This year, he closed the summer European «tour» auto-racing series in Russia and brought up nicely: with the rain, the sun, the fight on the track and is quite noticeable number of spectators in the stands and in the paddock. According to various sources on the Moscow Raceway this year come from 25 to 35 thousand people.
Three German manufacturer that has long divided the championship among themselves into three equal parts, come to our country with great pleasure. It is clear that the main purpose of the championships — not to sell tickets to the grandstands and sell cars to customers. And hardly even where products are a great German troika enjoyed the same success as in Russia.
And it is not surprising that the tickets are sold, and the audience with burning eyes sitting in the stands, walk through the paddock, are recorded on an excursion to the pits, buy souvenirs. And all this waving flags with the symbol of one of the three brands.
To auto racing was fun to watch, you need at least one of three components: the struggle on the road, or a familiar national pilot at the wheel and the brand to which you indifferent. The strongest binding, of course, friends or fellow athletes or «own» team in the race, as, for example, in the WTCC. For domestic Lada Sport viewers have come to hurt even the rain qualification and I still remember the cries of joy from the stands when the pilots in yellow overalls (though not the Russians) have shown the three best results. So patriotism is quite Useful thing.
By monitoring the struggle on the road of struggle for the sake of the Russian audience is not too accustomed to, and proof of that last year served as the Russian stage of the Blancpain Sprint Series, one of the most exciting series in Europe: the rostrum near Moscow race track that day were terribly empty.
But there is a race in which the race itself are not important. Much more interesting is everything that happens around them. This applies primarily to the Formula 1, but in the same way for me this also applies to the DTM.
The two-day program was very intense. Invitations from Audi and from Shell (read — BMW) once formed my schedule.
A visit to the boxes was rather a tribute to curiosity, because I knew that the event is designed for more than the usual audience than on the journalist that there is quite often. Approximately the same meaning bore the walk through the pitlane and grid, but communication with the pilots as always was not just interesting, but also useful, and stories of specialists in different fields of art and the racing even more.
So I will give you some interesting facts that may be curious / helpful person, but a watching closely every step of the DTM, and has watched jealously every race.
Fact 1.
The rules this season, two major changes. The first relates to the activation of DRS system. Previously the number of activations for the race was not limited, it is now 3/2 of the number of laps. Activate wing only being no more than a second away from the opponent.
The second change concerns the add-on weighing of vehicles, which is calculated based on the results of qualification in 2016, not races, and can be a plus — 25 kg, and in the negative — 15 kg.
Incidentally,
Fact 2.
The minimum weight of the pilot must be at least 85 kg. Miguel Molina, the pilot of the Audi Sport Team Abt Sportsline, in a conversation at the official dinner, screwing in a good piece of steak, complained that weighs only 67 kg, so it still make up the weight of 18 kg. By the way, to the opinion of Miguel Molina, I still will return to test drive Audi R8, about which he said something interesting. Molina clearly point in the race, because his lap record at the circuit Moscow Raceway, which he established in 2014 (1.28,305), has not yet been broken.
Fact 3.
With this year's tire strategy abolished in the DTM. Now all tires that come at the disposal of the teams (6 sets on the weekend), the standard (for a dry race or rain). Soft Kits canceled. How do these six sets using the command — her own business. Yes, the requirement of the regulations to the mono left. Official supplier — Hankook.
Fact 4.
Also in the DTM used monopropellant. There is a petrol 102 ultimate Aral brand. In each race the organizers brought in a tank, which sell commands directly in the paddock.
But engine oil grade is not regulated. In connection with this Shell signed a contract with BMW and even support one of the pilots — namely, Augusto Farfus. By the way, the end of the weekend's Shell is very proud of the fact that:
Fact 5.
It was on a BMW with shell on the hood Farfus set the stage record, speeding up to 100 km / h in just 2.7 seconds.
With the help of Shell imager made very beautiful pictures of the engine compartment:
Farfus — one of the most experienced and famous drivers in the DTM season in 2016. He has a great history of participation in various races including marathons such as the Lehman 24 hours, 24 hours of Nürburgring, 24 hours of Dubai, etc. — everywhere and his name is associated with only one brand: BMW.
During the interview, I even asked what caused such an attachment — perhaps a personal passion for the brand or exclusively favorable conditions of the contract, but Farfus gave a third version of the answer. BMW have long been friends and family for him at the same time, he feels here as comfortable as possible and in any case does not tend to any changes.
Fact 6.
Despite the fact that best demonstrated the dynamics of a BMW of Shell, the highest rate (average) in the Audi drivers demonstrated on both days. On Saturday, the rain it was Nico Muller (242 km / h), and on Sunday on dry land — Miguel Molina (266 km / h). The second of these days also belong to the Audi.
Fact 7.
Hero of the stage can also be called a pilot Audi Edoardo Mortara. On Sunday, he made an unprecedented breakthrough in the 17th place on the grid to 6th place finish. And on the 5th result it was separated hundredths of a second
But the thing. Though Audi and showed incredible speed, podiums them this time did not smile. During wet race triple podium went to Mercedes, plus a Sunday all the seats were occupied by the BMW drivers.
Fact 8.
Saturday's rain race (not the rain of all that happened at DTM) started under the safety car, which is three laps later returned to the pitlane. And like the rain was not strong, and the audience, hoping for «spectacle» disappointed. I asked casually from Augusto Farfus, why it happened. Casket opened simply.
The fact is that before the start of the race there were no races (usually support the start of the race to the main event, but this time the schedule was drawn up on the contrary because of the TV coverage options. Morning time was occupied by the Olympics). Participants of previous competitions disperse water from the track cover, and then the race may start in the normal mode. Here, the water had to disperse by pilots DTM.
Pictures from the rain the race was just magical: the impressive peloton beautiful cars, racing ahead of heavy group. The DTM, by the way, is one of the few remaining lots, which can not only watch but also to listen. Perhaps even better to listen. The roar of engines is incomparable.
So, if you do not know it
Fact 9.
Lights DTM cars have nothing to do with conventional lamps. This diode with carbon ribbons. But, yes, they glow.
Well, the last
Fact 10.
It refers to the results of the Moscow Region and the final stage of the alignment of forces. Actually, the situation was not clear to Russia, left, and after. Who is in the lead three pilot three different brands. The first is the winner of the second race Marco Wittmann (BMW), who has 130 points. Second place goes to the winner of the first race — Robert Uikens (Mercedes, 118 points), and the third — Jamie Green (Audi) — he has 104 points. Given the fact that there is still three stages for two races each, and the race winner receives 25 points, the situation may change several times. In principle, it is interesting to see if in the DTM winner not usually determined by the results of the qualification.
