5th June, 2010
Contract signed: DTM finale at Shanghai on November 28th
DTM
Klettwitz. The season finale of this year’s DTM will be held in China on November 28th. This has been agreed prior to the third round of the 2010 DTM season at the EuroSpeedway Lausitz by DTM rights holder ITR e.V. and the Chinese promoter Brilliant Culture Group (BCG). ITR chairman Hans Werner Aufrecht and Maggie Ip, managing director of BCG, announced the signing of the contract during a press conference on Saturday morning. The finale of the most popular international touring car series will be taking place in the heart of Shanghai in the Pudong district. Preparations at the track will start immediately after the EXPO 2010 which will close its doors on October 31st. The track will have a length of 3.1 kilometres and includes nine corners.
After the invitational race in 2004, this will be the second time for the DTM to race in the metropolis of Shanghai with its 19 million inhabitants.
Hans Werner Aufrecht (chairman ITR e.V.): “We are really happy about the signing of the contract with BCG. For us, the reason for having a race in China is obvious: it is one of the most important markets for our manufacturers Audi and Mercedes-Benz.”
Maggie Ip (Managing Director BCG): “The Chinese government is investing a lot of money in the development of cities. Therefore, it was important for us to bring the best race series to China. The race will be held in the heart of the city.”
Audi motorsport director Dr. Wolfgang Ullrich: “For Audi, China is the world’s most important market. Together with the organisers, the promoter and the fans, we are looking forward to a great event.”
Mercedes-Benz motorsport director Norbert Haug: “I have fond memories of the great DTM premiere in 2004. It was the first-ever race in the city of Shanghai. I would be really happy when we would be able to repeat the victory we scored there six years ago. For Mercedes-Benz, China is the world’s third largest market and therefore tremendously important.”
Christian Schacht (secretary general and head of automobile sports DMSB): “Planning and organising such an overseas’ event is obviously not easy. It takes far more than just putting the cars into a plane. In July, we will fly to Shanghai and inspect the situation on site in order to work out the details.”
The 2010 DTM calendar at a glance:
25th April Hockenheimring Baden-Württemberg (D)
23th May Valencia (E)
06th June EuroSpeedway Lausitz (D)
04th July Norisring (D)
08th August Nürburgring (D)
22nd August Circuit Park Zandvoort (NL)
05th September Brands Hatch (GB)
19th September Oschersleben (D)
17th October Hockenheimring Baden-Württemberg (D)
28th November Shanghai (CN)
