https://www.autosport.com/dtm/news/149182/audi-to-quit-dtm-at-the-end-of-2020 Audi has announced it will not take part in the DTM beyond the 2020 season, leaving BMW in the series as the only manufacturer. Having made the announcement on Monday, Audi cited the desire to focus its energies on its Formula E and customer racing projects and also the negative economic consequences of the global coronavirus pandemic. Audi had however been known to be weighing up its future involvement in the German tin-top series even before the COVID-19 crisis. The decision follows parent brand Volkswagen's decision to terminate its non-electric motorsport programmes last year. "Audi has shaped the DTM and the DTM has shaped Audi," commented Markus Duesmann, Audi's Chairman of the Board of Management. "This demonstrates what power lies in motorsport - technologically and emotionally," "With this energy, we're going to drive our transformation into a provider of sporty, sustainable electric mobility forward.
IMO, DTM should revert to either TCR or the NextGen/BTCC rules package. the DTM cars are cool but just not sustainable.
Let us see if there is an appetite for further racing along DTM or BTCC formats. I can see DTM not surviving this.
I think BTCC costs a fraction of the cost of DTM. In BTCC, most of the cars are developped and run by private teams using common components. DTM requires factory participation, and constructors deserted one after the other: Opel, then Mercedes, and now Audi.
yeah it's all about cost containment. there's an audience for touring car, I enjoy it, but DTM strayed so far from the "roots" of touring car and costs exploded. it's a shame. BTCC uses a spec front clip/suspension on an otherwise stock unibody, it's an interesting concept; TCR is similar to GT4/GT3 in the BoP sense and works reasonably well. both put on great shows too.
The major German manufacturers are now all in Formula-E and their participation has come at the cost of DTM and WEC participation. Follow the money. DTM also uses spec chassis, they're all the same only with different engines and body work (a-la NASCAR) which has been the case for several years now. BHW
my understanding is the spec chassis is tub only, MFRs can use their own front/rear clips, suspension, etc. so not exactly "German NASCAR"
Here is a list of what the competing manufacturers in DTM all run, mandatory. Monocoque, Brakes, Gearboxes, Safetycell, Aeroparts and Fuel tank. A lot of guys in this forum would call that spec. BHW