Touring cars to DTM?
Discussion
From what Ive read, DTM cars seem to feel alot more like a single seater than a TC/GT car according to those who drive them, also noticed that most DTM drivers seem to have a single seater backround rather than GT or Touring car experience.
Does anyone know of any drivers past or present who had no single seater experience?
Strange question I know, but I've been wondering for a while if it wouold be possible for a driver to go from a well respected race series like BTCC to DTM, if they also had experience in cars closer to DTM speeds GT3 say.
Thanks!
Does anyone know of any drivers past or present who had no single seater experience?
Strange question I know, but I've been wondering for a while if it wouold be possible for a driver to go from a well respected race series like BTCC to DTM, if they also had experience in cars closer to DTM speeds GT3 say.
Thanks!
You say 'well respected' about the BTCC, but is it? Exciting - yes, high quality - no!
I can't imagine any of the established BTCC drivers would be wanted by the DTM teams....though it would be interesting to see Plato or Neal try some of their antics in the DTM....
I'm not sure a DTM is really a Touring car....as you say, it's basically a roofed single seater. The teams tend to take drivers from the junior single seater formulae. Or F1 'has beens'....
I can't imagine any of the established BTCC drivers would be wanted by the DTM teams....though it would be interesting to see Plato or Neal try some of their antics in the DTM....
I'm not sure a DTM is really a Touring car....as you say, it's basically a roofed single seater. The teams tend to take drivers from the junior single seater formulae. Or F1 'has beens'....
if you look at the dtm drivers from the last few years most of them are not ex-single seater drivers.
some may have started their early career in single seaters (like most drivers do) but are not known as single seater drivers because they spent most of their careers in either sports cars or touring cars or both. obviously there are also some ex f1 drivers etc.
and yes a dtm car is more a sports car or open wheeler than a production based touring car.
some may have started their early career in single seaters (like most drivers do) but are not known as single seater drivers because they spent most of their careers in either sports cars or touring cars or both. obviously there are also some ex f1 drivers etc.
and yes a dtm car is more a sports car or open wheeler than a production based touring car.
Andy Priaulx and possibly one or two of the other BMW drivers (Farfus?) will be doing it this season. Andy started as a hillclimb champion before doing a year or two in British F3 without a huge amount of success, but he's very much a tintop specialist having built his career in them for the past 10 years or so including winning the WTCC 3 times. He's done some endurance racing in GT3 BMW M3s which are probably closer to a DTM car than a touring car, but I don't recall him doing any serious single seater racing.
With regards to the BTCC and and its reputation, of course DTM is far more impressive. Yet I use the BTCC as an example of a non 'gentlemans' series, although of course all racing is for gentlemen given its costs. Also given that the BTCC has schemes to get drivers into the race series from the other races (clios, Ginetta supercup ect) it got me wondering if someone could get to such a well respected series like DTM from relativly humble beginnings.
Of course there are other schemes, the SUNOCO Daytona challenge is open to British GT meaning you could get to race the famous event from racing a 50k Ginetta(also F3 and the world endurence series are included, although from the info Ive read it appears you are able to win a seat in a DP from a class wins GT4 or GT3).
This question is one that links to many others, more broadly, can you have a serious racing career without single seater experience? As single seaters are very expensive and usaul raced by the budding F1 kids with the help of faimly funds it seems odd that if you look at driver classifications by the FIA (gold, silver, bronze ect), having single seater experience (let alone any success!) seems to hold an awful lot of value over other forms of TC/GT racing.
Thanks for the responses.
Of course there are other schemes, the SUNOCO Daytona challenge is open to British GT meaning you could get to race the famous event from racing a 50k Ginetta(also F3 and the world endurence series are included, although from the info Ive read it appears you are able to win a seat in a DP from a class wins GT4 or GT3).
This question is one that links to many others, more broadly, can you have a serious racing career without single seater experience? As single seaters are very expensive and usaul raced by the budding F1 kids with the help of faimly funds it seems odd that if you look at driver classifications by the FIA (gold, silver, bronze ect), having single seater experience (let alone any success!) seems to hold an awful lot of value over other forms of TC/GT racing.
Thanks for the responses.
Of course there are other schemes, the SUNOCO Daytona challenge is open to British GT meaning you could get to race the famous event from racing a 50k Ginetta(also F3 and the world endurence series are included, although from the info Ive read it appears you are able to win a seat in a DP from a class wins GT4 or GT3).
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British GT and F3 have a new fuel provider this year and have dropped Sunoco, and so the SUNOCO Daytona Challenge winner will come from only MSA Endurance (Britcar) or Euro SPEED (at the moment).
Andy
[/quote]
British GT and F3 have a new fuel provider this year and have dropped Sunoco, and so the SUNOCO Daytona Challenge winner will come from only MSA Endurance (Britcar) or Euro SPEED (at the moment).
Andy
SpeedMattersNot said:
DanDC5 said:
I wouldn't say the ex F1 drivers are that successful in it either to be honest. Coulthard, Schumacher, Alesi, Frentzen. They've done ok but far from amazing.
How are you finding life, under that damp bridge?Most of the top DTM drivers, current and past, are either tintop racers by trade or have switched around the F3 level.
There's a view that it's a retirement home for past it F1 drivers (or never weres), but in reality, whilst there are a few, the top racers are specialists.
I'm not sure the DTM teams would turn their noses up at the likes of Neal or Plato. Priaulx is multiple two litre TC champion of the world and he raced (and lost) against them as did drives like Yvan Muller and he would be warmly welcomed by DTM I'm sure.
DTM's not all that - They even have seats for token women and Chinese drivers - None of whom are there on merit...
M.
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