DTM: Compact season comprising 10 races held in a two-week rhythm

DTM Press Release

Compact and high-quality: in 2013, DTM wants to provide its fans even more thrilling motor racing. BMW ace Bruno Spengler will have to contest 10 races, for his title-defence campaign. This means that the 2013 race calendar of the most popular international touring-car series comprises the same number of races as this year’s. The highlight of the 2013 season will be the maiden DTM race in Russia that will be held at Moscow Raceway on 4th August a stone’s throw from Russia’s capital. Due to the extraordinary attractiveness of this new market, DTM foregoes the abroad event in Spain, this year.

Due to this move, the traditional season finale at the Hockenheimring Baden-Württemberg will take place as early as on 15th September. Just 19 weeks or 133 days after the season kick-off contested at the same venue on 5th May, the Southern German circuit will be the venue of the decision in the battle for the titles. The race at Motorsport Arena Oschersleben will take place two weeks earlier on 1st September. Altogether, the fans may look forward to a season that will be held nearly completely in a two-week rhythm - and never, the break between two rounds will add up to more than three weeks.

“We are going to offer our fans an even more compact package, in 2013,” says Hans Werner Aufrecht, Chairman of DTM rights holder and promoter ITR e.V. “From early May to mid-September, DTM will be racing nearly every second weekend and provide the spectators top-class motor sport. In the course of the internationalisation, we are looking forward to the new and extremely attractive market in Russia. A market that is so attractive that we even were ready to forego the round in Spain, for this race. But we’d like to thank our partners in Valencia for the good cooperation in the past years.”

Altogether, six of the ten races will be held on German soil, next year, with the other four taking the DTM fraternity abroad. In addition to the two race weekends at Hockenheim, traditionally the kick-off and the finale of the DTM season, and the race in Oschersleben the venues of the other home events for three premium-car manufacturers involved - Audi, BMW und Mercedes-Benz - will be the Lausitzring (16th June), Nuremberg’s Norisring (7th July) and the Nürburgring (18th August).

In addition to the round at the Moscow Raceway, the 2013 calendar comprises another three abroad races: on 19th May, DTM will be racing at Brands Hatch/GB and two weeks later, on 2nd June, the DTM drivers will battle it out for championship points at Austria’s Red Bull Ring - with the final race on foreign soil, the round at Zandvoort, Netherlands, being held for 21st July.

The 2013 DTM calendar at a glance*
5th May Hockenheimring Baden-Württemberg (D)
19th May Brands Hatch (GB)
2nd June Red Bull Ring Spielberg (A)
16th June Lausitzring (D)
7th July Norisring (D)
21st July Circuit Park Zandvoort (NL)
4th August Moscow Raceway (RUS)
18th August Nürburgring (D)
1st September Motorsport Arena Oschersleben (D)
15th September Hockenheimring Baden-Württemberg (D)

* Subject to approval by FIA

Photo credit: ITR/DTM