Masaaki Bandoh and Gerhard Berger were excited. At Hockenheim on Sunday, both the chairman of the Super GT organisation GTA and the chairman of the DTM organisation ITR gave very positive comments about the guest appearance of the cars from the Japanese GT Series. “Thus, we made the co-operation tangible. The race cars are fascinating. The sound of the four-cylinder engines is great. Initially, I was a bit sceptical, but now, we know: the DTM cars of the future will have a mega racing sound,” Berger said. “For me, it was also an incredible experience. I was lost for words when I saw the five cars together on the track,” Bandoh added.
The Lexus LC500 and the Nissan GT-R, together with the DTM cars from the three German manufacturers Audi, BMW and Mercedes-AMG provided a spectacular sight for the fans during the demonstration runs at the Hockenheimring. The co-operation with the Japanese GTA organisation and the three manufacturers of the series, in which next to Lexus and Nissan’s motorsport brand Nismo, Honda is also represented, was extended further in constructive talks at Hockenheim. “The co-operation between Super GT and the DTM was established in 2009 during the Super GT season finale. Today, it is reaching a historic milestone. After the demonstration runs during this weekend, we will further intensify the development of the Class One regulations. We are curious about the results,” Bandoh emphasised. “In 2019, or 2020 at the latest, we will have the same cars at the race track. Hopefully, we can then race against each other at the race tracks of this world, first and foremost in Europe and in Japan,” Berger underlined. The goal is to have spectacular race cars at justifiable costs.
The technical regulations of both series are already identical in many aspects today. Components from the cost-saving control parts concept have also been incorporated into the Japanese cars. The so-called ‘Class One’ regulations that were processed in co-operation are the basis. The GT cars have a four-cylinder turbocharged engine with over 600 hp. “From a budget perspective, it is important to have unified regulations for all manufacturers in worldwide touring car racing. In the few months since I came into this position, I discovered that there already is a fantastic co-operation between the manufacturers in Japan and in Germany. And we as the ITR intend to promote this even further. Anyone who wants to compete in premium production touring car racing will find it difficult to ignore the DTM,” Berger said.
The motorsport fans in Japan can already look forward to the return visit. The DTM cars from BMW and Audi will be on track during the Super GT season finale at Motegi on 11/12 November.
