In 2013, a new timing starts in the DTM. 14.40 h and 13.30 h are the new constant factors for the spectators at the race tracks and the fans in front of their TV screens at home. From the 2013 season opener at Hockenheim on May 5th, races of the most popular international touring car series will start on Sundays at 13.30 h, as usual broadcast live by television partner ARD. Qualifying starts on Saturday at 14.40 h.
The new time schedule is making the DTM weekend more compact for the fans and more intense for drivers and teams. After all, their workload will be spread over two days. Fridays will be fully reserved for the support series, the FIA European Formula 3 Championship, the Porsche Carrera Cup Deutschland and the Volkswagen Scirocco R-Cup, plus varying guest series.
The DTM engines will rev up for the first time in free practice on Saturdays. The drivers of Audi, BMW and Mercedes-Benz only have 90 minutes’ time to find the right set-up of their cars for qualifying at 14.40 h. This requires plenty of experience and a feeling for the car and the track. After the battle for the best starting-grid positions, the mechanics will have considerable less time to prepare the DTM cars for the race, which starts on Sunday at 13.30 h.
“With the new time schedule, the DTM becomes even more surprising and thus also more thrilling, both for the fans at the race tracks and at home in front of the television screens. At the same time, we are becoming more service-oriented and show an open sporting spirit: for instance, with the new TV times, we enable motorsport fans to watch the rounds of the Motorcycle World Championship, too,” says Hans Werner Aufrecht, chairman of the DTM rights holder and promoter ITR e.V.
The new time schedule will be used for the first time at the Hockenheim season opener on May 5th. After that, the calendar includes nine more races, four of which to be held outside of Germany. Next to the already familiar venues Brands Hatch/GB (May 19th), Spielberg/A (June 2nd) and Zandvoort/NL (September 29th), the DTM will be racing in Russia for the first time in its history. The premiere at the Moscow Raceway in the proximity of the Russian capital is scheduled for August 4th. The German rounds, next to the season opener and finale at Hockenheim (October 20th) are the Lausitzring (June 16th), the Norisring in Nuremberg (July 14th), the Nürburgring (August 18th) and the Motorsport Arena Oschersleben (September 15th).
