121 replies to this topic

[JHS18]

On the basis that they take a Vauxhall/other GM branded vehicle and just put an Opel badge on it, yes.

Opel's last DTM car:



Kinda makes sense if Nissan are interested based on the talk a few weeks ago that a couple of other manufacturers are interested in DTM. Seems like one of those is Nissan.

Edited by JHS18, 03 July 2012 - 11:13 PM.

[The Shadow]

JHS18, on 03 July 2012 - 10:05 PM, said:

DTM would be interesting. People forget that it IS open to manufacturers who aren't German. Opel raced in it till about 2004-2005 before it became Audi vs Mercedes for years. Again, I'm not totally sure what car they'd use. On the basis that there's still talk of a link up between Super GT and DTM and the cars are pretty similar, logic dictates that they'd run the GT-R.

I would't say DTM and superGT are totally interchangeable. Having been to the SuperGT race at Sepang, (though only able to see DTM on the telly) I would say that SuperGT cars run at a faster pace. Their traction out of corners seem to be much stronger.

Agree though that a conversion from SuperGT to DTM will be very easy for Nissan. Its just a matter of what silhouette degree does the DTM allow, since SuperGT seems to be quite permissive of quite extreme rule interpretations.

I would encourage you to check those Super GT races out. If you like DTM you'll like Super GT. And Eric, those Honda HSV's sound sublime

[Massa]

The Shadow, on 04 July 2012 - 02:31 AM, said:

And Eric, those Honda HSV's sound sublime

Now I have to try to find these races!  I'll be on the lookout for Super GT.

[JHS18]

MAJOR BREAKING NEWS.

Chevrolet are to pull out of the WTCC at the end of this year.

I'll try and get it officially confirmed soon, but that's what I'm hearing.

Big surprise, and just as I said the series was looking on shakey ground...

[JHS18]

Here it is from Chevrolet officially:

http://www.chevrolet...r-championship/

Comes as quite a surprise. Given their withdrawal from BTCC last season, it seemed as if they were happy to go along with the WTCC S2000 regulations.

Where does the FIA go from here? Given Chevrolet's announcement, as it stands there will be only one full time manufacturer team on the grid next year, Ford.

[JHS18]

There has been speculation that Honda may enter as a manufacturer next year, but this news, and whatever happens now, may change that. We'll see.

The WTCC is not in good shape.

[PaulCrossling]

Chevy pulling out of the WTCC may be a bad thing for the series commercially, but with Honda manufacturer coming in, they should be battling with the SEATs for next years championship with the BMWs and Fords getting closer it will be a much better season with more competition for wins .

DTM is the best Touring Car series now, after years of Mercedes Vs Audi, BMW has come in a really stirred things up

[Massa]

If anyone's going to be checking out the WTCC races this weekend, let me know how they are (or were).  I absolutely love Sonoma Raceway.  It's a fantastic track with some really awesome corners.

[JHS18]

The racing was pretty good, except rather predictably a Chevrolet won each race. But otherwise, on the little I've seen of the WTCC this year - fairly good.

An article about it actually - take from it what you will. Says more than 20,000 people turned up. That's not half bad.

[JHS18]

So the DTM season is over. I won't say who the champion is as I'm not sure if Eric knows/wants to know at the moment. But it was a good season and a good way to end.

Now on to 2013, last year of these regulations before the series shares common rules with Super GT. Like last year, there's plenty of opportunity for drivers moving around manufacturers. BMW's return has really spiced things up, since before Audi and Mercedes had a gentleman's agreement not to poach drivers off each other and keep a sensible cap on salaries. BMW's return has completely changed that.

There's the potential to see four new drivers at Mercedes. Ralf Schumacher, David Coulthard and Susie Wolff are either retiring or leaving the series. Meanwhile, Jamie Green is expected to switch to Audi, whilst BMW will field two more cars to match Mercedes' and Audi's numbers.

Here's my educated guess at how things will be, with little confirmed.

BMW
Bruno Spengler
Martin Tomczyk
Augusto Farfus
Andy Priaulx
Dirk Werner
Joey Hand
Marco Wittmann
Timo Glock

Audi
Edoardo Mortara
Mattias Ekstrom
Mike Rockenfeller? (Could leave and spend a year testing the new LMP1 Porsche)
Adrien Tambay
Jamie Green
Filipe Albuquerque
Timo Scheider (linked to Mercedes recently, but has dismissed such talk)
Miguel Molina

Mercedes
Gary Paffett
Robert Wickens
Christian Vietoris
Roberto Mehri
Ralf Schumacher?
Robert Kubica?


Interestingly, double Paralympic gold medal winner Alex Zanardi recently tested for BMW, a manufacturer he has links to from his WTCC days. Be interesting to see if that goes anywhere.

Edited by JHS18, 13 February 2013 - 04:06 PM.

[Massa]

Could be wrong, but it sounded like Alguersuari was linked to BMW, not Mercedes.  In fact, Ekström was rumored to BMW, too, but I guess a lot of guys are.

Is there any chance of Wickens moving up to a better Mercedes team?  He doesn't deserve it; he was awful from what I've watched so far of this season (Bruno Spengler's championship year, in fact ), but that doesn't stop me from wanting that to happen.

[JHS18]

Totally forgot about Roberto Mehri. He should be back at Mercedes next year as well. So yep, as I said at the start, four vacant seats there.

Interesting, I didn't know that. I do know that BMW tested Martin and Leimer not too long ago and were impressed with both, particularly the former who has been racing all kinds of GT championships from Blancpain, GT1, GT International and probably some others this year. He did Le Mans in LMP1 in 2011 as well. And then there's Zanardi who would be super cool to see back racing, but isn't he still wanting to do Indy for next year?

If Green does go to Audi, logic dictates one of their existing drivers will either move or be pushed aside. Given Wolff's gone, that could be Rahel Frey who disappears.

On Wickens - Autosport report this week he could well be Gary Paffett's team mate next year at HWA. HWA actually run four cars, this year they had Paffett/Vietoris and Green/Schumacher, so any of those three cars could be Wickens'. Apparently Mercedes were quite impressed with him this year after that initial comment early in the season.

Edited by JHS18, 10 November 2012 - 04:52 PM.

[Massa]

I think Zanardi's BMW run was just an exhibition to celebrate some number of years of BMW in motorsport.  Not sure about his Indy 500 plans; it would conflict with the Brands Hatch round (qualifying for Indy is that weekend).

When looking for those conflicts, I found this, confirming Wickens and Merhi: http://www.auto123.c...13?artid=148303

Very interesting to hear Mercedes were impressed, thanks.  I don't know if he was ever an F1-caliber driver, but I'd like for him to have a good career in DTM if he could.  He turned down Carlin's GP2 team this year, and given that even Max Chilton won races, I figure Wickens could have!

[JHS18]

Well, I think it will be interesting to see how Wickens does in his second year. Given it was his first year driving a car with a roof, and it must have been a massive different to get used to from coming out of Renault 3.5, he did a good job.

Look at Mortara. 2011 was his first year. He struggled to start with, and then hit form, and then this year was the only driver from Audi to win a race. Actually won two.

[JHS18]

Also, a couple of other points.

DTM are looking at strategy becoming a bigger part of races. Hankook are working on an F1 style tyre with a soft option that degrades fairly quickly and a harder prime.

I believe there's also been discussion about doing away with the mandatory pit windows and allowing them to make a pit stop whenever they like.

[JHS18]

It will soon be all change in WTCC.

After a couple of rather dud years where Chevrolet has been the only real manufacturer present, and predictably won everything, things are set to change. Chevrolet have left the championship, but there are new manufacturers lining up.

Honda will be present next year with a full works civic for Monteiro and Tarquini, and Ford are likely to remain a semi-backed outfit. SEAT too, are likely to come back in some form. Recently crowned champion Rob Huff, multiple champion Yvan Muller and Alain Menu are all scrambling to find drivers. But 2014 could be the year for that.

Citroen confirmed they would be entering the WTCC fully in 2014, and will do a few races to the back end of 2013 once the car is completed. Their only confirmed driver so far? A certain Sebastien Loeb.

Now, Renault are predicted to confirm their intentions to enter in '14 as well, with Yvan Muller rumoured as their first driver:

http://www.touringca...cle.php?id=8431

I'm excited. I know how good this championship can be. It was from 2004-2009 until BMW and SEAT rage quit about the regulations leaving only really Chevrolet left. But 2014 (as with pretty much damn near everything in motorsport) looks to be a great year already.

Honda, Ford, SEAT, Lada (don't laugh), Citroen, Renault, and maybe some others like Subaru. Guys, the WTCC is coming back...

Edited by JHS18, 24 November 2012 - 12:58 PM.

[JHS18]

Only one seat at BMW left as Marco Wittmann is confirmed:

http://www.bmw-motor...1/wittmann.html

Also, BMW's ALMS plans are discussed in that link.

Edited by JHS18, 01 December 2012 - 11:37 PM.

[JHS18]

Interesting list of young drivers Audi have tested recently.

They include Carlos Sainz Jr, Johan Kristoffersson, Will Buller, Tom Blomqvist, Nico Muller and Miki Monras.

Of those, the one who looks most likely at being in the DTM next year is Kristoffersson, who won three different championships this year, including the Superstars Series (driving an Audi) and the STCC.

Also be interesting to see if anyone from the existing Audi line-up makes the switch to Mercedes for next season...

[JHS18]

As you'd expect, with absolutely everything happening in motorsport in 2014, there's major changes to the regulations for the WTCC.

The FIA agreed on the new regs yesterday at the WMSC. Two of the key points for me are:

Quote

New Technical Regulations for 2014 Super 2000 cars were agreed in principle by the WMSC to provide for more spectacular cars with bigger aerodynamic devices and greater performance through weight reduction and power increase, while maintaining similar costs.

and

Quote

More technical freedom will be allowed in order to cancel the current system of waivers and balance of performance.

Big, big, big thumbs up from me on both points. S2000 cars are good, but I can't wait to see them with more power and looking more visually attractive too. My ideal scenario would be for them to look as spectacular as V8 Supercars to drive (quite physical, sliding around lots) with the power and performance of DTMs, however, somewhere in between for something close to the Superstars Series would be just fine too.

According to Neil Hudson, who writes for the website Touring Car Times...

Quote

From the outside, they might look a little more like the British Touring Car Championship's cars, but the internal changes will be nowhere near as drastic, with the cars continuing to be free for the manufacturers to develop as they see fit.

Now that, THAT is the way things should be. The BTCC have completely lost the plot with the completely stupid turbo equalisation rules that will effectively grant the slowest driver the biggest boost. I get of course that touring car racing should be about close-quarters racing, door mirror to door mirror, rubbing and bumping if necessary. Touring car racing wouldn't be as exciting if drivers just treated them like F1 cars. But, on the other side - the best car should be capable of winning. I don't understand why on earth Alan Gow thinks NGTC is at all attractive to manufacturers where you have very few options to make a difference when designing the car (most things are control parts) and then even if you do by some chance build a great car, get penalised to hell for it.

I'm excited for the WTCC's future. Talk of several new manufacturers, these new regulations...after a couple of flat years, there are signs that better times lie ahead.

Thank you FIA.

[JHS18]

As has been widely expected, Jamie Green has confirmed his switch from Mercedes to Audi for next year.

http://www.autosport...t.php/id/104777

Couple of things - I presume that bumps Rahel Frey out of her Audi driver on the basis that BMW will most likely not have a female driver, and Susie Wolff has left Mercedes. Before this year, Audi and Mercedes always used to run one female driver.

The other thing is I don't know where that leaves Mercedes now. They only have Paffett, Wickens, Mehri and Vietoris left. Autosport recently reported that Mercedes may only run six cars next year (perhaps early scaling back due to the possibility of new manufacturers from Super GT entering in 2014), but it is interesting to note Autosport's last comment on that link above. Ekstrom could jump ship and move to Mercedes. Scheider, as I've already mentioned in this thread, was already linked to Mercedes a number of weeks ago.

If Mercedes don't want to be left with the weakest driver line-up for next year, they really do need to try and poach a couple of drivers from Audi.

Edited by JHS18, 10 December 2012 - 02:51 PM.

[JHS18]

Alguersuari has been linked to the final BMW seat in recent days.

That's a bit of a shame if I'm honest. It'd be magic to see someone like Zanardi get that ride, but whatever. Also important to note that no-one who has left F1 and gone into DTM have really been any good at it. Mind you, they were all considerably older than Alguersuari is now.

Still no word on Mercedes. Getting a bit concerned they've just resigned themselves to having the smallest and weakest line-up out of the three for next season.

[Massa]

You're calling Wickens weak?

Mercedes said they wouldn't announce anything until they had everything sorted out, and given that BMW did so well in their return season, there's less demand for a Mercedes seat.  So, as long as there is an open one at BMW (as there is), it will be hard for Mercedes to fill any of theirs.

Moreover, Norbert Haug's leaving/dismissal/whatever probably complicates things.

The Mercedes is the least ugly car in DTM, in my opinion, so I wish they'd sign someone good.  Gary Paffett's name alone screams mediocrity to me.

[JHS18]

Haha, he didn't do too bad in his debut year, but as things stand at the moment, Mercedes do have the weakest line up. Look at it this way:

BMW has x2 champions (Spengler and Tomczyk) plus a race winner (Farfus).
Audi has x2 champions (Ekstrom and Scheider) plus three race winners (Mortara, Green and Rockenfeller).
Mercedes has x1 champion (Paffett) and no other race winners.

I don't know what their solution is to addressing that, or whether they are prepared to accept next year as a downscale in preparation for any teams/manufacturers that may enter come 2014.

But as a neutral, I'd rather they didn't. I'd love to see them all having the same number of cars on the grid, all featuring a similar driver line up talent wise, but I guess that is pretty unlikely at this stage.

[Massa]

I was just busting your chops...Wickens accomplished jack-all last year.  I like good racing myself, so it'd be nice for Mercedes to not be at a huge disadvantage.

I like some of BMW's drivers, but I always root against BMW when I can, so it pains me that they've done so well.

I have no problems with Audi, though, since VWAG have been so kind to sports car racing and the R18 e-Tron Quattro and R8 LMS Ultra are two of the coolest racing cars out there right now.

As for Zanardi, I don't think he wants to make a comeback to full-time racing, so that's probably why the seat's more likely to go to Alguersuari.

I do wish we had better coverage of DTM here.  It's an interesting series.  Ever since I got into sports cars, I've had a harder time enjoying standard touring cars like BTCC or WTCC, and the rock-em-sock-em racing of the former, combined with Toby Moody's blurting, make the British tin tops extra hard to stomach.

[JHS18]

I've changed my opinion on all three too much recently, so I've got to a point where I just class myself as a neutral. But I guess if you really wanted an answer, Audi would be my answer too.

Autosport ran a story a few weeks ago about him sounding reasonably serious about it, but at the same time, he didn't sound too confident that he'd get a seat based on his DTM inexperience and lack of testing available to him.

But yeah, I agree. I wrote for another site that BMW really has revitalised the series for the better, on and off track. On track, the racing was a lot better than recently, and off track I've found it really fascinating too with manufacturers poaching drivers off each other. Before BMW entered, it had gotten a bit stale and...well, rather too German. Audi and Mercedes agreed not to try and sign drivers off each other, they kept a lid on driver salaries, froze development on the cars... now it is really a competition again, and even if only one other manufacturer joins in 2014, it'll get even better. The cars are spectacular too...when they're not confined to Brands Hatch Indy circuit. Still have absolutely no idea why they run these cars on that track.

I can see why you feel that way about the WTCC and BTCC. Certainly, the WTCC is nowhere near as good now as it was only a few years ago when BMW, Seat, Chevrolet, Alfa Romeo, etc, were all still there. But it will get better in time, with the 2014 regulations promising faster, more spectacular cars, and possibly quite a few manufacturers again too. Seb Loeb admitted that the new regulations for the WTCC were what convinced him to call time on his rally career and make the transition to circuit racing.

BTCC...it'll always have a place in my heart, just for being the first "big" form of racing I ever went to live. I've said a lot, and will probably say a lot more about why I'm not a fan of NGTC sometime. I'll continue to watch it, but yeah, man, when you see races from the 90s on YouTube I just wish we could get back to that type of thing rather than what the BTCC is now. In some ways, now it is better, with bigger grids and a better TV package, but in many ways in terms of the cars, drivers and racing, it is a lot worse.

[JHS18]

As you've probably read already, Timo Glock has left Marussia, despite having had a contract to race for them this season.

It is widely expected that he will make a move to BMW to drive in the DTM, therefore being their eighth driver.

[Rainmaster]

Judging by his Twitter feed, quite a popular guy amongst the F1 drivers. Best of luck to him in the DTM.

[JHS18]

Several guys were testing today. Among them, Timo Glock and a certain Robert Kubica. Timo was, as expected, in the BMW, whilst Robert was in the Mercedes.

No real times to report, but both guys apparently impressed. Glock soon became comfortable with the car, whilst Kubica's times were, from what I've heard, very impressive. It was a damp session and he was allegedly half a second faster than Paffett in those conditions. He also completed over one hundred laps, so it seems that whilst DTM cars aren't as physical to drive as F1 cars, the fitness is certainly there. Got to take testing with a pinch of salt I suppose, but that sounds encouraging.

For what it is worth, I've listed Kubica's name next to Mercedes in the post from a while ago as a possible contender to fill one of their seats. Would be great to see both these guys in the championship. From the rumours I've read, Glock's arrival ends any chance that Alguersuari had at BMW.

Edited by JHS18, 25 January 2013 - 12:23 AM.

[JHS18]

Timo Glock has been officially confirmed at BMW today. No surprises there then.

[JHS18]

One of the first liveries to be unveiled. No word yet on which Mercedes driver will use it. Big image, so I've linked it:

http://3.bp.blogspot...car in 2013.jpg

Have to say I quite like it.