DTM racing will return to Brands Hatch this August

Two Brits lead the championship into the race at Brands


THE DTM German touring car series’ five-year spell away from Brands Hatch will end next week, when the thrilling tin-top championship heads to the Kentish track on 11th August.

Returning to the DTM calendar for the first time since 2013, the Brands Hatch round will mark the touring car championship’s debut on the venue’s 2.4-mile Grand Prix circuit, rather than the 1.2-mile ‘Indy’ layout).

For a taste of the spectacular action the race series, watch the video, above, which takes fans onboard with Timo Glock as he pushes his BMW M4 DTM through the field, at Zandvoort, on the west coast of the Netherlands.

British motorsport fans also have more reasons to watch the upcoming DTM race, outside of the fact it’s being held at one of the UK’s best racing circuits. The top two in the drivers’ standings are Brits: former F1 driver Paul di Resta currently sits second in the championship, closely following the Bromley-born, 2005 DTM champion Gary Paffett.

Fans of Formula One will recognise some more familiar faces at the event too. The likes of Timo Glock and Pascal Wehrlein (the latter being the youngest ever DTM champion) will also be contesting the race, with the Grand Prix veteran David Coulthard scheduled to appear throughout the race weekend.

As with most motorsports events, the DTM round will have plenty of support series to back up the headline act. One-make races in the form of the JCW Mini Challenge and Audi Sport R8 LMS Cup will provide additional on-track action – though the pièce de résistance arguably has to be a demonstration of 1990s Formula One cars.

Speaking ahead of the Brands hatch round, Gary Paffett said: “I think the spectacle of the cars just racing around Brands Hatch is a lot in itself. They’re pretty incredible cars for such a narrow circuit, but I think we can certainly expect some door-banging, wheel-to-wheel racing.

“It’s a very spectacular series and I think the competition level in the whole series is the best in the world so it’s going to be exciting.”

Bizarre three crashes in a row in German touring car pit chaos (video)