Editing Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters (section)

==History==
===Background===
[[File:DTM car mercedes2006.jpg|thumb|Mercedes-Benz AMG DTM car (2006)]]
During the ITC era, a large proportion of the revenue generated by the championship went to the [[Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile|FIA]], which led to complaints from the teams regarding the small return on their increasingly large investment in the high-tech touring car series. Since 1997, many ideas had been discussed in order to find a compromise for the rules of a new DTM racing series. [[Opel]] put the primary emphasis on cost control, [[Mercedes-Benz]] supported expensive development in competition, [[BMW]] wanted an international series rather than one focused on Germany only, while Audi insisted on allowing their trademark [[quattro (four wheel drive system)|quattro]] [[four-wheel drive]] system (despite running the [[rear wheel drive]] [[Audi R8 (race car)|Audi R8]] in [[sports car racing]]).

The DTM returned in 2000 as Mercedes and Opel had agreed to use cars that were based on the concept car that was shown by Opel on various occasions (e.g. the 1999 [[24 Hours Nürburgring]] where Opel celebrated its 100th anniversary). The series adopted the format of the 1995 championship, with most rounds held in Germany and occasional rounds throughout Europe, but having learnt the lessons of the ITC format, the ITR constantly made efforts to keep costs in the revived series from exploding to unreasonable levels, and to keep the championship firmly tied to its German roots. As too many races were initially planned outside Germany, no Championship (Meisterschaft) status was granted by the [[Deutscher Motor Sport Bund|DMSB]], and the DTM initials now stand for Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters (German Touring Car Masters).

Unlike the previous incarnation, which primarily used saloon models like the [[Mercedes-Benz W201]], the new DTM featured only 2-door [[coupé]]s. Opel used the upcoming Coupé version of the [[Opel Astra|Astra]] as in the concept car, and Mercedes used the [[Mercedes-Benz CLK-Class|CLK]] model which was already used as the basis for the [[Mercedes-Benz CLK-GTR]] [[Group GT1|GT1-class sports car]].

The motorsport arm of the Bavarian tuning company [[Abt Sportsline]] was allowed to enter on short notice. Abt used the [[Audi TT]] as a basis for a DTM car, as Audi had no suitable 2-door coupé in its model lineup at the time, even though the dimensions of the car did not fit into the rules of the series. This also meant that the 1999 STW-[[Supertouring]]-champion [[Christian Abt]] could not defend his STW title as this series was also discontinued, with Opel then moving into DTM.

===2000–2003===
In May 2000, the new DTM started with the traditional [[Hockenheimring]] round on the short course. Some cars competing in the race had no or few sponsorship decals. While Opel's cars could match the speed of most Mercedes cars in the 2000 season, the hastily developed Abt-Audi ended up outclassed. As the body shape of the [[Audi TT|TT]] had rather poor aerodynamic properties, Abt was allowed to use a version with a stretched wheelbase and bodyshell in later years. Further dispensation was also granted, such as increased rear wing height, which helped the Abt-Audi TT-R win the DTM championship in 2002 with [[Laurent Aïello]].

In 2002, DTM also introduced the [[HANS device]] to increase driver safety and reduce injuries from accidents.[[File:Manuel Reuter DTM(ThKraft).jpg|thumb|Opel Astra DTM]]
In 2000, [[Manuel Reuter]] came second in the championship. After that year, no Opel driver was among the top three in the overall championship, with few podium finishes and no victories for the disappointing "lightnings". On the other hand, it was Opel team boss Volker Strycek who brought a new highlight to the fans, by racing a modified DTM car on the old version of the [[Nürburgring]] in 2002, 20 years after the top classes had moved to the modern Grand Prix track, and ten years after the old DTM stopped racing there. The Opels did not win in many of their race entries in the [[VLN]] endurance racing series, as they were mainly testing, but the speed was said to be impressive, and the fans loved it. However, they won the 2003 [[24 Hours Nürburgring|Nürburgring 24 Hours]] against factory efforts by Audi, who also ran a DTM-spec TT and BMW, who ran an [[American Le Mans Series|ALMS]]-spec [[BMW M3|M3]].

===2004—2006===
After their successes with the [[Audi R8 Race Car|Audi R8]] and the official support of the Abt-TT-Rs at the Nürburgring, Audi finally joined the DTM as a factory entrant in 2004. The three constructors involved decided to switch to [[D-segment]] [[compact executive car|compact executive]]-based [[sedan (car)|saloon]] bodies. The road models used as patterns since 2004 are the [[Audi A4]], [[Opel Vectra]] GTS and the [[Mercedes-Benz C-Class]]. All dimensions, like the wheelbase, are identical in order to provide equal opportunities without the actual design of the road cars having any influence. Audi immediately had success in 2004 with Swedish driver [[Mattias Ekström]], now a long-time veteran of the sport, becoming a DTM series champion for the first time.

The championship suffered a setback in 2004 when long-time entrant [[Opel]] decided to pull out of the series at the end of the 2005 season, as part of a large cost-cutting operation in [[General Motors Corporation|General Motors]] European division. Initially, the gap looked set to be filled by [[MG Rover]], however their plans to enter the series were canceled after the company collapsed in April 2005. As a result, Audi and Mercedes ended up fielding 10 cars each in 2006, but the television deal with the major German television station [[ARD (broadcaster)|ARD]] required three marques to participate in 2007 in order to continue the broadcast agreement.

===2007–2013===
The DTM carried on with only two manufacturers in spite of the television agreement requiring three manufacturers to participate in the series. The 2007–2009 seasons were marked by the dominance of Audi. Swede [[Mattias Ekström]] won the second of his two titles in 2007, and [[Timo Scheider]] took the driver's championship in the following two years. [[Mercedes-Benz]] were in the runner-up positions in both 2008 and 2009 ([[Paul di Resta]] in 2008 and [[Gary Paffett]] in 2009). In 2010, Mercedes finally bridged the gap to Audi, as di Resta won the 2010 championship driving for [[Mercedes-AMG|AMG-Mercedes]].

In 2011 and 2012, the DTM held a [[Race of Champions]]-style exhibition event in the [[Munich Olympic Stadium]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.sport1.de/de/motorsport/mot_dtm/newspage_511971.html |title=DTM-Präsentation in Wiesbaden &#124; News &#124; Ergebnisse &#124; Live &#124; Bundesliga &#124; SPORT1 &#124; Video &#124; Motorsport |publisher=Sport1.de |date=27 January 2012 |access-date=30 January 2012 |archive-date=29 October 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131029185829/http://www.sport1.de/de/motorsport/mot_dtm/newspage_511971.html |url-status=dead }}</ref>

In 2012 [[BMW]] made a return to the series after a twenty-year absence,<ref>[http://www.sportschau.de/sp/dtm/news201010/15/rueckkehr_bmw.jsp] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101018033249/http://www.sportschau.de/sp/dtm/news201010/15/rueckkehr_bmw.jsp|date=18 October 2010}}</ref> and won the drivers, teams, and manufacturers titles.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.dtm.com/en/Races/Standings.html |title=Driver Championship, Team championship, Manufacturer championship |publisher=DTM |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121026053532/http://www.dtm.com/en/Races/Standings.html |archive-date=26 October 2012 }}</ref> 2012 also marked the return of three-car manufacturers since 2005 season as well as two-door D-segment compact executive [[coupe|coupé]] style since 2003 season.

[[Audi]] switched from the A4 to the [[Audi A5|A5]] in 2012<ref>{{cite web|url=http://wot.motortrend.com/german-racers-new-bmw-m3-audi-a5-dtm-cars-previewed-for-2012-season-97859.html |title=German Racers: New BMW M3, Audi A5 DTM Cars Previewed for 2012 Season – Motor Trend WOT |publisher=Wot.motortrend.com |date=15 July 2011}}</ref> and to the RS5 in 2013.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.autoevolution.com/news/audi-rs5-dtm-racecar-revealed-at-geneva-55976.html |title=Audi RS5 DTM Racecar Revealed at Geneva |publisher=Autoevolution.com |date=6 March 2013}}</ref> In 2013, the [[Drag reduction system|Drag Reduction System]] identical to the system used in [[Formula One|Formula 1]] was introduced by ITR to improve racing in DTM.

===2014–2020===
In 2014, the body shape and aerodynamic pieces of all DTM cars were modified to improve racing. The double-header races (Saturday and Sunday races) were also revived in 2015, thus switching from races with total laps run to timed races. The qualifying format was also reformatted into a single-session timed qualification (similar to the [[Formula One]] qualifying format used from 1996 to 2002), but DTM only run a single 20-minute qualifying session for Saturday and Sunday races. Performance weights were also introduced to determine the winning car's weight.

In 2017, the DTM field size was reduced from 24 to 18 cars total to improve quality as well as increasing affordability for its existing manufacturers, while making the series a more attractive proposition for any prospective entrants and manufacturers.

For the [[2019 Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters|2019 season]], turbocharged engines were reintroduced to the series for the first time since 1989 (see article [[#Second-generation (2019–present)|below]] for full story). Mercedes left the series following the conclusion of the 2018 season, but [[R-Motorsport]] joined the series in 2019 to run four [[Aston Martin]]-branded cars, although they would withdraw after a single season that did not yield competitive results.<ref>{{Cite web |title=R-Motorsport Aston Martin squad withdraws from DTM after one season |url=https://www.autosport.com/dtm/news/r-motorsport-aston-martin-squad-withdraws-from-dtm-after-one-season-4984400/4984400/ |access-date=12 July 2022 |website=www.autosport.com |language=en}}</ref> The 2019 season also saw the three Super GT GT500 manufacturers – [[Honda]], [[Lexus]] and [[Nissan]] – each field a guest entry at the [[2019 2nd Hockenheim DTM round|final race of the season]], before entries from both series would compete at the non-championship [[Super GT x DTM Dream Race]] held at [[Fuji Speedway]] in Japan.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Mighty 22-car grid prepares for landmark 'Dream Race' |url=https://www.dtm.com/en/news/mighty-22-car-grid-prepares-landmark-dream-race |access-date=12 July 2022 |website=www.dtm.com}}</ref>

===2021–present===
The [[2021 Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters|2021 season]] switched to a GT3-based regulation, otherwise known as GT Plus, due to the sudden withdrawal of Audi in 2020 which left only BMW with a eligible Class 1 car. In December 2022, the parent body of the DTM, ITR, was dissolved, leaving ADAC to acquire the rights to the championship name. The DTM continued in name-only from 2023 onwards, with completely different organisation and regulations compared with just three years previous.