"Road to DTM": € 1.5 million prize purse for talented youngsters

• Support to focus even more on the next career step
• Winner of the ADAC GT Masters receives a support package worth € 620,000
• Clear career path from German Kart Championship to the DTM

Hockenheim. From karting to the DTM: The DTM will focus even more on youth development within the framework of the "Road to DTM" in 2027. With the programme now in its third year, talented youngsters will be supported on their career path with a total prize purse of € 1.5 million in cash and non-cash prizes. At the core of the programme is the direct step up to the next division of motorsport. With this in mind, the support packages at all levels will be focused more acutely on enabling the next career step. The "Road to DTM" leads from the German Kart Championship to the BMW M2 Cup and ADAC GT4 Germany, on to the ADAC GT4 Masters, and ultimately to the DTM.

"From next year, the 'Road to DTM' will allow us to create a clear pathway from the junior classes to top-class professional racing in the DTM," stressed ADAC Motorsport Director Thomas Voss. "It is paramount to us that talented drivers should receive support after a success, in order to actually be able to take the next step. For this reason, we have reallocated the existing prize purses, and will focus the support even more acutely on direct promotion from the respective series in 2027. Finn Wiebelhaus is a fine example of how this pathway can work. He has made it from junior racing into the ADAC GT Masters, and on to the DTM. We want to make that kind of career even more possible in the future with the 'Road to DTM'."

€ 620,000 for the step up to the DTM
In the ADAC GT Masters, the total prize purse has been increased to € 775,000. From next year, the winner of the "Road to DTM" in the ADAC GT Masters will receive a support package worth € 620,000. This includes the entry fees for a DTM season, a Pirelli tyre package for the entire season, and an amount of prize money.

Targeted support in ADAC GT4 Germany and the BMW M2 Cup too
ADAC GT4 Germany will be radically reintegrated in the programme with its own "Road to DTM" classification, similar to that in the ADAC GT Masters. Not only will success in races be rewarded with points in the new competition, but also qualifying performances. There will also be a factor for fair play. The prize purse has been increased to roughly € 330,000 in cash and non-cash prizes. The winner of the new "Road to DTM" classification will receive a support package worth € 235,000 for the step up to the ADAC GT Masters.

In the BMW M2 Cup, the total support package is increased to € 305,000. Awaiting the winner of the "Road to DTM" competition is € 170,000 worth of support, allowing them to make the step up to ADAC GT4 Germany the following season.

The first step on the "Road to DTM" is the German Kart Championship. The youth development programme is anchored in the OK-N class. The winner of the "Road to DTM" receives support worth € 78,000 for a full season in the BMW M2 Cup or ADAC GT4 Germany, providing the opportunity to switch straight from karting to automobile racing.