Audi Sport Teams in the DTM: Good things come in threes

Audi Sport Teams Abt Sportsline, Phoenix and Rosberg each are responsible for two two Audi RS 5 DTM cars in the 2017 season. The distribution of tasks has remained the same: Audi develops the race cars and the teams are responsible for fielding the race cars and for maintenance between the DTM events.

“We’ve been successfully working together with our DTM teams for more than ten years,” says Head of Audi Motorsport Dieter Gass. “All three teams are in contention for the championship title – having proved this in the past. They ensure a healthy internal competition. BMW and Mercedes-Benz have chosen to pursue a different path this season. I’m eager to see which system will win out in the end – obviously we’re hoping it’ll be ours.”

ABT Sportsline and Audi have been successful partners ever since their joint super touring car days in the late 90s. The Allgäu-based outfit was also the one that paved Audi’s way back into the DTM with an Abt Audi TT-R it fielded on its own at the beginning of the new millennium. In 2004, the squad became Audi Sport Team Abt Sportsline. 2017 marks the 18th season of the “Abts” with Audi in the DTM and the 14th one as an Audi factory team. Five DTM drivers’ titles and four teams’ titles are on the Allgäu outfit’s tally.

Audi Sport Teams Phoenix and Rosberg have completed Audi’s DTM squad since 2006 – initially both fielding previous-generation cars but ever since the new DTM regulations in 2012 with identical material and absolutely equal rights.

Audi Sport Team Phoenix has clinched the DTM title for Audi twice, most recently in the 2013 season. The first DTM title for Audi Sport Team Rosberg is overdue. In the past two years, the squad from Neustadt an der Weinstraße was in the title race up until shortly before the end of the season.