Audi unveils their race car for the 2013 DTM Season, introducing the RS5 DTM - Pictures and press release

[Sticky]

We are going to see all the 2013 DTM cars make their debut shortly and here is Audi's effort for the upcoming season. The 2013 Audi RS5 DTM will make its season debut at the Hockenheim track on May 5th. Audi will field 8 cars again. So what are the differences from the 2012 car? Well, the specifications for the cars were "frozen" so to speak at the conclusion of the 2012 season so the 2013 cars will not differ all that much.

However, Audi engineers looked over 4,000 areas of the 2012 car looking for improvements. They found areas to improve apparently, "Our technicians proved to be quite resourceful in the process,” stated Dr. Wolfgang Ullrich who is the Audi Motorsport head. Will Audi take the title this season? Will they let it slip away again at the very end? It's going to be a hell of a season.

Pictures and press release below.

[img]http://cdn.carbuzz.com/images2/250000/2000/700/252728.jpg/img]

World Premiere in Geneva: Audi RS 5 DTM

• Audi Sport presents race touring car for the 2013 DTM season
• Close links to the sportiest Audi production models
• Jamie Green new team-mate of Mattias Ekström

At the International Motor Show in Geneva, Wolfgang Dürheimer, Member of the Board for Technical Development of AUDI AG, and Head of Audi Motorsport Dr. Wolfgang Ullrich on Tuesday afternoon presented the racecar for the DTM 2013 – the Audi RS 5 DTM. The driver line-up for the new DTM season is also fixed.


“Motorsport is an integral part of the Audi DNA and is not an end in itself for our company,” said Wolfgang Dürheimer. “At the end of the day, our customers benefit from the victories on the racetracks, because we attach great value to technology transfer between motorsport and production. Our new Audi RS 6 Avant, which we present here in Geneva, is a prime example: it combines downsizing of the engine with significantly less weight. And where do you learn this? In motorsport.”

The technical specification of the DTM cars was ‘frozen’ in accordance with the regulations as the checkered flag fell at the last race of the 2012 season. Further development was only possible in extremely limited form. Over the winter, the Audi Sport DTM team concentrated on identifying if any of the 4,000 components in the racecar from the 2012 season offered any potential for optimization. “Our technicians proved to be quite resourceful in the process,” explains Dr. Wolfgang Ullrich.

The model name Audi RS 5 DTM is new. As a result, Audi establishes a direct reference in the DTM to the company’s successful production models. “The abbreviation ‘RS’ stands for the sportiest Audi models,” said Dr. Ullrich. “The performance data of the current RS 5 and RS 5 DTM are very similar. This is why we are of the opinion that both fit perfectly to one another.”

Eight Audi RS 5 DTM join the grid for the 2013 DTM. They are fielded by the three proven Audi Sport squads Abt Sportsline, Phoenix and Rosberg, which have reinforced in part by recruiting additional personnel. The allocation of the eight Audi factory drivers between the teams is now also fixed. Newcomer Jamie Green (Great Britain) is the new team-mate of two-time DTM Champion Mattias Ekström (Sweden) at Audi Sport Team Abt Sportsline. The 30-year old is regarded as one of the fastest and best DTM drivers of the modern era. He drove the new Audi RS 5 DTM onto the stage during the presentation. “I already feel at home here at Audi and can hardly wait to contest my first DTM race for the four rings,” said the Briton.

With a combined total of 25 race wins and two championship titles, Ekström and Green form the most successful driver combination in the entire DTM 2013 field. Nine DTM race wins unite the other Audi driver teams which have remained almost identical since the 2012 season: the double DTM Champion Timo Scheider (Germany) and Adrien Tambay (France) compete for Audi Sport Team Abt, Miguel Molina (Spain) and Mike Rockenfeller (Germany) for Audi Sport Team Phoenix, Filipe Albuquerque (Portugal) and Edoardo Mortara (Italy/France) for Audi Sport Team Rosberg.

The new DTM season starts on May 5 at the Hockenheimring. Ten events are on the 2013 agenda, six of them in Germany. On top of these six come races in Austria, Great Britain and the Netherlands and on August 4 the debut event at the Moscow Raceway in Russia. The Audi RS 5 DTM appears in action publically for the first time at the DTM test between March 26 and 29 at Barcelona (Spain) and from 9 to 12 April at Hockenheim, where a grandstand is open for spectators on the first day.

– End –

[AlexQuattro]

I just love DTM so damn much. Can't wait for the first race.

[Sticky]

I like DTM, it's great BMW is in the mix but ALMS GT for me.

[Black Sheep]

Not to shabby

[Puerto Rican 335d]

arent they going to race their DIESEL version again and As USUAL win AGAIN with them, oops forgot thats Lemans race duh!!

[Autobahn335i]

Nice!

Got me some tix for the race at the Nürburgring in August

Last season was EPIC. Can't wait for the new season to start!!

[Sticky]

Nice!

Got me some tix for the race at the Nürburgring in August

Last season was EPIC. Can't wait for the new season to start!!

I'd love to see a DTM race in person.

[Ammonia]

I want those lights... They'd look sexy on my wifes A4. :p