Friday 23rd June 2006

German touring cars at Brands

DTM series boasts host of talent and motors

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Audi A4 modified for DTM

Take one Mercedes or Audi road car. Add a flame-spitting, 500bhp V8 engine, strap it to the most technically advanced chassis on the planet, ramp up the noise levels, install an ex-F1 driver or similarly talented pilot, and shake.

The result? The awesome DTM Touring Car series, which arrives at Brands Hatch on the weekend of 1-2 July.

Earmarked as the 'next stage' in Michael Schumacher's illustrious career, former adversaries Mika Hakkinen, Jean Alesi, Heinz Harald Frentzen and seven times Le Mans winner, Tom Kristensen, already make it their hunting ground for continued glory.

The DTM series has also attracted the attention of Damon Hill - and the former F1 World Champion will test the AMG Mercedes-Benz C Class tomorrow at Brands Hatch.

The prestigious series is seen by many as the best and most important touring car championship in the world. The race versions of the Mercedes C Class and Audi A4 will average 100mph round the tight 1.2m Brands Hatch amphitheatre.

Round four will see Audi's Kristensen try to extend his slender two-point lead over Mercedes rival, Bernd Schneider. Britain's young hopeful, Jamie Green, currently lies in fourth spot on equal footing with Frenzten and Hakkinen.

Flying the flag for Scotland will be Susie Stoddart, one of only two women to compete in the top ranking DTM series. Backed by Mercedes, 23-year old Stoddart will be keen to score points at the famous Kent circuit.

Tickets cost £30 per adult on the gate. Children aged 12 and under go free.

• www.brandshatch.co.uk

[waynepixel]

Cannot wait for the Brand-hatch round to happen. It is Like F1, but with racing cars, racing. What an amazing concept!

[oagent]

yes and far less like banger racing or bumper cars than our domestic series!

[haze]

I hope to be going, never been to a DTM race so quite looking forward to it.

[waynepixel]

oagent said:

yes and far less like banger racing or bumper cars than our domestic series!

True.

[kevin ritson]

Have a look at this vid I posted up after the testing in March, they are an awesome sight! [url]www.pistonheads.tv/clip789[/url]

[nick young]

So for those that have been to see them before, how loud are they?

Say, compared to the FIA GT cars or compared to our own BTCC cars?

[Jungles]

Possibly louder than both? Almost certainly louder than BTCC.

I'm guessing they would be similarly loud to Australia's V8 Supercar Championship cars, which are considerably louder than production-class cars and Formula Fords, and similar to Champ Cars.

[Matt2101]

Saw them at Donington last time they were there. Interesting noise, not especially mind blowing but its more of a higer pitched snarl than you would expect from a V8. 20 of them off the line makes quite a racket though. Well worth it at Donington, would love to see them at Brands but Im away.

[waynepixel]

I was there at the practise. It was a completely open day. You got to go in the pit which was all open to the puplic. And it was all free, great day out. Got to take some good pic of the car to.


[url]www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?t=246350&f=42&h=0&hw=waynepixel[/url]

[gumballer]

what do we think about overtaking though? the indy circuit is small, im not keen to watch this amazing cars just driving in procession, and is it just the two manufactures these days?

[delfto]

Personally I think using the Indy circuit is a bonus, to see these beasts fighting for position in a short space must be amazing. Plus you get to see most of the action from almost anywhere, and hopefully no spacing out F1 style.

Can’t wait, although it will probably be a right pain in the a*$% getting out of the car park.

delfto

[dinkel]

Roadlegal.

[errek72]

gumballer said:

what do we think about overtaking though? the indy circuit is small, im not keen to watch this amazing cars just driving in procession, and is it just the two manufactures these days?

Trust me, it won't be a procession. If there's no room to pass, it'll rain carbonfibre sooner or later.

[c6erb]

Got my tickets through the other day. Also got some pit-lane passes.

[rob974y]

I've just got my tickets too with pit lane pass, well worth £12 to have a closer look.
I went to Donnington in the 90's when DTM came, i was only a kid at the time but i remember watching Reuter and Keke Rosberg etc blasting round at some speed, i went again in the other year when Alesi won, i think its a fantasic racing series. With regards to the sound the cars make i can only say that i have heard lots of loud cars, group C, fia gt, F1 and these fella are up there with them all, i think they are pretty loud, like fia gt but much more aggressive sounding for some reason.
I'm really looking forward to the weekend i think it will be mega, i came to the testing a couple fo months ago but this will be much better, just a shame they are only using the indy track, i think it would have been nice to see them really strech there legs along the back straights.
Anyone who's considering it but think it might not be any good, i suggest you give it a try i really cant see how anyone would be disappointed, look at the driver line up!

[centurion07]

Anyone know anything about the "taxi rides" by Damon Hill that are happening on the sunday afternoon?

Says they're for competition winners and something else?!

How do I get one?

I WANT ONE!!!

[delfto]

Bought my DTM tickets this morning can’t wait really looking forward to Sunday. If it wasn’t for the England game Saturday I would be camping Don’t spose they would change the England game to Friday would they

delfto

[dcw@pr]

I'm going, can't wait! I'd quite like to be in and in my seat to see the warm up at 10am - how long I am likely to have to wait in a queue to get into the car park?

Edited by dcw@pr on Tuesday 27th June 10:20

[centurion07]

When we went for the WSB last year (I reckon roughly the same crowd 80,000-odd), we got pretty much straight into the car park, maybe 15 mins or so of slow driving near the circuit.

However..........getting OUT was a nightmare! Couldn't get out of the CAR PARK for TWO HOURS!!! I'm gonna stay right to the end this time & watch the Ginetta race and everything else rather than sitting in the car park getting into argy-bargy with other drivers!

HTH

[kevin ritson]

At the A1GP last year, the Brazilian GP was showing in the Kentagon, hopefully they'll do the same for Indianapolis, should be good traffic flow by the time it's over