BMW to return to DTM in 2012

The German car manufacturer is amidst reshuffling their participation in motorsport and the DTM series is going to be just a part of this restructure.

The Munich based company recently pulled the curtains off from the car that will make its comeback into the German car racing series. The BMW M3 DTM Concept specially designed and engineered for the DTM series is powered by a 480 horsepower 4.0-litre V8 engine with a six-speed sequential gearbox. The car is capable of touching a speed of 100 km/h from standstill in almost three seconds and a top speed of 186mph (297km/h).     

The BMW M3 DTM powered by a four-litre V8 engine

BMW’s comeback in 2012 will see the return of the M3 which has more than 40 victories and 150 podium finishes under its belt. The DTM series regulates the number of parts that can be changed and makes certain number of parts standardised, mainly to ensure reasonable development costs. Despite this, the BMW Motorsport engineers have called upon immense technical prowess and innovation which they believe will help in gaining an advantage over their rivals.       

Andy Priaulx and Augusto Farfus have been confirmed as drivers for BMW for the 2012 season. “The BMW M3 DTM looks fantastic. I can hardly wait to get to know the car better in the coming tests,” said Priaulx, who has won several championships with the German car manufacturer.

“The opposition is tough and has more experience in recent years, but BMW Motorsport is working fantastically to ensure we should be competitive right from the word go,” Farfus said.

Though BMW is making a comeback into DTM after a long gap of 18 years, rivals will surely not want to take them lightly.