RE: DTM: Why it matters

RE: DTM: Why it matters

Author
Discussion

entropy

5,449 posts

204 months

Tuesday 24th April 2012
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Can't see how some say V8SC as boring. Most of their races are about 1.5hrs so you can't expect it to have numerous action like BTCC.

For those who can't wait for MotorsTV's coverage here's the last 5 laps from NZ: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1lJtP7sEIfs&fea...

2woody

919 posts

211 months

Tuesday 24th April 2012
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"silhouette"....... "control parts"

such phrases are the very opposite of a race series worth watching.

please replace with the likes of :-

"un-modified ( but strengthened ) bodyshell" or "on sale at your local showroom" or even "8-inch maximum tyre width"

chevronb37

6,471 posts

187 months

Tuesday 24th April 2012
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Riggers said:
I want to like the V8 Superstars but for some reason whenever I've watched it the quality of the racing just isn't there. if you look at the regs, it ought to be the European equivalent of V8 Supercars, but somehow it just doesn't quite work out, despite a decent depth of talent in the driver pool...
That's a shame. The cars sound amazing and move around. Even somewhere like Magione overtaking was possible in the right hands.

I like DTM a lot and have been to watch it numerous times at Donington and Brands, as well as in its previous Class 1 ITC iteration. The cars are spectacular and the manufacturers put a huge amount of effort into it as a shop window. One of the problems in my experience is that the cars obviously handle extremely well and the overall standard of driving is conversely very high. As a result it's actually very difficult for drivers to pressure their opponents into mistakes. I wonder whether a little less aero and a little more power might help there. Watching the on-board of GP2 from Bahrain reminded me exactly how much those cars move around. The drivers were all taking different lines and really fighting the cars - it made for exciting racing.

I am also confused by all the negativity towards silhouette racing here. Whenever somebody mentions Gerry Marshall and Baby Bertha everyone goes misty-eyed about how wonderful it was. Super Saloons was a silhouette formula too and the racing was, by all account, even worse!

I actually think we're pretty lucky to have such a variety of different touring car series. Whatever your preference you will find something to watch. I've been fortunate to see BTCC in Class A, SuperTouring, BTC and NGTC eras, DTM, ITC, WTCC, ETCC, ASCAR and Superstars over the last 20-odd years. Each has offered a different spectacle and something awesome to enjoy. Next year a trip to Bathurst is on the cards so looking forward to seeing how they do things over there as well. Really, there's almost too much good stuff out there to watch!

mat777

10,401 posts

161 months

Tuesday 24th April 2012
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I find all touring cars dull now - even the BTCC is dull these days, its not been the same since they binned the Supertouring regs at the end of 2000.

Back in the late 90s was the best heyday, with the cream of the world's drivers not afraid to swap paint, and a grid full of many different manufacturers:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zXkWUCBoe4k&fea...

The commentary also makes a great difference, for me it seemed a lot more exciting with Cox/Watson that it did with Murray walker

Edited by mat777 on Tuesday 24th April 13:29

Riggers

1,859 posts

179 months

Tuesday 24th April 2012
quotequote all
mat777 said:
I find all touring cars dull now - even the BTCC is dull these days, its not been the same since they binned the Supertouring regs at the end of 2000.

Back in the late 90s was the best heyday, with the cream of the world's drivers not afraid to swap paint, and a grid full of many different manufacturers:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zXkWUCBoe4k&fea...

The commentary also makes a great difference, for me it seemed a lot more exciting with Cox/Watson that it did with Murray walker

Edited by mat777 on Tuesday 24th April 13:29
Heard Watson commentating on a European GT3 race at the weekend - and he managed to make interesting a race that manifestly wasn't....

melvster

6,841 posts

186 months

Tuesday 24th April 2012
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xavierkx250

86 posts

162 months

Thursday 26th April 2012
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Sorry to say but Aussie V8 Supercars (cough, that's what they call it) is going to be a silhouette class from the year Nissan join (2013?). This is why Nissan are able to join, affordable and easy from a manufacturer point of view.

Edited by dkturbo on Wednesday 15th August 12:47

Guvernator

13,164 posts

166 months

Sunday 29th April 2012
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I'll have to echo what a lot of posters have already said on here. The 80's and 90' were the most exciting era's for dtm, touring cars and rally racing and I believe a huge part of that was due to homogolation. I loved the fact that you could watch a race on Sunday and go out and buy a pretty similiar facsimile of said car on Monday.

I have little interest in cars which have little or no relation to real cars except for F1 and even that is a bit boring theses days. The cars are just too competent and the racing is rubbish. I want to see cars scrape paint, overtake, make contact and actually race! I have little interest in a car winning because it got it's pit strategy right. That to me is not racing and when the cars have no real relation to the real world I am even less interested.

Some of the best and now most sought after cars have all come from homogalation rules. Where will the next generation of heroes come from?