DTM, or Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters, is one of the most intense race series to grace Europe. Publicity is limited as airtime is usually dedicated to things like F1, but the DTM race series is incredibly advanced and highly competitive. The racecars in the series are based on existing production sedans and coupes, with liberal modifications to the aerodynamics and powertrains as per DTM regulations.
Reigning Blancpain Sprint Series champion Maximilian Götz (28, Germany) will strengthen the squad of Mercedes-Benz drivers in the DTM for the 2015 season. Götz will swap the racing gullwing for the Mercedes-AMG C63 DTM after four successful years in AMG’s Customer Sports Programme. The 28-year-old already has previous experience of a DTM car after completing a test in a DTM Mercedes AMG C-Class at the Lausitzring in September 2013 as a reward for his success with the SLS AMG GT3. He made his debut in the Mercedes-AMG C63 DTM during testing in Jerez de la Frontera last December, 2014.
Götz contested 82 races in the SLS AMG GT3 between 2011 and 2014, securing ten wins, 32 podiums and 60 top-ten finishes in total. He clinched the 2014 Blancpain Sprint Series championship title in the SLS AMG GT3. The previous year, 2013, Götz won the 24-hour race at Spa-Francorchamps and the 1,000 km race at the Nürburgring. He won the ADAC GT Masters championship in 2012.
Mercedes-Benz has a long tradition of developing young racing talent. During their time in Formula 3, a number of drivers, including reigning Formula 1 champion Lewis Hamilton (MERCEDES AMG PETRONAS), four-time world champion Sebastian Vettel and the youngest winner of a race in DTM history, Pascal Wehrlein, all utilised Mercedes-Benz engines. New opportunities for nurturing young drivers in a systematic manner have now opened up in the AMG Customer Sports Programme since its successful introduction.
DTM has come a long way since its humble beginnings, and with new drivers and more development the 2015 season is bound to be an interesting.
