2014 DTM calendar

In a move that’s likely to disappoint many British motorsport fans, the organisers of next year’s Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters (DTM) championship have left Brands Hatch off the schedule.

Given the importance of the UK market to all three marques that compete in the series - Audi, BMW and Mercedes-Benz - the DTM’s decision to abandon the Kent circuit is perhaps surprising.

But so far this year those three German brands combined have accounted for over 17% of new car registrations in the UK. That’s already a significant share, which could indicate the incremental marketing benefits of continuing to stage a race here are limited.

2013 DTM Champion Mike Rockenfeller driving

his Audi Sport Team Phoenix RS 5 DTM.

Such a theory might also explain why there’ll no longer be a round at Zandvoort in The Netherlands. The two replacement venues on the 2014 calendar are Hungary and China, with the Hungaroring hosting the former while the latter is due to take place at either Shanghai or Guandong. Incidentally, both provide access to territories with considerable potential for increased car sales volumes.

An obvious solution would be to keep the Brands Hatch and Zandvoort meetings and extend the season to twelve events. However, it seems that the DTM is keen to ensure the majority of races are held in Germany.

2014 DTM - Calendar
Round	Date	Circuit	Country
1	04 May	Hockenheimring Baden-Württemberg	Germany
2	18 May	Motorsport Arena Oschersleben	Germany
3	01 Jun	Hungaroring Budapest*	Hungary
4	29 Jun	Norisring	Germany
5	13 Jul	Moscow Raceway	Russia
6	03 Aug	Red Bull Ring Spielberg	Austria
7	10 Aug	Nürburgring**	Germany
8	14 Sep	Lausitzring*	Germany
9	28 Sep	TBC	China
10	19 Oct	Hockenheimring Baden-Württemberg	Germany
* Subject to promoter agreements.
** Date to be confirmed.

Related posts:
2014 BTCC calendar
2013 DTM calendar