2024 DTM eSports Championship opens with Norisring highlight

• 32 drivers line up for first showdown at the Norisring
• Battle begins for the prize purse of € 50,000
• Livestream from 19:15 CET on the DTM YouTube channel

Munich. Come Friday evening, the waiting will finally be over. The DTM eSports Championship powered by RaceRoom gets the 2024 season underway. 32 drivers will battle it out for the title over the course of six race days, with two races at each of six different circuits in Germany and Austria. The Norisring in Nuremberg is the venue for the first showdown between the drivers and teams. The street circuit is one of the highlights on the real DTM calendar and also poses a unique challenge for the high-class field of 32 drivers. The races can be seen with German and English commentary from 19:15 in a livestream on the DTM YouTube channel at youtube.com/dtm.

Strong field and a lucky devil
Over the past few weeks, Europe’s top sim racers have come through a qualifying competition to earn their starting places in the DTM eSports Championship. Between now and the end of April, they will battle it out for a share of the prize purse, which totals more than € 50,000. The drivers start for well-known Esports teams, including R8G Esports, Team Redline and Williams Esports. The list of favourites is a long one: defending champion Kevin Siggi (Team Redline) is once again a hot contender for the title. The same can be said of Williams Esports driver Jack Keithley. The drivers from the Falken Simracing team and Dörr Esports are also proven RaceRoom specialists and will be hungry to have a say in the title race. Another with title aspirations is Alessandro Ottaviani (privateer). The Italian was plagued with bad luck in both Shoot-Outs and did not initially have a place in the starting field. However, the withdrawal of Ulas Ozyildirim, who starts in a different series, has handed him his opportunity.

The Norisring challenge
When it comes to the racetracks, the season starts with a real highlight: the Norisring, the street circuit in Nuremberg, is a real test and will put the drivers through their paces from minute one. The main feature of the track is its tight corners. The two hairpins are a magnet for collisions and crashes, particularly at the start. As such, a driver must not only be fast but also keep a cool head if they are to be successful here. The livestream on the DTM YouTube channel kicks off at 19:15. After Qualifying 1 (19:30), the drivers start the 20-minute sprint race at 19:40. This is followed by the second qualifying session, before the main race gets underway at 20:25. The competitors then face 30 minutes of racing and one mandatory pit stop. The stream ends at 21:15.

GT4 test for the champion
Up for grabs are cash and non-cash prizes totalling € 50,000. The winner of the DTM eSports Championship will receive a test in a Dörr Motorsport GT4 race car worth € 15,000. In total, € 15,000 of prize money will be handed out, as well as non-cash prizes from Thrustmaster, Ascher Racing and DEKRA.

The calendar then features a further five race days in Germany and Austria over the coming weeks. The season finale takes place on 19th April at the Hockenheimring Grand Prix circuit.