DTM season finale // All or nothing, full attack!

• High tension ahead of the DTM season finale from 18 to 20 October at the Hockenheimring Baden-Württemberg
• For the three title contenders Bortolotti, van der Linde and Engel, it’s all to play for in the showdown
• The enormous balance in the DTM field makes predictions impossible

20 spectacular, beautiful and fantastic-sounding GT3 racing cars from seven different brands, a total of around 11,000 hp, some of the best GT drivers on the planet and an exciting starting position in the 2024 DTM title fight – everything is set for a top-class horsepower menu. Next weekend, the 2024 DTM crown will once again be at stake at the Hockenheimring Baden-Württemberg. All or nothing, all or nothing, champagne or seltzer – that’s the motto on the 4.5-kilometre Grand Prix circuit in Baden. Tactics are no longer an option, only one thing counts: right foot down, elbows out, full attack!

Even though championship leader Mirko Bortolotti in the Lamborghini Huracán GT3 EVO from SSR Performance is travelling to the asparagus metropolis with a 15-point lead over Kelvin van der Linde in the Audi R8 LMS GT3 evo II from ABT Sportsline and a 20-point lead over Maro Engel from Mercedes-AMG Team WINWARD, the Italian, who lives in Vienna, cannot be absolutely sure of his position. There are still 56 points up for grabs this weekend. A small driving error, a collision in the pack, a botched mandatory pit stop, an unsuccessful qualifying session can turn everything upside down.

And all this can happen quickly in the extremely competitive DTM field. One wrong blink on the lap in qualifying, which only lasts 20 minutes, and you’re at the back of the field. And because the balance in the field is not diminishing and the majority of the drivers are not involved in the title fight, meaning that none of the three title contenders should expect excessive support, making progress from the back of the field is generally a tricky endeavour – even on a race track like the Hockenheimring, which has a number of good overtaking sections in addition to its varied characteristics and is therefore popular with fans and drivers alike.

Mirko Bortolotti has therefore been warned. Kelvin van der Linde is in the DTM title fight for the second time since 2021 in what will probably be his last race in an Audi R8 LMS. And Maro Engel will start with the tailwind of the championship title he won last weekend together with WINWARD team-mate Lucas Auer in the Fanatec GT World Challenge Europe powered by AWS Sprint Cup, which took place at Hockenheim in July. The three title contenders have different technical concepts – here the Lamborghini and Audi with their 5.2-litre V10 mid-mounted engines, which are very manoeuvrable thanks to their short wheelbase, and there the Mercedes-AMG GT3 with its impressive 6.2-litre V8 powerhouse. But there are also similarities between the trio: enormous basic speed, plenty of experience and a huge fighting heart. Predictions for the title fight? Impossible! Tension before the showdown? Maximum!

Exciting supporting programme with open title decisions
Things are also hotting up in the support series. In the ADAC GT Masters, effectively the second division in German GT racing, two teams are travelling to Hockenheim with title chances. Finnish driver Elias Seppänen and 16-year-old German Tom Kalender in the Landgraf Motorsport Mercedes-AMG GT3 are 29 points ahead of Leon Köhler and Maxime Oosten in the FK Racing Performance BMW M4 GT3 ahead of the final clash. Here too, 56 points are still up for grabs this weekend. For Mercedes-AMG Juniors David Schumacher and Salman Owega from the Haupt Racing Team (HRT), who are in third place overall, the title race may be over, but a positive end to the season is the main objective, as it is for all the other teams. In the ‘Road to DTM’ classification, in which talented drivers born in 1999 and later are eligible for sponsorship for the 2025 DTM in the form of entry fees, Seppänen leads by 14 points from team-mate Kalender and 30 from Oosten.

In the ADAC GT4 Germany, 2021 champions Michael Schrey and Gabriele Piana in the BMW M4 GT4 fielded by Hofor Racing by Bonk Motorsport only have a 17-point cushion over Finn Zulauf and Josef Knopp in the Porsche Cayman GT4 fielded by AVIA W&S Motorsport. There are still 50 points up for grabs, and here too, it is not least those drivers in their 500 hp, comparatively close-to-production GT4 racers who have nothing to do with the title fight, but who can tip the scales at any time.

This applies all the more to the Porsche Carrera Cup, in which Dutchman Larry ten Voorde has a 35-point lead over Briton Harry King and will be difficult to catch. However, for most motorsport fans, this is only of secondary importance – it is the 510-hp Porsche 911 GT3 Cup with its high speed and infernal sound that makes the heart of every racing enthusiast beat faster. And even if sound is not exactly the hallmark of the NXT GEN Cup, the battles for position between the mostly young drivers in their electric LRT NXT1s based on the Mini Cooper are definitely worth watching. Especially as a title win between Calvin de Groot and Victor Nielsen is still up for negotiation.

Favourable ticket prices
Tickets are still available in the discounted pre-sale (valid until Thursday, 17 October, 11.59 pm). A Friday ticket is available from 15 euros, day tickets for Saturday or Sunday including paddock access from 39 euros. Admission for children and young people under the age of 16 is free. Tickets are available via the official website www.dtm.com.

Copyright Picture: ADAC Motorsport