DTM evaluating series name change to broaden global appeal - Berger
DTM boss Gerhard Berger says a series name change is "on the radar" as organising body ITR attempts to broaden the category's global appeal
Berger, who was announced as ITR chairman in March 2017, has repeatedly stated his intentions to improve the DTM's global credentials and his plans include luring an international "premium" manufacturer to the championship for '19, after Mercedes exits.
The former Formula 1 driver also reckons the full Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters name could be limiting the series' worldwide marketability.
"[DTM] has a lot of pluses and a lot of minuses," he told Autosport. "It's always a matter but in Germany there's a very strong fan crew who are behind DTM.
"But outside of Germany they would like to have a more international name. We have it on the radar but so far no conclusion."
Audi's head of motorsport Dieter Gass accepts that the DTM moniker makes "life difficult for the championship".
"It's something that needs to be looked at properly," he said.
"On the other hand, DTM is a brand name as well and everybody knows what DTM is. There's two sides to the matter really.
"The 'D' in particular now for us, and for Gerhard to talk to potential new manufacturers outside of Germany, it's a problem."
Gass added that DTM should be open to morphing into a full world championship, along the lines of its International Touring Car Championship iteration in 1996.
Before the DTM's revival in 2000, the ITC featured a predominantly European calendar but also held rounds in Brazil and Japan.
"I think a championship like [DTM as it is now] in the long term, purely German, will be quite difficult to sustain," said Gass. "We need to be more international."
But Berger, who has overseen the reintroduction of DTM rounds in Britain and Italy, explained that moving DTM towards a world championship was at least another two years away.
"Step-by-step, we have to strengthen first our core product within the DTM, especially in countries like Britain or Italy," he said.
"We're back again but it takes two or three years to stabilise it and bring it back ahead of the fans.
"So it's not a one-off where you're going to be successful, it takes time. I would say in year three, if it's adapted in new places, we could think about the next step."
Audi's Jamie Green: 'Painful' 2018 DTM year down to qualifying woes
DTM needs minimum 16 cars without Mercedes in 2019 - Audi
How Audi DTM heavyweights Rast and Muller compare
The GT3-based DTM is a different proposition to the Class 1 era that ended in 2020, but Audi’s top protagonists remain the same. Rivals Rene Rast and Nico Muller have now swapped teams, making their Team Rosberg and Abt engineers uniquely qualified to reveal what makes the pair tick
David Schumacher surprised by friendlier DTM environment
DTM rookie David Schumacher says the championship's convivial paddock atmosphere has come as a shock this year, having felt he had “no friends” during his time in single-seaters.
How Bernhard's Porsche "underdogs" made DTM history
Porsche didn’t take long to make its mark on the DTM, with its first victory arriving at the Norisring earlier this month. But few expected that to come courtesy underrated Austrian Thomas Preining and his single-car Bernhard team. Here’s how they did it
DTM rejects drivers' demand for repeater lights in rolling starts
The DTM has turned down calls from drivers to install a set of repeater lights to improve visibility and cut down the chances of startline accidents.
The longest-serving Red Bull driver revealing F1’s true brutality
His day of days in Formula 1 came at Indianapolis in 2005, a day grand prix racing strives to forget. But Patrick Friesacher, the long-serving Red Bull lieutenant, remains active today driving a two-seater that provides ordinary people with a glimpse of an F1 car’s savage potential, including this writer...
How the DTM has come back stronger from its Norisring nadir
OPINION: Questionable driving standards and farcical team orders meant the DTM's first season under GT3 regulations ended under a cloud. But the organisation has responded firmly by banning team orders and welcomed new manufacturers, making for an intriguing season ahead as new and returning names prepare for battle
The remarkable career of a 'classy' champion who rejected politics
Over two decades as a factory driver with Audi and BMW, Martin Tomczyk earned the respect of team-mates and rivals as a hard but fair racer. After calling time on his racing career, the 2011 DTM champion sat down with Autosport to look back
The other Hamilton conqueror seeking career revival
On his rise through the ranks before reaching Formula 1, Lewis Hamilton was usually a cut above the rest. But he never truly asserted himself over a Mercedes-backed fellow Briton who traded single-seaters for touring cars and is now seeking new opportunities after a year largely spent on the sidelines
How the DTM's shambolic finale poses awkward future questions
OPINION: The scenes at the Norisring as Mercedes used blatant team orders to secure the first DTM title of the new GT3 era totally undermined the credibility of the championship. But as well as overshadowing the season, it also presents uncomfortable questions to series bosses about the direction it is headed in
How Audi's new DTM star is channeling Rast to achieve his "childhood dream"
Having learned the ropes in GT3 alongside Rene Rast, Kelvin van der Linde is in line to take up the three-time champion's baton as Audi's new DTM king. From humble origins in South Africa, it's been a remarkable journey so far for the current series leader, but he knows that the 2021 title is a long way from settled just yet
The number-crunching behind the new-look DTM's equalisation drive
Switching to GT3 regulations marked a fresh start for the DTM in 2021, but it has also drawn a line in the sand against other series using similar cars by engaging AVL Racing to develop a bespoke Balance of Performance system. Here’s how it works
The initial verdict on DTM's move to GT3 cars
OPINION: Facing collapse last year, the DTM has shifted its philosophy from a championship for silhouette-based touring cars to GT machines not too dissimilar to those racing across multiple series worldwide. But despite some initial BoP-based teething troubles, there were some pleasant findings as the 'new DTM' got underway at Monza