This is the first time that DTM race will enter Russia, Moscow. Audi drivers have been visiting Moscow in order to promote the DTM races and have very intensely experienced the enthusiasm of the DTM fans in Russia. The race will be a 3 day event starting on the 2nd of August 2013 and ending on the 4th of August 2013. With this Audi RS5 as well as the leader Mike Rockenfeller will make their debut in Russia.
The original DTM stood for Deutsche Tourenwagen Meisterschaft which means German Touring Car Champions. This racing series was started in 1984 and lasted till 1996. The races suffered after 1996 due to various internal conflicts. Then after an agreement between the teams, the term DTM was revived in the year 2000. Now, DTM stands for Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters which means in English ‘German Touring Car Masters’. This is basically a series of silhouette race cars which also originated in Germany. The races are primarily held in Germany with some rounds held in other parts of Europe.
The 2013 DTM is the 14th season of this racing series and has already started on the 5th of May 2013 at Hockenheimring. 10 events were scheduled for this season out of which 6 have been held in Germany itself. The rest 3 events have been held in Austria, Great Britain and Netherlands. The last race of this season will be a debut in Moscow in Russia on the 2th of August. The event will continue till the 4th of August. This step has been taken to create a DTM market in Russia.
Head of DTM, Dieter Gass has said that “The race in Moscow marks the DTMs start into a new adventure. I think all the teams and drivers are looking forward to the experiences to be gained in Russia. The Moscow Raceway is new territory for everybody. The track is very short and, at first glance, does not offer a lot of opportunities to use DRS, so achieving an optimum result in qualifying will be particularly important.”
Talking about the Audi RS5, it was unveiled at the International Motor Show in Geneva by Durheimer, member of board of technical development at Audi and Dr. Wolfgang, Head of Audi Motorsport. The car is named Audi Rs5 DTM as it has been designed specifically to compete in the 2013 DTM. For this season, 8 Audi RS 5 DTM have joined the grid. They are being run by Audi’s 3 renowned squads- Phoenix, Rosberg and Abt Sporstline.
Timo Scheider ( Germany) , double DTM Champion and AdrienTambay (France) have been competing for Audi Sport Team Abt this season; Mike Rockenfeller (Germany) and Miguel Molina (Spain) are competing for Audi Sport Team Phoenix; Edoardo Mortara (Italy/France) and Filipe Albuquerque (Portugal) are competing for Audi Sport Team Rosberg.
For the debut at Moscow, Mike Rockenfeller is going to be the leader. He has performed exceptionally well in this season and has scored points in every race till now. He also emerged victorious in one round. He has a 2 point lead over the current DTM champion, Bruno Spengler. This season has proved to be very exciting and nerve breaking as after around 6 years, first 5 races have seen 5 different winners.
The race at Moscow will be very challenging because none of the drivers have any experience of racing there. The track is unusually short with a span of just 2.5 km and has never been use for any race so far. Thus the teams do not have any idea about the strategy to be used during the race. The outcome of this event will largely depend upon the skills these drivers utilize in adapting themselves to this completely new zone.
Mike Rockenfeller has said that “I’ve had the opportunity to get to know the country and the people a bit before the event. I’m looking forward to the race and excited to see if our RS 5 DTM will feel comfortable on the short track. It’s the first race in a long time at which everybody is starting from scratch –that makes it a thriller.”
