By
Johan Laubscher
The DTM
is hosting official test days at Catalunya in Spain this week. All three
manufactures: Audi, BMW and Mercedes-Benz are at the test. The headliner this
week is the testing of the first DTM Drag Reduction System (DRS).
The DRS had been rumoured for months and news
emerged that the system would be evaluated this week. All the teams will test
the system to see how effective it is. The DRS rear wing unit is a standard
unit supplied by the series organisers, and will be identical on all the cars.
If the decision is made to use DRS then it could be seen at the first round of
the championship.
The Official Audi Sport Facebook page has
released an image and video depicting the new DRS system today. These have been
included in this Blog post.
Drag Reduction Systems (DRS), aim to improve
overtaking opportunities. The system has proven its worth in Formula One,
however it remains to be seen as to how effective it will be in the DTM. The
Formula One cars have an amazing power to weight ratio and thus the benefits of
reduced drag is immediately apparent in the performance with DRS. The opposite
is true in the DTM. The cars naturally have a more bulky shape, thanks to the
road car derived body size, and a much lower power to weight ratio. This
combination of size and weight may hamper the effect of the DRS in DTM, however
the proof will be seen on track, hopefully with more passing opportunities.
It remains to be seen if DRS will ultimately be used in the DTM.
Photo and video credit: Audi Sport Media
