DTM racers are sisters under the skin

Published Sep 16, 2011

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These are the two cars that will face up to the new BMW M3 DTM racing car in next year's edition of the world's most popular international touring car series - the Audi A5 DTM (R17) and the DTM AMG Mercedes C-Coupé, each making its public debut at the Frankfurt motor show .

But, as well as being the first two-door DTM contenders, it turns out that all three are, in fact, sisters under their carbon-fibre skins.

In an effort to reduce costs by a targeted 40 percent, all DTM cars for 2012, no matter what their brand, will share a hybrid chassis with a carbon-fibre monocoque tub and tubular-steel roll cage.

More than 50 components will be shared by all DTM cars in 2012, including the engine sub-frame, the six-speed, pneumatically-operated paddle-shift transmission integrated with the rear axle and the 120-litre safety fuel tank built into the tub.

The paddle-shift transmission, says Audi, is so quick and precise compared to the previous six-speed manual sequential 'box, that it will last four times longer - 24 000 racing kilometres compared to 6000km.

The suspension has to be mounted on the identical front and rear sub-frames, which limits the engineers as regards development, particularly as the A-arms must be made of steel and the damper diameter is specified in the rules.

Class regulations also stipulate that the hub carriers have to milled from a solid block of aluminium, and must conform to a specified minimum weight; all the cars use exactly the same hubs, wheel-bearings, rims and Hankook tyres.

Air flow through the body, as on the current A4 DTM, and complex additional wings at the rear are no longer allowed, which will mean that the DTM racers will at least look like the production models they're supposedly derived from.

The A5 DTM has a 4.2-litre V8 pushing out about 340kW, using Bosch MS 5.1 engine electronics, which operate without fuses, and the central display is the same as that of the Audi R8 LMS.

The homologation of the A5 DTM is scheduled for March 1, 2012 - until then the engineers at Audi Sport in Ingolstadt and Neckarsulm still have time to fine-tune the details.

MERCEDES-BENZ

The DTM AMG Mercedes C-Coupé for the 2012 DTM season is also the first from Stuttgart to be built around the standard DTM "tub and roll cage" chassis.

It follows the AMG Mercedes C-Class, which is the most successful vehicle in the DTM's 27-year history with 84 wins in 156 races and five Driver's titles.

Michael Schumacher, who helped unveil the new racer at Frankfurt, commented: "The new 2012 Mercedes-Benz DTM car looks fantastic, but the new safety concept with its safety cell and carbon-fibre crash structures is even more impressive.

"This safety standard is exemplary and, to me, is the benchmark for touring car racing. I'm looking forward to seeing the new C-Class Coupé in action and, we hope, winning lots of races."

Nico Rosberg agreed: "I particularly like the chrome finish. The car is certainly an important step forward the DTM and, with BMW back in the series, it will become even more exciting."

Mercedes-Benz DTM driver Gary Paffett said: "The first test of a new car is always an exciting moment. After getting a feel for the handling and performance of the DTM C-Coupé around the Lausitzring, I'm very pleased with it.

"Of course, we still have a lot of development work ahead of us before the 2012 season opener at Hockenheim - it's quite different from previous DTM cars.

"The new Hankook tyres for 2012 are wider and have taller sidewalls, providing more mechanical grip. Also, the gear lever has disappeared for 2012 - we change gear using paddles on the steering wheel instead - but that's something I'm used to from Formula One."

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