BMW recently revealed its all-new V8 tin-top racer for the German DTM (Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters) touring-car championship, and now Audi has fired a riposte by releasing the first renderings of its A5 DTM concept, which makes its public debut at September’s Frankfurt motor show.
The ultra-brawny coupe replaces the existing A4-based racer, which has bagged four DTM titles since 2004, and although the A5 carries over the 340kW V8 and six-speed sequential gearbox employed by its predecessor, the latest-gen car debuts an armoury of cutting-edge tech in line with new regulations being ushered in for the 2012 DTM championship.
Audi says these artist’s impressions “merely suggest the looks” of the new DTM car, which will adopt the cosmetic changes administered to the recently updated A5 and S5, rather than the pre-facelift nose and headlights of the car pictured alongside.
However, the most significant changes are below the surface as the new 2012 DTM rules have been formulated to cut costs and make the cars much safer (the new DTM racers have to be able to withstand a static load four times higher than before).
In line with the new prescription, the A5’s carbonfibre monocoque envelopes a steel roll cage and features an integrated fuel tank.
The first A5 DTM prototype has been dubbed R17 (clearly linking it with this year’s Le Mans-winning R18) and is currently being crafted at Audi Sport in Ingolstadt. The objective is obviously to reassert the dominance Audi has enjoyed in the DTM format in recent years.
Mattias Ekstrom claimed the DTM title for Audi in 2007 and Timo Scheider followed up with series victories in 2008 and 2009, but Mercedes-Benz’s Paul di Resta (now driving for Force India in Formula One) took the honours for the three-pointed star in 2010.
Audi’s quest for supremacy will naturally become all the more difficult from next year as BMW debuts its purposeful looking and ultra-high-tech new M3.
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