The STW-Cup (in the late 90's) was a very nice series, too. Over the years there were many works-teams like BMW, Audi, Peugeot, Opel and Honda (and some other I think) and many private drivers who made a great show! But when the DTM came back in 2000 it ended abruptly...
DTM-cars are rather FIA-GT-like than touringcar-like I would say.
@AAS: You posted the 1996 ITC Calibra, but did those cars still have much in common with conventional touringcars? DTMITC ended when my interest for motorsports started, so I dunno exactly. But what I remember is, that the series got much to expensive because the cars got more and more difficult (in technical way).
FK, I would agree with that about DTM being more like GT's. They are basically "silhouette" sportscars, and I'm sure I'm not the only one to have spotted how similar Mercedes late '90's GT racers look to their DTM cars...
As for the old DTM/ITC, it did get hideously expensive, by 1996 the cars were like early 1990's F1 cars, with all sorts of technical wizardry like traction control, ABS, active suspension, four-wheel drive... However also there was the international expansion at the same time and the two things together were just too much for the teams, with the result that Alfa and Opel pulled out. As the "new" DTM is proving, take one of those factors out (the high technology in this case) and it all works again.
Nice race at Oschersleben yesterday. I didn't think Paffett would win but then he did. And with Di Resta and Rockenfeller left and right, I think this is the first race ever in the "new" DTM that a podium was entirely made up from drivers who didn't use a current car.
I've also heard that a few hysterical critics of Mr. Klaus Ludwig are kind of eating their words already because of / now they have heard the new duo...
I only saw a 30-minutes-summary of the race. I don't like that the drivers have to make pit stops. Why? Because in the end the strategy decides more about who wins in my opinion, than the skills of the drivers!
I also watched the WTCC race and I have to say that it was really amazing. Fantastic wheel-to-wheel-battles and great racing without pit-stops! Now I'm really looking forward to Dan's WTCC-carset!!
Btw: Mike Rockenfeller comes from my neighbourvillage (but of course he doesn't live there anymore)!
I think the more deciding factor is that all the cars are so close together these days, which then causes a driver to "lose" a race by having a bad pit strategy where he loses a few seconds in one batch. Especially this year with the complex additional weights they have basically brought all cars to about the same performance level over distance (although that might not have been the intention ).
The difference is that some years ago, the "old cars" were far apart from the new cars so only drivers with the most recent models had a chance to win. Now it appears every good driver who can do a race without "incidents" and a perfect strategy could win a race.
I also like the more "old-school" organisation of WTCC though, with the two races and no pit stops. Only shows racing doesn't have to be as complex as F1 or DTM and still be great fun to watch. (Although I have to admit I didn't get to watch the Zandvoort race.)
