The DTM championship is probably the most sophisticated touring car series in the world. It is also the only racing series where Audi, BMW and Mercedes-Benz are battling each other through their factory teams.
While they are referred to as touring cars, DTM racers have very little in common with the production cars they’re representing on track.
They have a carbon chassis, an extreme aerodynamic kit that produces a huge amount of downforce and 4.0-liter V8 engines developing 480 horsepower and 501 Nm (370 lb-ft) of torque. Cars must not weigh less than 1,110 kg (2,447 lbs) including the driver, and lack ABS and traction control. Only the brakes, transmission, ECU, tyres and fuel type are the same on all cars.
Chris Harris had the chance to drive a 2013 BMW M3 DTM and was obviously thrilled by the car. What surprised him though was the fact that the M3 DTM felt much more like a formula car than a touring car, with the sophisticated aerodynamics being responsible for that behavior.
Scroll down to see how it is to drive such an extreme racing car and to find out how fast Harris was.
By Dan Mihalascu
VIDEO