Joint DTM, Super GT Race to Largely Follow DTM Regs

Photo: DTM

The first joint DTM and Super GT race in November will largely follow the German series’ format, according to regulations released on Saturday.

The event, which has now been named Super GT x DTM Dream Race, will take place at Fuji Speedway on Nov. 22-24.

It’s part of the two series’ ongoing cooperation surrounding the new Class 1 regulations which were introduced in DTM this year and will be brought into Super GT in 2020.

The chairmen of the each series’ governing bodies, Gerhard Berger and Masaaki Bandoh (pictured above), held a joint press conference during this weekend’s Super GT round at Fuji to announce the regulations and event format.

DTM manufacturers Audi, BMW and Aston Martin will be joined by Super GT GT500’s Honda, Nissan and Lexus are all expected to be represented in the November race, although a list of entrants and driver nominations is yet to be released.

Two races of equal length will be held on Saturday and Sunday, at 55 minutes plus one lap, while a single mandatory pit stop must be made in each race, during which all four wheels will be changed.

Refuelling and driver changes are prohibited, and DTM’s DRS and push-to-pass systems will be disabled.

The support program will include a separate sprint race for Super GT’s GT300 class, which includes, amongst other formulae, GT3 machinery.

“Our co-operation works so well because we share the same values: genuine, exciting motorsport is always our top priority,” commented ITR chairman Berger.

“And that’s what we want to offer our fans in both Europe and Asia.

“The Dream Race in November marks another milestone in the partnership between GTA and ITR. In 2017, we hosted the first joint demo laps for SUPER GT and DTM cars at Hockenheim and Motegi.

“Last year, we introduced our common technical regulations. And this year, we will be racing together for the first time.

“We’ll get our first taste of that at the DTM season finale in Hockenheim, in October, when we welcome three guest starters from Honda, Nissan and Lexus.

“Then the Dream Race in Fuji will be the grand finale of our 2019 motorsport calendar.”

Jake Kilshaw

Jake Kilshaw is a UK-based journalist. He is a graduate of Politics and International Relations.