AMG Mercedes on pole position for the third round of the 2001 DTM at Oschersleben.

Belgian David Saelens will join Keke Rosberg's team in the DTM as replacement for Pedro Lamy in the Service 24 h AMG Mercedes from round three at Oschersleben this weekend.

Pedro Lamy told his team management that he wants to leave the Service 24h AMG Mercedes team, with just two rounds of the 2001 DTM series completed.

The oft-maligned Audi TT-R scored its first DTM pole position since the Championship was re-launched, in the hands of Frenchman Laurent Aiello on Saturday at the Nurburgring circuit under the imposing shadow of the Eiffel Mountains.

What was regarded as a promising DTM career has turned into rather a short one for Germany's Steffen Schulz.

Former BTCC champion Alain Menu will move over to the DTM for 2001, but with Opel not Mercedes after a test with the Three-Pointed Star did not work out as planned.

Even when BMW finally unveiled the badly kept secret about the new V8 engine in its BMW M3 GT3 car at the Sebring 12 Hours, speculation about the Munich marques? future has not stopped.

Not long after Opel finally sold one of it?s 2000 cars to a privateer, ambitious team owner and driver rolled the car at his first test at Hockenheim.

Former German Formula Three Champion Christijan Albers has won the race for the last Mercedes seat, and will join Thomas Jaeger at the Persson team.

After the first BMW M5 lookalike for the new German touring car series V8STAR had been turned down by the Munich marque, BMW has now agreed to allow modified bodywork to appear.

Johnny Herbert will not be racing in the German Touring Car championship this year according to sources close to the Englishman.