DTM – Audi unveils the RS 5 DTM in Geneva

we knew the pilots, but not the car. Audi took advantage of the Geneva International Motor Show to unveil its new weapon entered in the German touring championship (DTM) for 2013 as well as to detail the composition of its teams.

Concerning the car, the biggest novelty lies in its name. Called RS 5 DTM, it therefore succeeds the A5 DTM seen last year on the circuits. Technically, however, it is only an evolution of last year's model because the technical regulations remained almost frozen between the two seasons. Throughout the winter, the German manufacturer analyzed the 4.000 elements of its A5 DTM entered in 2012 in order to detect if any could be “optimized”. Real painstaking work. “Our technicians have proven that they have a lot of resources”, underlined Dr. Wolfgang Ullrich, the boss of Audi Motorsports.

Concerning the new name, the stated desire is to get closer to the brand's sports models. “The abbreviation ?RS? is reserved for the sportiest Audis,” explains the doctor. “The performance data of the current RS 5 and the RS 5 DTM are very similar. This is why we believe that this name suits both cars perfectly. »

As previously announced, eight drivers will come to defend the Audi colors this year in DTM. We now know who will be teammates and on which teams. Thus, the new recruit Jamie Green will be with the double champion of the discipline the Swede Mattias Ekström within the Team Abt Sportsline. Arriving at the wheel of the RS 5 DTM on stage during the presentation, the Briton could not hide his excitement: “I already feel at home at Audi and I can hardly wait to compete in my first race for the four rings.” Note also that the young Frenchman Adrien Tambay will team up with another double title in the DTM, the German Timo Scheider.

The four Audi teams for the 2013 DTM season:
Audi Sport Team Abt Sportsline : Mattias Ekström and Jamie Green
Audi Sport Team Abt : Timo Scheider and Adrien Tambay
Audi Sport Team Phoenix : Miguel Molina and Mike Rockenfeller
Audi Sport Team Rosberg : Filipe Albuquerque and Edoardo Mortara