Re: Audi DTM V8's

[ScharfR@aol.com]

To clarify your clarification;

DTM means Deutsche Tourenwagen Meisterschaft, which is fairly accurately
translated into English as German Touring Car Championship (DTM=GTCC).  This
is the series Audi raced in, and won, with V8 quattros in 1990 and 1991.
 There arose a dispute during the 1992 season as to the legality of the flat
plane crank used in the V8 race cars versus the four throw crank homologated
for series production.  Audi withdrew from the series under a bit of a cloud.

The DTM formula is still raced in Germany to a 2.5 L capacity limit.  The
German Super Touring Car Championship, conforming to the FIA 2.0 L formula is
also sanctioned in Germany.  It is in the Super Touring Car series that Audi
now races the A4 quattros.  In 1995 the factory ran teams in Italy (overall
championship) and Germany (beaten by BMW).

In the two race, winner-take-all, season ending event in France, at the Paul
Ricard Circuit, teams from all the European countries who run the 2.0 L
formula contested the overall European championship.  In what was *supposed*
to be a display of the superiority of the British contenders (and on what was
supposed to be a *poor* circuit for all wheel drive) Audi kicked butt.  Frank
Biela took first and Audi's Italian champion, Emanuelle Pirro, took second.
 Nobody else was even in contention.

For 1996 Audi adds a factory team to the British series - BTCC - with Frank
Biela and an Englishman to be named later.  Pirro moves to the German series
for Audi, and the Italian series will feature Capelli and a second driver
tbd.

And that's new news from Europe