Among the Chinese motorsport enthusiasts, DTM is far less known than Formula 1 even though it is the highest level  touring car racing. DTM is also known as “Formula 1 for touring cars” and this time, my journey around the world on a race track in 400 days has brought me to Germany, right here at the finale of this year's DTM, held at the Hockenheimring.

The DTM originated in 1984 under the name DPM. In 1987, the name of the race was officially changed to DTM, short for the Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters. The biggest difference between the F1 and the DTM is actually that formula racing is an open-wheel racing whereas the DTM features closed-wheel touring cars. DTM racing cars are more consumer friendly because they look closer to the real mass production cars, thus it's easier for the regular audience to get to know the manufacturer through the race. DTM has actually visited China's Shanghai twice, firstly as an exhibition race in 2004 and secondly as the finale for the 2010 season, but has not returned ever since.

This time I'm here to interview with Team BMW, one of the three supporting pillars of the German automotive industry. BMW has actively engaged in the race since the beginning of the DTM. The BMW 635 CSi has brought the team one drivers champion and three team champions from 1984 to 1986.

After the race changed its official name to DTM in 1987, BMW also came up with their all new DTM racing car, the E30 M3 DTM and won the drivers championship that year. The E30 M3 DTM went on and won another three consecutive team championships over the next three years. BMW withdrew from the DTM in 1993, and when they returned with the E92 M3 DTM in 2012, they walked off with the manufacturers champion, the team champion, and the drivers champion.

In 2013, BMW continues with the E92 M3 and won the manufacturers championship. The BMW M4 DTM won both the drivers and the team championship in 2014. However, this year, BMW went home with only the manufacturers champion, the 21-year old Pascal Wehrlein from Mercedes-AMG got to the top of the drivers and became the youngest champion in DTM history. Meanwhile, Audi became the team champion, so I suppose this is an happy ending for everybody.

The DTM racing cars have very similar specifications. The Mercedes-AMG C63 DTM utilizes a 4.0 V8 naturally aspirated engine producing 500 horsepower, and is the most powerful car among the three. But the C63 DTM is based off the old generation C63, it has not moved on to the latest C-series yet, that change is coming up in the 2016 DTM.

The Audi RS5 DTM also has a 4.0 V8 naturally aspirated engine which delivers 460 horsepower, but unfortunately the Audi Quattro system is banned from all major races. The RS5 DTM is not the only rear wheel drive Audi racing car, the Audi R8 LMS from the Nurburgring 24hr and the current LMS Ultra are both rear wheel drive racing cars.

BMW's M4 DTM uses the BMW P66 series 4.0 V8 naturally aspirated engine, its 480 horsepower allows the car to accelerate to 100km/h from stop in under three seconds.

The three racing cars all weigh around 1110 kilograms, and they all have the same six-speed sequential gearbox. With a slight difference in engine power, the same torque, and the same designated tire, the difference in the racing cars themselves has been limited to a minimum. Therefore, the detailed tuning and tactics, as well as the drivers' techniques become critical to winning.

Speaking of tires, Hankook has been the sole tire supplier for the fifth year with their first appearance in 2011.  In 2012, all teams started using the same tires designated by the organizers.

For the 2015 DTM season, the race weekend consists of two races. The Saturday race is 40-minute long with no mandatory pit stop, and the Sunday race is 60 minutes with a mandatory pit stop for tire change. There is a 20-minute qualifying before both races. Since one set of tire can easily last through the qualifying, the tire warming plus the 40-minute racing with no issues, the teams do not like to change the tires in the Saturday race. Hankook also created a record of no accident due to flat tire in the previous 40 racings.

For long-time motorsport enthusiasts, Alex Zanardi is definitely a name you won't forget. He is absolutely the most legendary F1 driver. A terrible accident in a race in Germany took away Alex's legs in 2001, but this tough guy never give up. He published two books, My Story and My Sweetest Victory during his recovery, and most amazingly, he managed to come back to racing in 2005. Without his two feet, Alex drives a specially modified BMW 320i and controls this over-200 km/h race car with only his hands. Alex Zanardi won the FIA World Touring Car Championship in Germany in August and tasted that winning champagne again. He also won two gold medals in the 2012 Paralympics in London and proved that he can still drive everything even without his legs.

Sitting in the BMW M4 DTM driven by Alex, I felt sorry for him when I saw his legs on the special rack, but the push on the back, the heavy braking, and the G-force in the corners from the DTM racing car made me feel sick more than sad. My eyes are blurred as I turned to look at the totally focused Alex at the wheel, I guess, this is probably the purest racing spirit.

Han Yue

October 2015

From Germany