A double dose of action for the fans of the Audi Sport TT Cup: Each of the six weekends on which the Audi one-make cup will be held as part of the DTM features two races. Five of the six events will be held in Germany, plus there will be one round in Austria.

Hockenheimring (D)

Date: May 1–3

Races: Rounds 1 and 2

Track length: 4.574 km

Track description by Markus Winkelhock, coach in the Audi Sport TT Cup:

“The season opener is a very special event for the drivers – this is the first time they get an idea of where they stand on track, in front of a great crowd. For me, personally, Hockenheim is my home round. I live only 120 kilometers away from the circuit. I’ve always liked the track layout. There are some really fast sections such as the Parabolika. We’re going to see thrilling duels there and, thanks to Push-to-pass, probably many overtaking maneuvers as well. One of the key places is right at the end of the start-finish straight. You need to take a lot of momentum out of the first turn to achieve a fast lap.”

Norisring (D)

Date: June26–28

Races: Rounds 3 and 4

Track length: 2.300 km

Track description by Markus Winkelhock, coach in the Audi Sport TT Cup:

“The Norisring is Audi’s home round. I personally like the track and am eager to see how the participants will be handling it. The track only has four turns and they’re mainly about braking and accelerating. The slow turns should suit the agile Audi TT cup car well. On the long straight, I’m expecting a few thrilling position battles. For the racers, efficiently managing their material will be crucial. On this track, the brakes are permanently stressed to the max.”

Red Bull Ring Spielberg (A)

Date: July 31– August 2

Races: Rounds 5 and 6

Track length: 4.326 km

Track description by Markus Winkelhock, coach in the Audi Sport TT Cup:

“Our visit to Austria is another highlight in the Audi Sport TT Cup. The Red Bull Ring is a very spectacular circuit – a roller-coaster track with a tremendous atmosphere. There are two extreme braking points in front of turns 1 and 2 where the cars decelerate from top speed to clearly below 100 km/h. This puts an enormous load on the brakes. In the fast downhill turns, the car really has to hug the track, otherwise you lose a lot of time. The last turn calls for caution because it has a very tricky bump.”

Motorsport Arena Oschersleben (D)

Date: September11–13

Races: Rounds 7 and 8

Track length: 3.696 km

Track description by Markus Winkelhock, coach in the Audi Sport TT Cup:

“The track at the Motorsport Arena Oschersleben has an intriguing configuration. Braking into Arena-Kurve is extremely important. This is a section that offers one of the few overtaking opportunities. In the chicane, the racers have to be very careful not to damage the car on the high curbs. Unless you handle this section perfectly you’ll lose a huge amount of time on the back-straight. The corner following the S is nearly flat-out. I’m sure some of the drivers are going to activate Push-to-pass there to take more momentum to the start-finish straight.”

Nürburgring (D)

Date: September25–27

Races: Rounds 9 and 10

Track length: 3.629 km

Track description by Markus Winkelhock, coach in the Audi Sport TT Cup:

“In a way, the Nürburgring poses the greatest challenge of the season. At first glance, the track looks pretty simple. But that’s deceiving. The difficulty is to find that final tenth in the competitive field of the Audi Sport TT Cup to outperform your rivals. The narrow left-right chicane in front of the final turn at the finish is a key place. Perfect braking and handling the curbs well is crucial, otherwise you lose a lot of time and will not have enough speed when turning onto the start finish straight.”

Hockenheimring (D), Finale

Date: October16–18

Races: Rounds 11 and 12

Track length: 4.574 km

Track description by Markus Winkelhock, coach in the Audi Sport TT Cup:

“The finale – an absolute highlight to conclude the inaugural season of the Audi Sport TT Cup. The racers are going to give their all once more in front of a full house in the grandstands and will be highly motivated. Following rounds 1 and 2 at the season opener, all the racers will be arriving at the track with experience and be able to tap their improved potential. That will particularly show in the tricky places, such as braking on entering the hairpin. This is where the drivers need a sure feel for the car and the brakes.”