DTM cars make Super GT appearance in season finale at Twin Ring Motegi
The DTM and the Japanese Super GT umbrella organisations, ITR and the Japanese GTA respectively, held a show run with DTM cars during the Super GT season finale at Twin Ring Motegi in Japan.
The GTA had already visited the DTM finale at Hockenheim back in October, showcasing a Lexus LC500 driven by Heikki Kovalainen and a Nissan GT-R in the hands of Ronnie Quintarelli.
Maro Engel, Loïc Duval and Augusto Farfus were on duty in Japan, driving their Mercedes C63 DTM, Audi RS 5 DTM and BMW M4 DTM at the Japanese track. After performing show runs on Friday and Saturday, the German cars were placed at the front of the Super GT grid, running the formation lap behind the safety car.
ITR chairman Gerhard Berger was excited with the gesture from his Japanese counterparts: “It was an emotional moment. There couldn’t have been a bigger token of appreciation for the DTM. The grandstands were packed and the race was broadcast live on TV in Japan.”
“We are standing close together. DTM’s decision to also race with four-cylinder turbo engines from 2019 represents a crucial step on the way to realising our joint goal: that both series will contest their races with identical technical regulations.”
“We have reached another important phase on our way to joint races of SUPER GT and DTM,” said GTA chairman Masaaki Bandoh. “It has been a long way to get this far and I have got the impression that we finally created the requirements for joint races.
The presence of the DTM cars, exhibited in the pit lane during the pit walk also caused great expectation among the Japanese fans, with over 50,000 spectators filling the grandstands during the weekend. “The enthusiasm of the Japanese fans is just amazing,” said Farfus.
Both organisations met to continue their work to define the Class One regulations, which both championships should adopt from 2019, enabling both European and Japanese manufacturers to race in both championships.
