DTM: BMW joins Audi and Mercedes

BMW, Mercedes and Audi will compete in DTM from the 2012 season. The Bavarian manufacturer had decided to engage in the discipline, if it evolved in accordance with its expectations. On the sidelines of the last German meeting of the 2010 DTM season, in Hockenheim, BMW decided to formalize its arrival in the series in 2012, 18 years after its last race, in 1994. It is the BMW M3 which will serve as a basis to develop the DTM model.

« BMW's return to DTM is a fundamental act in the restructuring of its motorsport activities, explains Dr. Klaus Draeger, member of the board of directors of BMW AG. Thanks to the increase in production of racing cars, BMW is returning to its fundamentals. The circuits are the perfect place to express the sporting character of our cars against our rivals. The DTM is the ideal place to do it. »

It is therefore in front of an ever-large audience, especially in Germany, that BMW will perform, facing Mercedes and Audi, in races bringing together three of the main German manufacturers. “ The entire BMW Motorsport team is approaching this project with absolute commitment, says his boss, Mario Theissen. We started technical preparations after our declarations of intent in April, and defined the parameters to bring a high-performance car to the DTM. The decision of the Board of Directors means that we can move up a gear and give the green light to development »