Photo: Audi
With most of the world’s racing series in limbo for the first part of the year, one of the biggest news in motorsport in 2020 was Audi’s announcement that it is leaving DTM.
Announced in April this year, Audi’s retirement is blamed mostly on the ongoing health crisis. The four-ringed carmaker will no longer be competing in the Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters, and this decision, coupled with Mercedes-AMG’s departure earlier in 2018, will leave the series seriously backed into a corner.
But there are some races left into this year’s season, and by the looks of things, Audi will be leaving with a bang. After DTM resumed, the top of the podium was occupied by Audi cars and drivers. In fact, ever since August 2019 (that’s exactly a year ago) the German carmaker never lost a race – make that nine victories in a row for someone who shouldn’t be caring all that much.
“Audi has shaped the DTM and the DTM has shaped Audi. This demonstrates what power lies in motorsport – technologically and emotionally,” said in a statement back when the retirement was announced Markus Duesmann, Chairman of the Board of Management of Audi, somehow predicting how things will play out in the current season.
DTM has been around in various forms since 1976. Big names of the industry came and went, including some that were not Germany-based, such as Aston Martin. During all those years, Audi won 23 DTM titles (11 of them drivers' titles), and scored 114 victories and 345 podium finishes.
It’s unclear how the future of the series would shape up once Audi is gone. For all intents and purposes, BMW would be left racing alone, taking a lot of fun out of the equation. The Bavarians have stated their commitment to DTM, blaming Audi for tarnishing the series in the process, but as things are today (as in with no other carmaker yet confirmed) it’s unclear how things would play out.
But there are some races left into this year’s season, and by the looks of things, Audi will be leaving with a bang. After DTM resumed, the top of the podium was occupied by Audi cars and drivers. In fact, ever since August 2019 (that’s exactly a year ago) the German carmaker never lost a race – make that nine victories in a row for someone who shouldn’t be caring all that much.
“Audi has shaped the DTM and the DTM has shaped Audi. This demonstrates what power lies in motorsport – technologically and emotionally,” said in a statement back when the retirement was announced Markus Duesmann, Chairman of the Board of Management of Audi, somehow predicting how things will play out in the current season.
DTM has been around in various forms since 1976. Big names of the industry came and went, including some that were not Germany-based, such as Aston Martin. During all those years, Audi won 23 DTM titles (11 of them drivers' titles), and scored 114 victories and 345 podium finishes.
It’s unclear how the future of the series would shape up once Audi is gone. For all intents and purposes, BMW would be left racing alone, taking a lot of fun out of the equation. The Bavarians have stated their commitment to DTM, blaming Audi for tarnishing the series in the process, but as things are today (as in with no other carmaker yet confirmed) it’s unclear how things would play out.
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