DTM 2019 will be the fastest season in the 35 years of series history.
As previously mentioned on Racing24-7.net, there will be new cars and new engines. While the cars basically looks the same – at least a few metres away, there will be a totally different type of engine in the cars.
Graphics: BMW Motorsport
A two litres, four cylinders turbo engine will produce just over 600 bhp, and with the minimum weight going down to just 981 kg excluding the driver, things will really be spiced up. That gives a power to weight ratio of just 1,6! The swap from a V8 to a 4 cylinder, inline engine, will result in only one exhaust pipe on the car, which will exit on the passenger side.
Graphics: BMW Motorsport
The rear wings will become much wider – actually 52 cm wider, but will at the same time be reduced to just a single element, opposite to the dual layer wing in 2018. The DRS system will be changed, too, so you just need to be within three seconds of the competitor ahead, to be able to flip the rear wing, and reach higher top speeds – with speeds of just above 300 kph expected. The final five laps in the race will give the drivers DRS use, no matter the distance to the driver ahead.
Graphics: BMW Motorsport
The drivers will also have a new Push-to-Pass opportunity, giving the cars 30 extra horse power, until the driver steps on the brake pedal again. Each driver will have 12 activations in the bank, at the start of each race.
There are quite a few changes inside the cockpit too. There will be a separation between the driver and the “rear seat” of the car, where the fuel tank is located. It has been encapsulated so far, but now a real firewall will be installed, so the driver will be fully separated from the tank. That results in rear vision becoming restricted, so a rear view mirror is no longer an option. The cars will be mounted with a small rear facing camera, and a display inside the cockpit. We know that from almost all Le Mans cars today, where the mirror is replaced by a display in the car.
Graphics: BMW Motorsport
The DTM teams will have several days of testing, before the season starts at Hockenheim from 3 to 5 May 2019.
