Back after 21 years: DTM stars take on the Sachsenring

• Title race, which has seen five different leaders so far, enters the next round.
• Big changes in elevation, fast corners and blind crests await the DTM drivers.
• Exciting support programme with GT series and one-make cup action.

Munich. Motorsport fans in Saxony have waited more than two decades for this welcome return. This coming weekend (8th to 10th September), the DTM will go racing again at the Sachsenring for the first time since 2002. Back then, the 3.645-kilometre circuit hosted iconic stars like record champion Bernd Schneider and Bernd Mayländer, now the safety car driver in Formula 1. With the series now set to return after a 21-year absence, Mirko Bortolotti (I) tops the table with a lead of just seven points over Porsche driver Thomas Preining (A). A look at the current season, which has seen five different drivers lead the championship, shows that the merry-go-round at the top of the table is pretty much the only constant in this year’s DTM. Spectators can expect two exciting races to go right down to the wire at the Sachsenring, as the standard is so high and evenly matched throughout the DTM field. ProSieben is showing both DTM races live on free-to-air German TV, with coverage starting at 13:00 on Saturday and Sunday, half an hour before the start of each race.

Key facts, Sachsenring, Hohenstein-Ernstthal, races 11 and 12 of 16

• Circuit length: 3.645 metres
• Layout: 14 corners (four right and ten left), driven anti-clockwise
• 2002 winner, race 1: Laurent Aïello (Team Abt Sportsline, Abt-Audi TT-R 2002)
• 2002 winner, race 2: Laurent Aïello (Team Abt Sportsline, Abt-Audi TT-R 2002)

Close affair at the top of the table
Bortolotti enjoyed a virtually perfect DTM weekend last time out at the DEKRA Lausitzring, picking up 50 of a possible 56 points. That was enough to move the Italian from SSR Performance to the top of the standings and into the role of the hunted. However, the 33-year-old Lamborghini works driver has shown in the past that he is capable of performing under pressure, particularly with victory in the Sunday race in Lusatia. Thomas Preining (A), on the other hand, has learned the hard way that even a 28-point advantage is no guarantee of success in the DTM. He saw his lead over Bortolotti melt away in the heat of the Lausitzring, leaving the Porsche driver from the Manthey EMA team with a seven-point deficit, which he is hungry to turn around at the narrow Sachsenring.

Ricardo Feller (CH) has been impressively consistent this season. The 23-year-old has enjoyed a number of top results, scored points in every race so far, and consequently established himself in third place in the table. As the Abt Sportsline driver has also been successful in qualifying in his Audi R8 LMS GT3 Evo2, and drives an intelligent race despite his young age, the 2021 ADAC GT Masters champion is definitely one to watch out for in the DTM title race. Defending champion Sheldon van der Linde (ZA) has lost ground recently. Now fourth overall, the South African in the Schubert Motorsport BMW M4 GT3 must score big at the Sachsenring if he is to have any hope of challenging for the title again. The same goes for last year’s runner-up, Lucas Auer (A) in a Mercedes-AMG GT3, whose form has improved significantly of late, with two podiums from the last four races. Ferrari fans will be hoping for the same kind of success as they enjoyed at the Lausitzring, where the Emil Frey Racing team presented the Italian manufacturer with its first win of the season and a further three top-ten results.

A rollercoaster with a festival atmosphere
As a motorcycle circuit, the Sachsenring features many fast corners and narrow sections. The top speeds are achieved on the 800-metre start/finish straight. One particular characteristic of the iconic circuit are the huge changes in elevation, with a maximum descent of 12.8 percent and climbs of up to ten percent. Mercedes-AMG works driver Maro Engel (Monaco) claimed two second places there in the ADAC GT Masters in 2021 and is a big fan of the Sachsenring. “The layout and the fast corners make the circuit unique. It has a lot to offer, with blind crests and big changes in elevation. Plus, the region is mad about motorsport. As such, I am really looking forward to returning there at the weekend. There is a festival atmosphere at the circuit in the DTM, and the fans can get nice and close to the drivers and cars. That is what makes the series so special,” says Engel.

Strong support series for the return to the Sachsenring
Spectators will be treated to a support programme brimming with high-class motorsport when the DTM returns to the Sachsenring. Having done so at the Norisring earlier in the year, the ADAC GT Masters will feature on the high-profile DTM platform for the second time. From now until the finale in Hockenheim, the series will hold all of its races on the support programme for the DTM. ADAC GT4 Germany also lines up for two races at the Sachsenring. Furthermore, a host of predominantly young drivers will battle it out for victories and trophies in the Porsche Carrera Cup Deutschland and the BMW M2 Cup.

All races live on ProSieben
TV partner ProSieben is showing all of this season’s 16 races live on free-to-air TV. Qualifying can be seen live at ran.de. In Austria, fans can follow the races on private Salzburg-based station ServusTV. Globally, the DTM is shown live or replayed in full in over 150 territories.