Was the DTM right to return 'home'?

Last weekend's Zolder round had the air of a different event by DTM standards. Series boss Gerhard Berger even used it as a comparison to newer tracks that he felt had lost the motorsport "smell" - the character that makes circuits legendary.

Considering Zolder is sometimes referred to as the 'other Belgian circuit' - a name quite different to Zolder's own choice of 'funfastic' - that attitude might seem a bit grandiose. But by the end of the weekend, Zolder showed had itself to be a key part of the jigsaw Berger is building as he aims to take a traditionally Germanic series into the international spotlight.

After an absence of 17 years, it's easy to forget that Zolder was historically crucial to the DTM, as it hosted the series' first-ever race when it ran as the German production car championship in 1984.

Harald Grohs was the winner on that day for the Vogelsang BMW team in a field filled mostly of privateer machinery, as the overly-expensive Group C era convinced Germany it needed its own cost-effective domestic racing series.

Grohs was at Zolder last weekend, racing in the awesome Tourenwagen Classics field, which provided a rare moment of nostalgia at a time when the DTM's major players are intensely focussed on the future - with the Super GT shared races edging closer and details of this tie-up slowly dripping out.

But for all its history, there was one common thread on Friday. Whoever Autosport asked about Zolder's potential to have an exciting race, the response was the same. Exhale, pause, call it "old-school" and then raise fears about overtaking. When the threat of rain didn't materialise, it looked like processions would be at hand.

At least there was qualifying, which was a hell of a sight. Cars that are more powerful than ever and 2018-spec Hankook tyres meant drivers had to dial out both understeer and oversteer on a track that had gravel traps inches from the circuit on one side, and concrete walls on the other. Purists were in their element, and rookie Sheldon van der Linde's pole effort on Sunday, and brush with the gravel on the following lap, were among the highlights.

"We are more about this kind of thing - smaller circuits. The circuit layout, it's how I love to see racing, where you see lots of 'big balls'" Gerhard Berger

But on the day before, what felt like the inevitable occurred in the first race. Bruno Spengler showcased the BMW's advantage off the line to dive between Rene Rast and Marco Wittmann and took the lead of a tame train that looked to have decided the result a few laps in.

Even a safety car called out for the two R-Motorsport Aston Martins retiring failed to truly spark the race into life. Sure, it mixed up the order and made Philipp Eng a worthy winner, but there was so little in the way of wheel-to-wheel racing.

But just 24 hours later, the DTM witnessed a memorable battle that the TV cameras could barely keep up with. There was new championship leader Eng's forceful move on Robin Frijns as they swept down the Buttes bend, and eventual race-two winner Rast diving past van der Linde at the Turn 1 bend as his rival battled understeer.

Best of all, Jamie Green stormed by van der Linde to take a first podium in 17 months amid dramatic scenes of Mike Rockenfeller briefly taking to rallycross as he moved out of the way of his Audi team-mate at the Villeneuve chicane. A breathless race, but with similar conditions on both days few observers could work out why the two had been so contrasting.

The crucial factor was ultimately tyre wear, with the appearance of a less randomised safety car opening up strategy variations such as Green's two-stopper, and a DTM field filled with drivers who were not experienced at Zolder finally finding the limit. The DTM's excellent rule package - with DRS and push-to-pass - complemented that, but were not deciding factors like the breeze-by-overtaking found in Formula 1.

That isn't remotely a dig at F1, but it's a pertinent comparison when looking to where Berger sees the DTM finding a firm foothold. Wherever you looked at Zolder, it was packed with fans in the paddock and the grandstands.

"If you look here at Zolder, the first race [in 17 years], we're going to have about 25,000 people here," Berger says, when asked about the lack of spectators at other circuits the DTM visits.

"When I come here into the paddock, I feel this is the DNA of DTM. I'm always very impressed by Formula 1, the big circuits, the Tilke circuits, the big dimensions. But it's not really us.

"We are more this kind of thing - smaller circuits. The circuit layout, when you look on the TV, it's how I love to see racing, where you see lots of 'big balls' [driving]. I was walking this morning and I watched a bit of the circuit, and it has this [soul]."

Next, Berger mentions Brands Hatch. The ITR boss has regularly stressed how important he believes Britain is to the DTM's internationalisation plans, as well as Italy.

But both Brands and Misano have so far failed to rope in fans in the way its German rounds and Zolder have done. However, Berger sees the two not only as key markets, but circuits with the right old-school vibe and variety he wants the calendar to have.

"I think it's something that motorsport is missing [the character of circuits]," he explains. "Everybody thinks the future is everything bigger and bigger, more perfect or whatever.

"I feel we all are missing a bit [of] the 'smell' of motorsport in this way. It cannot always be that way, it needs the right mixture and balance but there are still circuits around with this kind of potential. Zolder is using it in the best way."

Tellingly, there's no frustration at DTM's failure to grip Brands and Misano in particular, there's a realism that events cannot take off after just one attempt, and the series is willing to gamble. The Misano night race was a great addition to the 2018 season but proved impractical for spectators who were leaving the track late on a Sunday night.

Rather than panic, Berger hatched his own plan: pitch Valentino Rossi in a BMW against Andrea Dovizioso in an Audi, taking advantage of the guest driver rule to catch the intrigue of a bike-mad country. Audi and Ducati falling under the Volkswagen Group banner made Dovizioso's appearance relatively straightforward, but the Rossi plan hit the buffers.

"Misano actually would have also had potential to have this [Zolder-like] atmosphere, but in Italy, if it's not MotoGP or Ferrari, it's difficult," Berger admits.

"My dream was having Valentino in the BMW and Dovizioso in Audi. I have a half-dream [now]," said Berger, before teasing: "Next year is coming..."

Autosport understands that Rossi's contract with Yamaha prohibited the move, with his deal having a clause for only an appearance at the Monza Rally outside of his main commitments. Sources were mixed on how much of a role BMW played in the attempt, although it seems more likely that ITR led the move.

The package was able to thrill even on a circuit that had raised doubts in the paddock

This is one side of the DTM's future - reinforcing its European presence and maintaining the all-important calendar security needed for events to grow. As Berger rightly points out, it's easy for the likes of F1 when daily coverage on every medium means it's impossible for a potential audience not to know where the circus goes next. The Zolder contract is understood to be multi-year, for example, which opens up avenues for potential guest drivers and additional promotion - not that Zolder needs it.

But there's more to this DTM approach than just heading to the old-school, popular tracks with a good fanbase, and the new R-Motorsport Aston Martin project proves that. You can argue it's really the HWA squad that powered the Mercedes operation with a new badge, but that does a massive disservice to the efforts on top of that core.

It is not challenging BMW and Audi right from the off, but that doesn't matter to DTM - which Aston is helping to promote at a time when the series is pushing to go global through its Super GT tie-up and beyond.

"I love to break the ice a bit from the German manufacturers to [go] international and Aston for us is a bit like Ferrari to Formula 1," says Berger. "We like them all, it's great to have them here."

A push to get more manufacturers on the grid comes with a desire from the DTM to further promote privateer squads - as it argues that the likes of Team Rosberg and RMG are losing their identity slightly under the umbrella of Audi and BMW compared to 'true' customer WRT.

A desire to make the DTM more global does inevitably lead to comparisons with the its shortlived International Touring Car Championship variant in the mid-1990s, where costs went through the roof while the series raced in front of increasingly bare grandstands, eventually leading to its collapse and, later, the German-centric relaunch in 2000.

This will be a more gradual approach and the link-up on Class One regulations with Super GT is a promising start, although development decisions are often unclear and it appears the wider finer details of its regulations for joint races are still ongoing.

But the key thing right now for the DTM is that Zolder was a success and that the package was able to thrill, even on a circuit that the paddock doubted in this regard. Assen will be another experiment, though, and Brands Hatch and Misano still need time to grow a fanbase.

Further changes to keep the DTM attractive are in the mix, with a standardised hybrid element likely to appear by either 2020 or '21 to match the desires of manufacturers and sponsors.

How the globalisation project will go is difficult to assess at this early stage, but if the DTM's growth amid the turbulent days since Mercedes began to plan for its exit is anything to go by, there could be an international touring car renaissance.