1989 and 2012 DTM BMW M3s

Heidfeld to DTM?

DTM drivers Gary Paffet and Paul di Resta are also test drivers for F1 teams McLaren and Force India, respectively.  They were both in Shanghai last weekend.  With air travel being a mess, there was a strong chance that they weren't going to make it to Hockenheim for this weekend's DTM race.

Apparently, the backup plan was to have Heidfeld and Timo Glock, who returned to Europe early/on time, take Paffett and di Resta's spots.  That would have been quite a race.  Unfortunately, Paffett and di Resta made it back to Europe in time.  Oh well.

DTM Ford Mustang GTs

You love watching early 90s footage of DTM races.  You've got your BMW M3s and Mercs.  You sometimes see a Ford RS500, an Audi, maybe even an Opel.  But sometimes, hold on, is that a Ford Mustang GT?

Blink and you'll miss it.

Yes.  I am convinced that in every old timey DTM montage on Youtube, there is three milliseconds' worth of footage of privateer-entered Mustangs.  I can hardly find anything on them on the net, and my inability to navigate German fan sites is a huge handicap.  All I know is that:

• there were a few of them; 
• they have either a white or black livery (how about that for journalism?); 
• one of them was towed to the tracks by a Jeep Comanche pick-up truck sporting Cherokee limited edition gold rims; and 
• they were not very successful.  

Still, it's cool just to think that American V8 muscle was running with those kraut mobiles around them 'rings.

Top photo was captured from this HD video of a DTM reunion in 2009.   The second photo was captured from this video which you've no doubt already seen thrice.  Bottom photos are from this guy.

I Just Adjusted My Power Seat

This morning, I lowered my power seat to the lowest position/setting possible to lower my car's center of gravity. Now, every time I sit in my car, the driving position makes me feel like an overpaid DTM racer.

Magnificent DTM Safety/Pace Car: Porsche 928

Mercedes 190E 2.5-16 Evo II

Tonight's Top Gear on BBC America was one of the best episodes in recent memory. Having Mika Hakkinen teach James "Captain Slow" May about car control was quite entertaining. Mika takes May out on the gravel in a friend's Mercedes 190E 2.5-16 Evo I.

For months now, I've wanted to post a piece about the Evo II, which in my opinion is the best looking Mercedes of the 1980s. But for one reason or another, I never did. Well, here it is. I'm not going to write a description of the car or its history. I'm just going to show you a couple of pictures and let you soak in the awesome.

CKY

1980s DTM Retrospective

Well, I was right about Kubica qualifying second today at the Canada Grand Prix. But with Hamilton finishing ahead of him by 6/10 of a second, I'm not sure the Pole can clinch his first win tomorrow.

While we wait for the race to start, here is a look back at the winning cars of DTM in the 1980s. The similarities between DTM and the Australian V8 Supercars series are striking. Today, DTM has just two manufacturers, locals Audi and Mercedes. Today, the Australian series only has locals Ford and Holden. Both series had much more diverse fields in the 1980s. In fact, the winners (the cars, not the drivers) of the two series often overlapped.

1984. The inaugural season was won by a BMW 635CSi, even though it never won a single race.

1985. The turbo era begun with a Volvo 240 Turbo winning the championship.

1986. The Rover Vitesse/SD1, possibly one of the worst Rovers ever built, won in 1986.

1987. The fabled E30 M3 began its winning tradition in '87.


1988. The Ford RS500, one of my favorite cars of all time, finished first in 1988.

1989. The M3 won in a close battle against the Mercedes 190E 2.3-16. More on that soon.

CKY

Out with the Old (Mika), In with the New (Ralf)

I would love to delve into the minds of former F1 drivers Ralf Schumacher and Mika Hakkinen. What are they thinking?

Ralf has two big issues-- issues big enough to keep a phalanx of shrinks employed in perpetuity. First, he is the younger brother of seven time world champion Michael. Though everyone thought highly of Ralf's talents (he was certainly well compensated in anticipation of his potential), his career in Formula One was a big disappointment. I can only imagine how his mediocre career and successful big brother are eating him up inside. Poor guy.

Now that Ralf is out of Formula One, his search for glory continues. After two pseudo-secretive test drives, it looks like he will be driving for Mercedes in the 2008 DTM series. But the two motorsports are so different. He has a steep learning curve and impatient fans waiting for him. Will he succeed? Will failure further destroy this man's soul? Michael has urged him to resist driving in the DTM series. If Ralf heeds Michael's counsel, is he not perpetuating the role of the less talented, and naive, little brother?


On the other end of the DTM life cycle, we have two time F1 world champion Mika Hakkinen. In his three years at DTM, he had moderate success. In a field of young whipper snappers, Mika was definitely the elder statesman.

What's going through his head, as he announced last November that he was retiring from racing? Has he found closure? Is he content? Will his lack of success in DTM pester his subconscious for the rest of his life? In the 2007 season, I always enjoyed his post-race interviews, regardless of whether he won or lost. He seemed at peace with everything. He was focused and competitive, but he saw the big picture. His answers were detailed, entertaining, and honest. I will miss Mika.


CKY

Der Schweinhund That Is the DTM

Intent is sometimes hard to prove. This is especially true of charges of sexism. But in DTM, there is overwhelming evidence of sexism. Take, as an example, DTM's treatment of Audi driver Vanina Ickx at the Norisring race of June 24, 2007.

The announcers: The British DTM announcers used by Speed Channel have an extreme phobia with using the word "woman." From the first race in Hockenheim through the fifth race at Nuremberg, the dynamic duo repeatedly and unabashedly described Ickx and Susie Stoddard-- the other female driver in the series-- as girls. Girls, girls, girls. During the Norisring coverage, one of the announcers mockingly described Vanina Ickx, who stands 5'1" tall, as just "a little girl."

Speed Channel (and DTM) are not doing the public any favor by keeping these cavemen on the air. The gratuitous shots pre-race of scantily clad and mammarially endowed women at the stands, on the track, and everywhere else do not help either.

The drivers: For the first half of the season, the Old Boys' Network reared its ugly head. It seemed like in almost every race, someone would take a shot at Ickx on the track. These unwanted "love taps" have the singular purpose of intimidating her and telling her that she is not welcome. There is also no doubt that along with chauvinism, there is a bit of resentment that perhaps Vanina got a seat in DTM due to her father, the famed Belgian driver Jacky Ickx.

These shananigans went up a notch at Norisring when Mathias Lauda (son of Niki) "inadvertently" rammed Ickx from behind, sending her into the barrier and out of the race.

Ickx at Dakar

The officials: The double standard was apparent after the Ickx-Lauda incident. During the first lap of Norisring, Susie Stoddard hit Ickx and spun Ickx around. Stoddard was punished immediately with a drive-through penalty. But when Lauda hit Ickx, he was simply given a warning.

In a series where the cards are stacked up against female drivers, it is very difficult to stand up and openly complain and assert the charge of sexism. All Ickx was able to do, to protect her career and to keep her bosses and sponsors satiated, was to state that she was "confused" by the penalty allocation.

Ickx on the podium, not after a DTM race

At the end of the 2007 season, Vanina retired from DTM. For now, the winner is:


CKY

DTM DOA?

I just watched my first DTM race. It was the April season opener at Hockenheim and aired at an ungodly hour last night/this morning on SPEED. I've always been fascinated by this sedan series and I'm glad I got to watch it. I'll follow it all season (even though I know the results already) and give it a shot, but so far, I am not impressed. Below are some random observations and opinions.

Pro: Driver diversity. The drivers are really diverse, in terms of age/experience, nationality, and gender (yes, gender). Young upstarts race alongside elder statesmen like Mika Hakkinen. There are Germans, Brits, a Canadian, a Swede, a Finn, a Dane, a Greek, a Frenchman, an Austrian, and a Belgian. There are two women (Stoddart and Ickx). This has to be one of the most diverse fields in motorsports.

Con: Poor car diversity. Although there is a mix of 2005 through 2007 models, there are only two makes: Audi and Benz. In order for this series to be truly interesting, and truly German, Opel and BMW have to be in it.

Con: Poor turn-out. I have not seen the financials behind the series, but the half empty stands did not forebode well. Granted, Hockenheim can hold a lot of people, but this was the series opener-- in Germany-- at Hockenheim.

Con: Poor liveries. This is a pretty superficial complaint. I'm not asking DTM to paint a huge Tide logo on the hoods of their cars. But aside from the Red Bull Audi, I was not able to identify any other car or brand/sponsor. The cars all have black and/or silver backgrounds with small fonted words and even smaller logos. How are you supposed to root for your car when you can't even pick it out?

I will give DTM a chance by watching every race this season. But I'm not holding my breath. Now I'm going to go watch the V8 Supercars race from Adelaide. Now that looks interesting.

CKY