Sim racers were happy to see that RaceRoom would strengthen its retro content lineup by adding classic tracks and more 1995 DTM cars - or are they ITC cars? We take a closer look.
Less than a week remains until RaceRoom is set to launch its self-proclaimed "biggest update in years" on September 4. An extensive graphics overhaul is coming alongside the debut of three classic tracks - and the missing 1995 DTM cars. But hold on, wasn't there something about a series called ITC that ran the same cars?
If this was one of the questions that popped into your head, you would be right about this. In fact, for 1995 at least, DTM and ITC were essentially the same series before ITC took over completely in 1996. Let's look at the background of this.
Kurt Thiim's AMG-Mercedes C-Klasse in Hockenheim's Motodrom section. Image: KW-Studios
However, as it seems to be the case with everything that sees a spike in popularity, politics soon meant change was afoot. Things like turbocharged engines or AWD powertrains soon made it difficult to keep the parity between the different cars, and as a result, the Class 1 set of regulations was created for 1993.
Meanwhile, Audi had already withdrawn mid-season after controversy had erupted about a new crankshaft design. Coupled with the high amounts of ballast the Audi V8 quattro DTM Evos had to run, the Ingolstadt-based manufacturer called it quits after round 6 of the season held at the Nürburgring-Nordschleife.
Originally, they had intended to keep going, and a Class 1 car had already been designed. However, the Audi 80 quattro 2.5 DTM was never raced. A prototype does exist, however.
The unraced Audi 80 quattro 2.5 DTM prototype. Image: MPW57 via Wikimedia Commons, available for free distribution under the CC-BY 3.0 license
Despite this, the following season saw Opel come back with a works effort and the Calibra V6 4x4 (albeit only at the final round in Hockenheim), and Alfa Romeo entered the championship with the 155 V6 TI. In what could be considered a transitional year, older cars were on the grid as well, but they could not keep the pace of the new breed of vehicles.
What this resulted in was a breed of cars that were extremely advanced technologically - so much so that they could rival the 1993 class of Formula One cars, generally regarded as one of the most high-tech generation of racing cars. While ABS had already been used in previous years, the system was joined by traction control, active suspension, sequential gearboxes, and even active aerodynamics.
The latter was a source of controversy, of course. Rear wings that lowered themselves automatically in straight lines and popped back up for braking and cornering appeared, and more active aero in the form of engine cooling ducts that would automatically close and open were developed as well.
Despite this, competition remained close, although by 1995, only three manufacturers were on the DTM grid. The AMG-Mercedes C-Klasse DTM, Alfa Romeo 155 V6 TI and Opel Calibra V6 4x4 contested a season consisting of 12 events in total, with two races each.
Image: KW-Studios
The ITC events were all events on the calendar that did not take place in Germany, so the series visited Mugello, Helsinki, Donington, Estoril and Magny-Cours. There were two separate championship standings, and both were won by German touring car ace Bernd Schneider for Mercedes.
Events in italics are ITC events.
*Track is available in RaceRoom
**Track is available in RaceRoom, but with a modified layout
With the incoming update, most of the 1995 calendar is available in RaceRoom, albeit not always with the accurate layouts. Luckily, both Hockenheim and AVUS are coming with two layouts included - in Hockenheim's case, that means the GP layout and the short version, and the AVUS comes in its 1994 and 1998 variants - the latter had a chicane right at the entry to Nordkehre.
In total, seven of the 12 rounds can be recreated, with five of them being available in the layouts as they were run in 1995 if you include Donington, which saw a slight change to its chicane in 2010 that did not alter the circuit length.
On the competitive side, the season was a success. Opel's Manuel Reuter and Schneider, still with Mercedes, battled for the overall title, with just 13 points separating the pair after Suzuka. Reuter's Cliff-sponsored Calibra became iconic as a result of his title win - Opel's only championship triumph in DTM/ITC history.
The Cliff Calibra of Reuter's teammate JJ Lehto. Image: KW-Studios
And the rest of the grid was stacked, too. Former and future F1 drivers like JJ Lehto, Giancarlo Fisichella or Alessandro Nannini went head-to-head with touring car legends like Klaus Ludwig, Hans-Joachim Stuck or Ellen Lohr - other well-known drivers included future IndyCar star Dario Franchitti, Alexander Wurz, three-time (at the time) Le Mans winner Yannick Dalmas, and many more.
Yet, the writing was on the wall for the series. The relatively open rulebook and high-tech cars meant that costs soon spiraled out of control. This led to Alfa-Romeo and Opel (despite their triumph) turning their backs to the series, leaving only Mercedes. The 1997 season did not take place as a result, and DTM only returned in 2000 as Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters. The new series used a more cost-efficient set of rules.
In the meantime, the Super-Tourenwagen-Cup, thus far having served as the second-tier of touring car racing in Germany, took over the top spot. The series itself was relatively short-lived and ran from 1994 to 1999, using Super Touring regulations, officially known as Class 2. With the advent of the new DTM, the series saw several manufacturers jump ship, ceasing operations after the 1999 season.
Luckily, astronomical development budgets and ever-changing car configurations do not play a part in sim racing, so all we can do once the RaceRoom update drops on September 4 is enjoy one of the most exciting eras in touring car racing with the new content. It should also be interesting to find out how (or if) RaceRoom implements the various technical gizmos the DTM/ITC cars ran.
In the meantime, we recommend combing through YouTube to find videos of the Class 1 cars in action - it is well worth it.
How much are you looking forward to the new RaceRoom update and content? Let us know in the comments below and join the discussion in our forums!
Less than a week remains until RaceRoom is set to launch its self-proclaimed "biggest update in years" on September 4. An extensive graphics overhaul is coming alongside the debut of three classic tracks - and the missing 1995 DTM cars. But hold on, wasn't there something about a series called ITC that ran the same cars?
If this was one of the questions that popped into your head, you would be right about this. In fact, for 1995 at least, DTM and ITC were essentially the same series before ITC took over completely in 1996. Let's look at the background of this.
Kurt Thiim's AMG-Mercedes C-Klasse in Hockenheim's Motodrom section. Image: KW-Studios
Class 1 Replaces Group A
To tell the full story, we need to go back to 1992 - coincidentally a season that is also represented with its full grid in RaceRoom. That year marked the final season of DTM competition using Group A regulations. The Deutsche Tourenwagen Meisterschaft (German Touring Car Championship) had reached enormous popularity thanks to its close competition and cars that looked extremely similar to the sporty models found in showrooms of the participating marques.However, as it seems to be the case with everything that sees a spike in popularity, politics soon meant change was afoot. Things like turbocharged engines or AWD powertrains soon made it difficult to keep the parity between the different cars, and as a result, the Class 1 set of regulations was created for 1993.
Meanwhile, Audi had already withdrawn mid-season after controversy had erupted about a new crankshaft design. Coupled with the high amounts of ballast the Audi V8 quattro DTM Evos had to run, the Ingolstadt-based manufacturer called it quits after round 6 of the season held at the Nürburgring-Nordschleife.
Originally, they had intended to keep going, and a Class 1 car had already been designed. However, the Audi 80 quattro 2.5 DTM was never raced. A prototype does exist, however.
The unraced Audi 80 quattro 2.5 DTM prototype. Image: MPW57 via Wikimedia Commons, available for free distribution under the CC-BY 3.0 license
Despite this, the following season saw Opel come back with a works effort and the Calibra V6 4x4 (albeit only at the final round in Hockenheim), and Alfa Romeo entered the championship with the 155 V6 TI. In what could be considered a transitional year, older cars were on the grid as well, but they could not keep the pace of the new breed of vehicles.
Great Technical Freedom
Compared to the previous set of regulations, Class 1 rules were much more open. Of course, there were some cornerstones, such as the displacement limit of 2.5 liters and a maximum of six cylinders in the engines. Most other elements could be extensively modified compared to a car's road-going version, and underneath the centerline of the wheels, hardly anything was restricted.What this resulted in was a breed of cars that were extremely advanced technologically - so much so that they could rival the 1993 class of Formula One cars, generally regarded as one of the most high-tech generation of racing cars. While ABS had already been used in previous years, the system was joined by traction control, active suspension, sequential gearboxes, and even active aerodynamics.
The latter was a source of controversy, of course. Rear wings that lowered themselves automatically in straight lines and popped back up for braking and cornering appeared, and more active aero in the form of engine cooling ducts that would automatically close and open were developed as well.
Despite this, competition remained close, although by 1995, only three manufacturers were on the DTM grid. The AMG-Mercedes C-Klasse DTM, Alfa Romeo 155 V6 TI and Opel Calibra V6 4x4 contested a season consisting of 12 events in total, with two races each.
Image: KW-Studios
DTM, ITC - Which Is It?
Technically, however, the DTM calendar only consisted of seven events, with the remaining five being ITC events. They were all contested by the same teams and drivers, though - a result of another attempt at creating a Touring Car World Championship. In this case, it was to be called International Touring Car Championshp.The ITC events were all events on the calendar that did not take place in Germany, so the series visited Mugello, Helsinki, Donington, Estoril and Magny-Cours. There were two separate championship standings, and both were won by German touring car ace Bernd Schneider for Mercedes.
1995 DTM/ITC Schedule
| Round | Date | Track |
| 1 | April 23, 1995 | Hockenheim Short* |
| 2 | May 7, 1995 | AVUS* |
| 3 | May 21, 1995 | Mugello |
| 4 | June 4, 1995 | Helsinki Thunder |
| 5 | June 25, 1995 | Norisring* |
| 6 | July 9, 1995 | Donington** |
| 7 | July 23, 1995 | Diepholz* |
| 8 | August 6, 1995 | Estoril |
| 9 | August 20, 1995 | Nürburgring** |
| 10 | September 17, 1995 | Alemannenring, Singen |
| 11 | October 8, 1995 | Magny-Cours |
| 12 | October 16, 1995 | Hockenheim GP* |
*Track is available in RaceRoom
**Track is available in RaceRoom, but with a modified layout
With the incoming update, most of the 1995 calendar is available in RaceRoom, albeit not always with the accurate layouts. Luckily, both Hockenheim and AVUS are coming with two layouts included - in Hockenheim's case, that means the GP layout and the short version, and the AVUS comes in its 1994 and 1998 variants - the latter had a chicane right at the entry to Nordkehre.
In total, seven of the 12 rounds can be recreated, with five of them being available in the layouts as they were run in 1995 if you include Donington, which saw a slight change to its chicane in 2010 that did not alter the circuit length.
ITC Takes Over - For One Year
Following its debut season as part of the DTM calendar, ITC took over full-time for 1996, although it is still regarded as part of DTM history. The calendar was expanded to 13 events, with more international rounds at Silverstone, Interlagos and Suzuka being added. AVUS, Singen and Donington did not return.On the competitive side, the season was a success. Opel's Manuel Reuter and Schneider, still with Mercedes, battled for the overall title, with just 13 points separating the pair after Suzuka. Reuter's Cliff-sponsored Calibra became iconic as a result of his title win - Opel's only championship triumph in DTM/ITC history.
And the rest of the grid was stacked, too. Former and future F1 drivers like JJ Lehto, Giancarlo Fisichella or Alessandro Nannini went head-to-head with touring car legends like Klaus Ludwig, Hans-Joachim Stuck or Ellen Lohr - other well-known drivers included future IndyCar star Dario Franchitti, Alexander Wurz, three-time (at the time) Le Mans winner Yannick Dalmas, and many more.
Yet, the writing was on the wall for the series. The relatively open rulebook and high-tech cars meant that costs soon spiraled out of control. This led to Alfa-Romeo and Opel (despite their triumph) turning their backs to the series, leaving only Mercedes. The 1997 season did not take place as a result, and DTM only returned in 2000 as Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters. The new series used a more cost-efficient set of rules.
In the meantime, the Super-Tourenwagen-Cup, thus far having served as the second-tier of touring car racing in Germany, took over the top spot. The series itself was relatively short-lived and ran from 1994 to 1999, using Super Touring regulations, officially known as Class 2. With the advent of the new DTM, the series saw several manufacturers jump ship, ceasing operations after the 1999 season.
Luckily, astronomical development budgets and ever-changing car configurations do not play a part in sim racing, so all we can do once the RaceRoom update drops on September 4 is enjoy one of the most exciting eras in touring car racing with the new content. It should also be interesting to find out how (or if) RaceRoom implements the various technical gizmos the DTM/ITC cars ran.
In the meantime, we recommend combing through YouTube to find videos of the Class 1 cars in action - it is well worth it.
How much are you looking forward to the new RaceRoom update and content? Let us know in the comments below and join the discussion in our forums!
