The DTM defines itself as an international touring car racing series rooted in Germany. The season opener and finale are traditionally held at the Hockenheimring in the German federal state of Baden-Württemberg. In addition, the DTM stages rounds at Oschersleben, Nürburgring, Nuremberg orLausitz. The series is thus represented across the Federal Republic of Germany.
Racing enthusiasts in other European countries have a chance to enjoy this spectacular touring car sport as well. This year, races at Zandvoort in the Netherlands, Brands Hatch (United Kingdom), Shanghai, Austria and, for the second time, the Comunitat Valenciana Ricardo Tormo Circuit in Valencia from September 30th to October 2nd.
With an average turnout of over 70,000 spectators per race last year, the DTM is the most popular international touring car series. 1.33 million TV viewers watched the live broadcasts of the DTM 's TV partner ARD in 2009. In total, ARD aired over 75 hours of reports about the DTM . Air time per event was seven hours and 42 minutes. The DTM is a big hit in print media as well. Just in Germany, an average of 536 press reports per race with a total circulation of two billion copies was published. And of course the DTM puts the pedal to the metal on the internet as well. Last year, an average of 3.5 million users per month visited the official homepage at www.dtm.com.
For its 2010 drivers' line-up, Audi has opted for the proven racers that contested the series for the brand with the four rings last year: title defender Timo Scheider, the 2004 and 2007 champion Mattias Ekström, Le Mans record winner Tom Kristensen as well as Martin Tomczyk start from the grid with current Audi A4 DTM cars. Cars from last year are driven by the Briton Katherine Legge, the Frenchman Alexandre Prémat, the Briton Oliver Jarvis as well as the Germans Mike Rockenfellerand Markus Winkelhock. Team KOLLES Futurecom- TME, as an Audi customer team, enters three 2007-spec A4 DTM cars for the Dane Christian Bakkerud, the German talent Johannes Seidlitzand Tomáš Kostka. The Czech racer previously drove an Audi A4 DTM in the Czech Endurance Championship.
At Mercedes-Benz, former Formula 1 star Ralf Schumacher and the 2005 DTM Champion, Gary Paffett, switch from year-old cars to current, 2009-spec C-Class models. In addition, the Canadian Bruno Spengler and the Scot Paul Di Resta, who was last year's runner-up in the DTM , drive current cars in the Mercedes-Benz "factory" team HWA. AMG C-Class vehicles from last year are driven by 2004 Formula 3 Euro Series Champion Jamie Green, Susie Stoddart, Maro Engel and Mathias Lauda, the son of Formula 1 legend Niki Lauda.
A carefully thought-out set of regulations with different basic weights for the various vehicle generations as well as placement-based weight adjustments after each race per vehicle model ensure the high-level competitiveness of the DTM field. The current cars must have a minimum weight of 1,050 kilograms. Year-old cars must tip the scales at a minimum of 1,030 kilograms, and the cars from 2007 start from the grid with 1,010 kilograms.
Each of the ten DTM weekends starts with a "rollout" on late Friday afternoon. On Saturday, a free practice follows as well as the qualifying session determining the grid positions for the race. Since this season, it features a four-round "shoot-out" mode. Sunday starts with a 30-minute warm-up as the final preparation for drivers and teams. The race with two mandatory pit stops typically starts at 2 p.m. on Sunday.
The DTM owes a large part of its popularity to its accessibility by fans, which is practiced in 2009 as well. Autograph sessions and driver interviews are equally part of the weekend programme as the pit walks and concerts in the paddock. Exclusive DTM print products like the "DTM Magazin" and the special "DTM Event Guide" for each race offer comprehensive information. In addition, a paddock newspaper with current information, "DTM News am Sonntag", is published at all German events. The official DTM partner series are an integral component of the event programme as well. The popular Formula 3 Euro Series features fights of the potential motorsport stars of the future, while the drivers in the one-make cups, Porsche Carrera Cup Deutschland, SEAT Leon Supercopa and ADAC Volkswagen Polo Cup – thanks to the provision of identical material – fight on an equal footing, which guarantees thrilling and attractive motorsport with formula vehicles and touring cars.