Dhe ADAC presented its plans after taking over the DTM and intends to concentrate on the German market with the racing series in the future. Accordingly, there will be eight race weekends in 2023, six of which will take place in Germany.
“The heart of the DTM beats in Germany,” said ADAC Sport President Gerd Ennser on Thursday in Munich. “It was very important to us to create planning security for the teams shortly after acquiring the trademark rights. It was important that we concentrate on the core market,” Ennser continues.
Because the ADAC acquired the brand rights at short notice, the new season doesn’t start until the end of May. This should give the racing teams enough time to plan and implement their participation.
Comeback des Sachsenrings
The DTM will kick off in Oschersleben (May 26-28), the finale will take place in Hockenheim (October 20-22). For the first time since 2002, the DTM is also returning to the Sachsenring near Zwickau. Other stations are the Norisring, the Nürburgring and the Lausitzring. Outside of Germany, it only circulates in neighboring countries: in Zandvoort (Netherlands) and in Spielberg (Austria).
However, nothing changes in the classic concept of the series. There will continue to be two races per race weekend, with one driver per car. The so-called performance pit stops, i.e. service stops without a minimum downtime, are also retained. Tire changes remain mandatory. In the future, the rubbers will be supplied by Pirelli and no longer by Michelin. The Italians also supply Formula 1.
“We don’t want to overload it”
The races on Saturday and Sunday will continue to be held over an hour. For leveling the various vehicle concepts to a common performance level (balance of performance) the SRO Motorsports Group will be responsible from now on, not AVL Racetech as before.
How big the field of participants will be in the 2023 season is still open. “We don’t want to overload it,” said ADAC Motorsport Director Thomas Voss. “Our ideal is 26 vehicles.”
All races are to be shown on free-to-air television, but the ADAC did not name a specific broadcaster on Thursday.
“The best solution for Motorsport Germany”
The DTM is to become the motorsport figurehead of the ADAC, the “spearhead for professionals”, as Sports President Ennser put it. So far, the GT Masters has been the driving force of the automobile club, which, however, competes with the DTM: In both series, vehicles of the GT 3 class are used, the performance level of which is the same. This competition made no sense in the long term, said motorsport boss Voss.
With this in mind, the GT Masters will be redesigned: it will be called DTM Endurance in the future and is located below the DTM. The DTM Endurance is based on the international Le Mans series. GT-3 vehicles and prototypes drive against each other in a field, with two drivers per car. “We have found the best solution for motorsport Germany,” said Voss. On seven of eight race weekends, the DTM Endurance will hold its rounds as part of the DTM supporting program.
The DTM has so far been marketed by the Internationale Tourenwagen Renn GmbH (ITR), whose boss has been former Formula 1 driver Gerhard Berger since 2017. Last week the dissolution of the ITR was announced, the economic risk for another DTM tender had become too great, Berger said. The Austrian sold the trademark rights to the ADAC, which wants to keep the series in the long term.
