Why are there no BMW's in DTM?

[Jand3rson]

I was watching the DTM series at the Nurburgring today, and was wondering why there are no BMW's racing in the DTM series? There's only Mercedes, Audi, and Opel. Anyone know why?

[Jordan]

Because BMW is too good for them.

[shahe]

actually, no thats not why. BMW doesnt want to invest in building a new dtm team. the rules are completely diffrent from before. just look at a dtm car of these days, its built from the gournd up and uses maybe 50% of the stock body panel shapes and the lights, the rest of the ca ris pure race car.

bmw is way to busy with F1

[M-technik-3]

Not only that they got booted from GT racing here in the US with the V8 M3 due to Porsche boys crying fowl ball. So its tough to have devolped a car then to outlaw it due to technicalities. $$$$ the need to recoup some of the cash the spent it and DTM was not the way for them at the time.

[E30godz]

i think it had something to do with that the V8 they used did not resemble, in any way, the I6 used in the street car ; )

[schnitzer teil-jäger]

Bottom line is always

after reading the rules .... You must feel that you will be competitive for the amount of money you are willing to invest ... or you don't waste your time.

w

[Charlie]

Simpler response: They have an F1 team . The amount of money it takes to be competitive in the non-production based DTM series vs what little exposure it gets makes no sense. They leave it to Audi & opel instead. VW is too scared to go F1 racing ,so they instead have their customer teams beat up on privateers at lemans and such.

-Charlie

[Werksmini]

Mercedes has a DTM team...

[Charlie]

Mercedes has a DTM team...

Mercedes is also a bigger company, with a larger financial pool. BMW has the schnitzer (vaguely disguised factory program) in ETCC, so the split is about even.

-Charlie

[vlad]

it used to be (few years ago) that all DTM cars were awd (even the Benz and the Opel), I am not sure about now, but BMW never commited to build such a full blown, DTM spec awd car

[AndreNY]

cause AUDI owns them all

[chris_leo]

it used to be (few years ago) that all DTM cars were awd (even the Benz and the Opel), I am not sure about now, but BMW never commited to build such a full blown, DTM spec awd car

Would you mind telling me what AWD car Mercedes raced? And when this was?

[M-technik-3]

cause AUDI owns them all

Problem is with the TT is the wheelbase was to short. So the lengthened it and added a V8. It's not even production based.

[Jon325i]

I'm sure there are many reasons why they don't participate in DTM. Look at the privateers running in the Speed Touring Car series here in the states. The race organizers know that BMW's rear-wheel drive configuration has an inherent performance advantage over the front drivers....so they usually tack on some weight in the name of "fairness." I'm sure given what BMW would be up against in DTM, they wouldn't want to face similar scenarios.

Now with BMWs engine development for the F1 program, I'm sure that has to cost a very large sum of cash....especially if you want to remain competitve. The difference with F1 is that it gets tons of marketing exposure....and the type of fans that are draw to F1 events are likely to be BMW owners at one time or another. I still think BMW should have some kind of factory-backed involvement in some type of race series here in the US. Afterall, we are probably their largest export market and that adage "race on Sunday, sell on Monday" seems to work. The only problem is there aren't too many race fans among the "wine and brie" crowd...which makes up a huge chunk of BMWs US sales.

Jon

[RH318is]

Since this moved to the U.S. now, the PTG BMW team has moved from the Speed World Challange GT series to the Rolex Sports Car Series for 04.

Last year I got to see the M3s run at Laguna Seca, and they were awesome!

BMW Team PTG M3s Switch to Rolex Sports Car Series GT for 2004
Written by: RACER staff
Woodcliff Lake, N.J. – 12/20/2003



BMW Team PTG has announced it will enter two GT-class BMW M3s in the 2004 Rolex Sports Car Series of the Grand American Road Racing Association.

Racing for BMW of North America, LLC, BMW Team PTG has delivered 11 championships in the past nine years. Constructed and prepared in-house at PTG’s Winchester, Va. headquarters, the first M3 is planned to run at the Jan. 3-5 test at Daytona International Speedway with a second M3 to be built.

“We are always looking for new challenges and to see where we can showcase the BMW M3,” said Team PTG owner Tom Milner. “PTG’s roots are in endurance racing, and we have seen our greatest success in the long-distance races. Some of the tracks we will see next season will be familiar and a few will be new to us, but we look forward to getting back to what BMW Team PTG does best.”

The team’s M3s will be powered by BMW’s newest generation 3.2-liter inline, six-cylinder S54 powerplant. The same engine as in the production M3, the Team PTG-modified version will deliver some 420hp, almost 100 more than the 333hp in the road car. A carbon-fiber body panel and aerodynamic package will reduce the M3’s weight to 2600 lbs and enhance the M3’s handling and braking qualities.

Longtime BMW Team PTG drivers Bill Auberlen and Boris Said will return to anchor the effort. Team PTG member Justin Marks will also return and be joined by Joey Hand. Hand, the 2001 Toyota Formula Atlantic Rookie of the Year, tested with PTG and was a member of Team PTG’s 12 Hours of Sebring effort that same year.