DTM history at the Audi museum mobile
· “Good Times” exhibition from August 15 to October 31, 2012 In its “Good Times” exhibition, the Audi museum mobile shows more than 20 years of DTM history at Audi. Visitors can relive many magical moments in which Audi racing teams took the chequered flag. Eight DTM seasons ended with Audi drivers taking the hotly contested championship crown: the winning vehicles were the V8 quattro, TT and A4, and the victorious heroes were Stuck, Biela, Aiello, Ekström, Scheider and Tomczyk. They all wrote a piece of Audi motor-racing history.
The race in Zolder in 1990 marked Audi’s debut in the DTM series (known back then as the German Touring Car Championship). Hans-Joachim Stuck lined up for the first time in a V8 quattro – a combination which just five weeks later took its first winner’s trophies home from the Avus racetrack in Berlin, and which in fact won the title at the end of a magnificent season. Audi prevailed against strong competition not just thanks to the advantage afforded by all-wheel drive, but also courtesy of the superior performance of Audi’s V8 engine over the four-cylinder units.
In 1991, the pack was reshuffled: four drivers, two teams, and another championship title – this time for Frank Biela. On two occasions the Audi drivers even occupied the first four positions. And in 1992, the V8 quattro lined up with a modified crankshaft which had been approved by the sports authorities. Just a few months later, however, the very same crankshaft was outlawed. Audi therefore decided to bring its highly successful DTM involvement to a close. At the end of 1996, the entire German Touring Car Championship was discontinued (1984-1996).
At the turn of the new millennium, DTM racing made a magical return. Since the year 2000, however, it has been known as the German Touring Car Masters. The Abt team lined up with four Audi TT-R cars and won the drivers’ championship in 2002 with Laurent Aiello. But Abt was unable to emulate this success in the following year. Audi once again made its appearance on the grand DTM stage in 2004 with a works team. The season’s curtain-raiser took place in Hockenheim, and a newly developed A4 DTM took the fight to the competition. “Audi is not here just to make up the numbers. We want to challenge for victories and compete for the championship,” said Dr. Wolfgang Ullrich, Head of Audi Sport, at the time. And the season was a spectacular success, as Mattias Ekström from Sweden achieved exactly that at the first time of asking. Indeed, he repeated the feat in 2007 by once again winning the DTM trophy for Audi. 2008 and 2009 were Timo Scheider’s years. He won the DTM title twice in a row – making it three consecutive championships for Audi. And in 2011, Martin Tomczyk piloted a one-year-old A4 DTM to the crown – a sensational achievement in this car.
A selection of the most fascinating racing cars in DTM history are the main protagonists of this special exhibition. The V8, TT, A4 and also vehicles from DTM rivals give motorsport fans the opportunity to delve into this world of adrenaline and technical precision. The exhibition is open daily from August 15 to October 31, 2012, from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.
For the youngest Audi fans, a children’s programme has been devised which has in store all kinds of challenges relating to DTM in the Audi museum mobile. Whether answering quiz questions, finding a Michelin sticker on a DTM car or building an Audi R8 out of Lego bricks and racing it on the miniature motorway – fun is the name of the game. The highlight of the programme is an activity which tests the kids’ motor skills and teamwork: in groups of three, they simulate a pit stop where they perform a tyre change and refuel the car. The race is on to find the best junior team! The programme for 6- to 12-year-olds begins on September 9, 2012. You can find out more information by calling 0800 2834444 or by mailing welcome@audi.de.
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