DTM @ Doni

[Jonny Apex]

A grid of driving talent the BTCC would surely die for. And it's easy to see why these boys are doing DTM. Money. From three real giants: Merc, Audi & Opel. It talks. Just look at the paddock hospitality suites. Jeez! Huge two-tier constructions built of steel and glass and wood - no poles and canvas awnings here. Now that's what you call looking after sponsors. Plus an extravagant, purpose-built travelling media centre that made journos gulp before entering.

Plus, as Menu said: very dramatic cars, both to drive and to look at.

Doesn't mean to say the racing is any better, however. Sure, there were good battles throughout and the TV screens helped us all follow the action, but it wasn't that close. And hard racing is what we want to see at the end of the day.

21,000 they said was the gate. Let's see what the BTCC finale in September brings. With good regular ITV coverage, the crowds are already back up and regularly pushing the 20,000 mark ...

[Crash and Burn]

Final count was just short of 25,000 - some what leaves most other sports in the dark

[El_Gibleto]

An interesting fact is that in hte dtm warmup session the whole field was within 1.5% of the quickest time, how the btcc owners would love for a field that close.

[SJ Spode]

I think the races showed that the DTM is the top touring car competition currently

[Craig]

Originally posted by El_Gibleto
An interesting fact is that in hte dtm warmup session the whole field was within 1.5% of the quickest time, how the btcc owners would love for a field that close.

Helped, one would imagine, by the fact that there is such a small number of different manufacturers involved...

Now, I'm sure if I got used to it my opinion would improve but, although the cars were noisy and fast, there was a real lack of panle bashing and close racing... something very much in evidence in the old DTM or BTCC... shame really to say it, but I was disappointed in the DTM...

[kmchow]

I guess the reason you don't see much bumping/bashing anymore is b/c the BTCC/DTM has budget constraints now!
I think that the US is supposed to get TV coverage of the DTM in '02 as well!

[Craig]

I'm talking about the DTM, kmchow... the BTCC is full of it... perhaps a little too much at times, but at least the cars get to race each other. If the DTM wasn't promoted as a touring car series, it would probably be considered one of the world's best sportscar series... because the cars are probably closer to sportscar than they are to tourers...

[rick vaux]

I though the race was an anti-climax, the cars though were the dogs....The drivers.... special...

[redshoes]

Have to agree with Jonny. Big, loud, fast, dramatic for sure but was the racing actually that good? I'm not overly convinced.

I don't believe the 25000 spectators either. Maybe over the three days but definately not on Sunday. In fact I was surprised it wasn't busier.

Giant TV was a bonus but will someone please turn up the wattage on Donington's radio system. I could barely get a signal standing in the pit lane. At Starkey's it was so faint I gave up, which meant I didn't really have a clue what was happening.

[Reido Rules]

Racing was poor due to poor qualifying and stop and go penalties. Had Schneider, Alzen, Winklehock, Aiello and Abt had good qualifying I have no doubt that it would have been better.

But for once I really felt sorry for Menu, he was closing up on the two, Mercs from 5secs to 2.2secs, got a wrose pit stop than them, dropped back to about 3.5 behind, but had a bad set of tyres which grained sommet awfull, still closed up to 1.8 behind, but his tyres decided enough was enough and one delaminated. Sad really because he seemed, talkative and cheerfull in the paddock, and drove extremely well.

[TimD]

I enjoyed the racing. Unfortunate that Winkelhock was victim of a bad startline shunt, which precluded any further involvement, but the spectacle of the DTM field was most pleasing.

The Audis are madder in real life than they seem in pictures. Skittish, gaudy and raucous, definitely best viewed close up.

I agree with those who see the current DTM as more akin to Sportscar racing. The pitlane walkabout had me expecting to see Porsches and Vipers any second. Fortunately, I like sportscars!

All in all, an interesting day out. If they come back, I think I'll be there.

[rlinter]

Originally posted by Craig Antill

there was a real lack of panle bashing and close racing... something very much in evidence in the old DTM or BTCC... shame really to say it, but I was disappointed in the DTM...

Sorry since when was touring car racing about panel banging - Touring cars are a NON contact disipline like other motorsport.

If it is panel bashing you want get down to the essex arena or wimbledon, they really know how to panel bash...

The panel bashing you see in BTCC is primarily down to poor driving standards and ettiquette frequently demostrated by the cheque book racers.

In DTM on the other hand most if not ALL drivers do NOT pay for there rides and are of much much higher caliber!

[Reido Rules]

You could say that, But for all that money, only Abt, Ekstrom, Jager and Tomzeck were entertaining, and they all pay or employ themselves.

The BTCC has Pannel banging due to intense competition and determination. The pannel banging is usually controlled and just racing rather than incompetance. Although there are 1 or 2 exceptions, which I won't name, so that I don't dig up old arguements.

[TimD]

Ditto that - the arguments about whose drivers are more able are getting somewhat wearisome.

DTM has proved - to me at least - to be every bit as good as it suggested on the television. Even if this weekend didn't have shunts as big as the Avus 1994 incident...

...oops.

[Rambo]

OK, firstly, Opel is Vauxhall. Maybe if they had a bit of serious competition in the BTCC again, instead of there being only one real works team... just a thought

Secondly, the DTM fell flat on its face once before because costs spiralled out of control - as they were doing in the BTCC and the European Super Tourers.

Thirdly, WTF was with all those stop and gos???