Audi Sport officially says "goodbye" to DTM after 2020 season

[theriusDR3]

Audi DTM car


The Audi Sport logo

I just recently read the news that Audi will officially says "goodbye" to DTM after 2020 season. Here's the news in the article below.

Audi announces decision to quit DTM after 2020

By: Jamie Klein | 27 April 2020

Audi has announced it will not take part in the DTM beyond the 2020 season.
The Ingolstadt brand made the announcement on Monday, citing the desire to focus its energies on its Formula E and customer racing projects and also the negative economic consequences of the global coronavirus pandemic.

Audi had however been known to be weighing up its future involvement in the German tin-top series even before the COVID-19 crisis.

The decision follows parent brand Volkswagen's decision to terminate its non-electric motorsport programmes last year, and leaves BMW as the DTM's only manufacturer.

"Audi has shaped the DTM and the DTM has shaped Audi," commented Markus Duesmann, Audi's Chairman of the Board of Management. "This demonstrates what power lies in motorsport – technologically and emotionally.

“With this energy, we’re going to drive our transformation into a provider of sporty, sustainable electric mobility forward. That’s why we’re also focusing our efforts on the race track and systematically competing for tomorrow’s ‘Vorsprung.’

"Formula E offers a very attractive platform for this. To complement it, we’re investigating other progressive motorsport formats for the future.”

Berger admits DTM future up in the air

Audi's exit comes as another heavy blow to the DTM, not long after it suffered the loss of the R-Motorsport Aston Martin squad after just a single season.

A 16-car grid had been assembled for this year's coronavirus-delayed campaign, with Audi upping its involvement to nine cars, including three to be fielded by customer team WRT.

ITR chairman Gerhard Berger responded to the news of Audi's withdrawal in a statement, admitting that the DTM's future is now entering a critical phase.

It read: "Today is a difficult day for motorsport in Germany and across Europe.

"I deeply regret Audi's decision to withdraw from the DTM after the 2020 season. While we respect the board's position, the short-term nature of this announcement presents ITR, our partner BMW, and our teams with a number of specific challenges.

"Given our common association, and the particular difficulties we all face during the COVID-19 pandemic, we would have hoped for a more united approach.

"This decision worsens the situation, and the future of the DTM now very much depends on how our partners and sponsors react to this decision. Nevertheless, I fully expect Audi to undertake its planned exit properly, responsibly and in full partnership with ITR.

"My commitment remains to the year ahead, and to ensuring we provide our hundreds of thousands of fans with a thrilling and competitive season.

"But, as soon as possible, I also want to create planning security for our participating teams, sponsors and everybody whose job depends on the DTM."

Audi has been a mainstay of the DTM since the championship's relaunch in 2000, first in semi-official guise with Abt Sportsline's TT-R programme and since 2004 as a full works entrant.

It was also part of the 'old' DTM for three seasons in 1990-92, scoring two titles in that time, and scored a further nine crowns in the current era of the series with Laurent Aiello, Mattias Ekstrom, Timo Scheider, Martin Tomczyk, Mike Rockenfeller and most recently Rene Rast.

Source: Motorsport.com with subtle changes

And also another news of DTM future in the article below.

DTM Is on the Verge of Collapse

With Audi now leaving the series at the end of 2020, BMW will be the only manufacturer remaining.

By Marshall Pruett | Apr 27, 2020

The German DTM series is on the verge of collapse after Audi announced its plans to exit the championship at the conclusion of the 2020 season. The upcoming departure follows Mercedes-Benz, another decades-long DTM staple, which withdrew after the 2018 season.

Spread across Audi, BMW, and Mercedes, grids of 20 or so cars have been largely supported by the three factories, leaving Audi and BMW to carry the load since 2019, and provided it stays committed to the championship run by the ITR organization, the task would fall to BMW as the lone brand remaining when the 2021 season arrives.

“We’re hoping that this currently difficult situation will improve soon and that we’ll still be able to contest a few DTM races this year,” said Audi board member Hans-Joachim Rothenpieler. “The fans would deserve this, and so would the ITR, our drivers as well as our teams and partners, who will now have adequate advance notice to reposition themselves for the time after 2020. Successful motorsport is – and will continue to be – an important element of Audi’s DNA.”

Audi dominated the most recent DTM championship run, claiming Drivers’ and Manufacturers’ titles with its 2.0-liter four-cylinder turbocharged RS5 silhouette model. In leaving the DTM, the brand’s focus will move closer to competing with next-generation technology.

“Audi has shaped the DTM and the DTM has shaped Audi. This demonstrates what power lies in motorsport—technologically and emotionally,” said Chairman of the Board of Management Markus Duesmann. “With this energy, we’re going to drive our transformation into a provider of sporty, sustainable electric mobility forward. That’s why we’re also focusing our efforts on the race track and systematically competing for tomorrow’s ‘Vorsprung.’ Formula E offers a very attractive platform for this. To complement it, we’re investigating other progressive motorsport formats for the future.”

The DTM went through a significant philosophy change in recent years where common tubs and other cost-saving adjustments were made to strengthen the championship’s future. Left with one factory to rely on, ITR will be tasked with finding new manufacturers to join its series, or transition the DTM to a non-factory model where privateers fill the field.

Both scenarios pose significant challenges with so little time to react while dealing with the delay of the 2020 DTM season due to the coronavirus.

Source: Road and Track

Your opinions about DTM future? I believe Audi still may remain in DTM beyond 2020 but not as official manufacturer, instead of become independent privateer customer manufacturer like in 2000-2003, M-Sport with Ford WRC in 2013-present and also zombie Dodge Charger R/T NASCAR Xfinity that run in 2013-2018.

[Scorpaguy]

...unk if they will still supply customer cars. Not sure how DTM can survive...sort of like the WEC LMP1/hypercar fiasco. Curious as to DTM's next move.

[theriusDR3]

...unk if they will still supply customer cars. Not sure how DTM can survive...sort of like the WEC LMP1/hypercar fiasco. Curious as to DTM's next move.

Look how Dodge Zombie car still remained in NASCAR Xfinity Series despite no official manufacturer support back in 2013-2018.


The zombie Dodge Charger R/T NASCAR Xfinity car.

[wunderkind]

...unk if they will still supply customer cars. Not sure how DTM can survive...sort of like the WEC LMP1/hypercar fiasco. Curious as to DTM's next move.

So many people will be out of work it's scary. It's going to be hard for many mechanics to find another job in the current climate.

DTM organisers could consider freezing the technical rules now and try to attract privateer teams to run the Audi's in 2021. BMW must be getting cold feet too.

[Just_a_fan]

...unk if they will still supply customer cars. Not sure how DTM can survive...sort of like the WEC LMP1/hypercar fiasco. Curious as to DTM's next move.

Look how Dodge Zombie car still remained in NASCAR Xfinity Series despite no official manufacturer support back in 2013-2018.

I'm going to say that I guess a DTM car is more expensive and more complicated than a NASCAR with the associated cost, especially in developing a package, being much higher.

[Jolle]

I think this is a wise decision of Audi. With the arrival of FE, their marketing goals are better met in this serie then in WEC or DTM.

DTM is more about track and paddock presence for fans and sponsors then TV exposure. Formula E cracked this perfectly, with races right in town centers, where you are very close to your fans, sponsors and guests, all in the comfort of hotels, restaurants and clubs.

[Big Tea]

I think this is a wise decision of Audi. With the arrival of FE, their marketing goals are better met in this serie then in WEC or DTM.

DTM is more about track and paddock presence for fans and sponsors then TV exposure. Formula E cracked this perfectly, with races right in town centers, where you are very close to your fans, sponsors and guests, all in the comfort of hotels, restaurants and clubs.

How long do you think before we see an electric saloon series ? Based on road cars would they still come under Fe being given 'only electric series'? Surly not as there will be so many on the road and easily modified.

[Jolle]

I think this is a wise decision of Audi. With the arrival of FE, their marketing goals are better met in this serie then in WEC or DTM.

DTM is more about track and paddock presence for fans and sponsors then TV exposure. Formula E cracked this perfectly, with races right in town centers, where you are very close to your fans, sponsors and guests, all in the comfort of hotels, restaurants and clubs.

How long do you think before we see an electric saloon series ? Based on road cars would they still come under Fe being given 'only electric series'? Surly not as there will be so many on the road and easily modified.

I have no clue...

At club level maybe, at professional level the old style saloon racing days have long been gone. WTCC is the last real modified street car professional racing series I think? So... maybe that one in the near future? DTM and NASCAR have nothing to do with your road car anymore.

I also think that the electric part is not the game changer in FE, it’s the fact that it’s possible to keep races in city centers, close to their customers. All of the ingredients make this happen. Standerd chassis, low downforce and low grip setup to have exciting action on small bumpy circuits. And of course electric to don’t pose as a threat.

[theriusDR3]

Another good news: Audi may still remain in DTM for 2021 and beyond but as independent privateer manufacturer even without official factory support. Here's the news below .

Assen promoter: Will Audi deliver DTM engines in 2021 despite being phased out?

According to Assen promoter Lee van Dam, the DTM is not about to exit despite the Audi exit: ITR has reassured him that Audi will deliver customer privateer engines in 2021

(Motorsport-Total.com) - Is the DTM, in which after the Audi exit from 2021 only BMW remains as the only manufacturer, at the end? Not when it comes to the promoter of the TT Circuit in Assen, Lee van Dam. Because he believes in a possible rescue scenario.

"It is a shame that Audi made this decision, of course, but I assume that they will deliver engines to customer teams," said the head of the Assen operating company LDP International in a conversation with Motorsport-Total.com, a surprising statement . "And in that case, not that much would change."

How did he get this idea? According to the Dutchman, Van Dam's source is the DTM umbrella organization ITR itself. "I received a call from ITR yesterday morning," he says. "It said: 'Lee, at 5:00 p.m. you will receive a negative message. But it is not as bad as it looks. You can compare it to the scenario, for example, that Mercedes would be a Formula 1 factory team withdraw, but continues to supply Williams with engines. ' That's how you should see it. "

Class 1 private teams as a future solution?

The Audi press release actually arrived on Monday shortly after 5 p.m. But how realistic is it really that the complex and expensive Class 1 cars are operated by customer teams that have to raise the annual budget themselves with the help of Paydrivers?

WRT-Audi is currently the only customer team in Ingolstadt, but at BMW it was only in 2020 that Robert Kubica's PKN-Orlen funded with ART helped to set up a private team. The cost of two racing cars is around five million euros per season.

"No Comment" from Audi

But van Dam says that the Audi teams are already working on a corresponding plan. "I spoke to two teams who think they can get Audi engines in 2021," he says. And he also heard from Audi circles that a switch from factory to private teams should already have been an issue.

"Before I made the decision, I spoke to a few Audi people," he says. "They said: 'Maybe we will get out, but then we will rely on customer teams.' At BMW I could imagine something similar - namely that they say: 'We will withdraw from the factory, but we will deliver engines to customer teams'. "

'Motorsport-Total.com' asked Audi whether such a scenario was actually an issue, but a spokesman for the manufacturer did not want to "comment" on such speculation.

Assen boss: Entry into the manufacturer in 2020 only just failed

Assen boss van Dam, meanwhile, sees no reason to be concerned that the Assen contract with the ITR could not withstand until 2021, because then there may no longer be a DTM. "I actually believe that everything is going more or less as planned," he says of the coming season.

He does not rule out that DTM boss Gerhard Berger will even find a new manufacturer for the traditional series. "This year almost a new brand was added," he again caused a sensation with a surprising statement. "It didn't work, but I think Berger is now trying everything to find one or two participants. That would also suit the DTM."

Source: https://www.motorsport-total.com/dtm/ne ... n-20042803 (translated from German to English language)

And the hopes of Audi DTM continuity for 2021 and beyond still alive with privateers. Your other opinions?

[Jolle]

Another good news: Audi may still remain in DTM for 2021 and beyond but as independent privateer manufacturer even without official factory support. Here's the news below .

Assen promoter: Will Audi deliver DTM engines in 2021 despite being phased out?

According to Assen promoter Lee van Dam, the DTM is not about to exit despite the Audi exit: ITR has reassured him that Audi will deliver customer privateer engines in 2021

(Motorsport-Total.com) - Is the DTM, in which after the Audi exit from 2021 only BMW remains as the only manufacturer, at the end? Not when it comes to the promoter of the TT Circuit in Assen, Lee van Dam. Because he believes in a possible rescue scenario.

"It is a shame that Audi made this decision, of course, but I assume that they will deliver engines to customer teams," said the head of the Assen operating company LDP International in a conversation with Motorsport-Total.com, a surprising statement . "And in that case, not that much would change."

How did he get this idea? According to the Dutchman, Van Dam's source is the DTM umbrella organization ITR itself. "I received a call from ITR yesterday morning," he says. "It said: 'Lee, at 5:00 p.m. you will receive a negative message. But it is not as bad as it looks. You can compare it to the scenario, for example, that Mercedes would be a Formula 1 factory team withdraw, but continues to supply Williams with engines. ' That's how you should see it. "

Class 1 private teams as a future solution?

The Audi press release actually arrived on Monday shortly after 5 p.m. But how realistic is it really that the complex and expensive Class 1 cars are operated by customer teams that have to raise the annual budget themselves with the help of Paydrivers?

WRT-Audi is currently the only customer team in Ingolstadt, but at BMW it was only in 2020 that Robert Kubica's PKN-Orlen funded with ART helped to set up a private team. The cost of two racing cars is around five million euros per season.

"No Comment" from Audi

But van Dam says that the Audi teams are already working on a corresponding plan. "I spoke to two teams who think they can get Audi engines in 2021," he says. And he also heard from Audi circles that a switch from factory to private teams should already have been an issue.

"Before I made the decision, I spoke to a few Audi people," he says. "They said: 'Maybe we will get out, but then we will rely on customer teams.' At BMW I could imagine something similar - namely that they say: 'We will withdraw from the factory, but we will deliver engines to customer teams'. "

'Motorsport-Total.com' asked Audi whether such a scenario was actually an issue, but a spokesman for the manufacturer did not want to "comment" on such speculation.

Assen boss: Entry into the manufacturer in 2020 only just failed

Assen boss van Dam, meanwhile, sees no reason to be concerned that the Assen contract with the ITR could not withstand until 2021, because then there may no longer be a DTM. "I actually believe that everything is going more or less as planned," he says of the coming season.

He does not rule out that DTM boss Gerhard Berger will even find a new manufacturer for the traditional series. "This year almost a new brand was added," he again caused a sensation with a surprising statement. "It didn't work, but I think Berger is now trying everything to find one or two participants. That would also suit the DTM."

Source: https://www.motorsport-total.com/dtm/ne ... n-20042803 (translated from German to English language)

And the hopes of Audi DTM continuity for 2021 and beyond still alive with privateers. Your other opinions?

Sounds as a lot of hope from promotors and no information from Audi.

My knowledge of DTM is not that great, but I assume that a car is a bit more then the engine and the standerd tub. Running a car for a team is quite another challenge then building a car. The engine is probably the least of the problems, where you can just order one from one of many racing engine builders.

The link with F1 isn’t the right one I think. Williams is a constructor, not a team like Carin that “just” runs spec cars.

I hope IRT will have something up their sleeves to save this class, but if it’s build on hope... I’m worried.

[izzy]

I think its time has come and it's just not relevant any more. It's very clever and expensive but that's all hidden, and now customers don't want to know who can build the fastest 4 cylinder petrol silhouette saloon. Everything is going electric. tesla racing, somebody...

[Just_a_fan]

tesla racing, somebody...

Well, there'd certainly be plenty of crashes...

[izzy]

tesla racing, somebody...

Well, there'd certainly be plenty of crashes...

you could say 'no brakes' only regen

But on racefans there's an article saying some of the problem with DTM was having customer cars, a warning for F1. So a one make Tesla series could be worth a go perhaps