New strong partners for Audi in the DTM
- LuK, Playboy and Veltins are new sponsors
- Castrol is Audi’s official lubricants partner in the DTM
- Red Bull and Siemens continue banking on Audi
Audi starts into the 2006 DTM season with strong new as well as proven partners. The consistently growing importance of the most popular international touring car racing series is also reflected in the great interest displayed by the sponsors: Castrol, LuK, Playoy, Red Bull, Siemens and Veltins are six strong brands whose support Audi has been able to secure for its DTM commitment. In addition, the Audi Bank, Audi Gebrauchtwagen:plus, Audi Original Zubehör® and quattro GmbH use the DTM’s popularity to draw attention to their products and services.
This reinforcement of the sponsoring commitments has a positive side effect for the fans of the DTM: In the 2006 season the Audi A4 DTM cars sport an array of different colours and designs allowing them to be identified clearly at first glance by both spectators and TV commentators.
Only two of the Audi A4 DTM cars – as before – will look nearly identical: Mattias Ekström, the 2004 DTM Champion, and Martin Tomczyk will be competing in the blue-silver livery of Red Bull. The world’s market leader in energy drinks has been a partner of Audi Sport Team Abt Sportsline since 1998 and, despite its extensive Formula 1 commitment, continues to bank on Audi and the DTM.
A new Audi partner in the DTM is the brewery C. & A. Veltins. Competing in the car sporting the white-green livery of the premium pilsner brand will be Heinz-Harald Frentzen, who in the past had been the ambassador of the private brewery based in Meschede in Formula 1.
New colours will also be adorning the car driven by Tom Kristensen: The Le Mans record winner drives a white Audi bearing the logos of electronics corporation Siemens.
Frank Stippler’s A4 DTM this year resembles Tom Kristensen’s 2005 vehicle: On the silver-red Audi, quattro GmbH promotes its S line sports packages. Team-mate Timo Scheider presents the “Gebrauchtwagen:plus” used car programme-of AUDI AG and the Audi Bank.
Particularly conspicuous vehicles will be driven by Christian Abt, Pierre Kaffer and Vanina Ickx. Sponsors of Christian Abt’s black A4 are “Playboy”, the lifestyle magazine for men, as well as Audi Gebrauchtwagen:plus. Pierre Kaffer’s green A4 bears the logos of Castrol, Audi Sport’s new lubricants partner in the DTM. Vanina Ickx, the first woman in the DTM in over ten years, drives a red Audi promoting Audi Original Zubehör ®, AUDI AG’s official accessories line with the message Audi Accessories: 100% Audi.
Another new partner is LuK. The drivetrain specialists based in Bühl are a member of the Schaeffler group of companies, which is a development partner and production supplier to Audi with other brands as well, INA and FAG.
The Audi A4 DTM cars sporting their new designs will be seen for the first time in the official DTM tests at Brands Hatch. They will be unveiled to the general public at the DTM presentation in Düsseldorf next weekend.