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Olympics and Euro 2016 football to shape DTM calendar dates

The 2016 DTM calendar is being shaped by the Rio summer Olympics and UEFA Euro football tournament in France

With the calendar set to consist of either nine or 10 race weekends, the DTM's ongoing negotiations for its 2016 TV deal has also affected progress.

The series' domestic contract with ARD expires at the end of the 2015 season, with the broadcaster sharing the German rights to the Olympics and Euros with ZDF.

The football between June 10-July 10 and the Olympics on August 5-21 - almost entirely within F1's summer break - further tightens the squeeze on 'free' weekends for the DTM, when motorsport clashes are taken into account.

The series will not race on the same dates as sportscars' Le Mans, Nurburgring or Spa 24 Hours races owing to Audi, BMW and Mercedes' varying programmes, and it aims to avoid the 21-race F1 schedule where possible.

Should the DTM continue to start its season in early May and finish in the middle of October, it is set to be left with just seven weekends (see below) to race without a clash.

Hockenheim will continue to host the first and last rounds, almost certainly on May 7-8 and October 15-16.

While the Spa 24 Hours date is yet to be announced, it is expected to remain on the final weekend of July, locking in May 21-22, June 4-5, July 23-24, September 10-11 and October 1-2 as DTM dates.

An extra slot in July, potentially on the weekend of the Euro 2016 final, and August are set to be added.

The potential 10th event would also be held during the summer, while the nine events on the 2015 calendar are set to return, albeit with some shuffling of slots.

INITIAL 2016 DTM DATES:

May 7-8
May 20-21
June 4-5
July 23-24
September 10-11
October 1-2
October 15-16

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