The Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters will finally adapt to the long-awaited ‘Class One’ regulations that will be enforced for next season, with Audi’s Head of Motorsport Dieter Gass admitting to TouringCars.Net at Brands Hatch that the brand’s developments for next year are well underway.
“We’re getting ready for next year and are currently on schedule. The work started for us a long time ago, because we were due to originally introduce the new engines in 2017,” he explained, saying that despite the amendment to 2019 still didn’t stop Mercedes from withdrawing.
“This was before our friends from Mercedes said: ‘Oh no! We can’t, it’s too expensive and we stop if we do.’
“We moved to next year and they still pulled out, which was disappointing, but the work is going well.”
The forthcoming head-to-head battles that will see DTM go up against Super GT is something that Gass is looking forward to, especially with the two categories heading to both Germany and Japan to compete.
“We only saw the cars last year on their own, and that was quite impressive.
“When you saw the display laps with the cars together, and we’re looking forward to seeing the cars race alongside each other.”
He also admitted that discussions are currently underway as to how many cars that the two remaining brands will field in 2019.
“I think we need to try and get at least two more cars to the grid for each manufacturer, which for me would pretty much be the limit.”
This was further bolstered by his admission to try and help introduce current-spec DTM race cars to independent teams, which has been spearheaded by ITR Chairman Gerhard Berger, in order to bolster the grid numbers.
Gass said that Audi Sport would run six factory-run cars, with another two ‘independent’ entries being supported in some way through a customer racing program, but was quick to say that having a third customer car would be difficult.
“We wouldn’t have much time, in terms of ordering the parts and the materials to build a third car.”
Interest towards Audi RS5 DTMs had started around two years ago in Sugo Raceway, when Gass was approached by a GT300 team running in Super GT, who expressed a desire to run Ingolstadt machinery.
“It is a case of taking one step at a time, but we get everything up and running first, and then we will see how we can possibly expand.”