All the recent talk may have been about Super Touring class, but KW Studios have had a long relationship with the German touring car series. And alongside the existing retro classes, RaceRoom is adding 2002 DTM cars.
Current DTM series in RaceRoom include 1992, 1995 and from 2013 to 2024. And while the nineties Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters cars are a lot of fun, that leaves quite a big gap, with the 2003 AMG-Mercedes CLK DTM currently sat alone, and released in RaceRoom back in 2018. Especially when 2002 championship saw standing starts introduced, and the series added Donington Park and Zolder to the race calendar.
The three cars being added are 2002 AMG-Mercedes CLK DTM, the Abt Audi TT-R, and the Opel Astra V8 Coupe. All three used naturally-aspirated V8 engines under Class 1 Regulations that lasted until 2021.
Another reason for the 2002 series to stand out in the memory of fans was the driver line-up. Former F1 stars Jean Alesi, JJ Lehto and Karl Wendlinger were competing alongside international touring car names Alain menu, Mattias Ekstrom and Laurent Aiello, and national drivers like Bernd Schneider, Joachim Winkelhock and Bernd Maylander, who now drivers the F1 saftey car. Former F1 driver and motorcycle GP racer Johnny Cecotto also took part in the final two rounds, having raced in the series during the 1990s.
The story of the season was also a true underdog tale as the five Abt-Audi TT-Rs were outnumbered by nine Opels and 10 Mercedes. But Laurent Aiello was able to win championship ahead of Mercedes driver Bernd Schneider.
Entirely by coincidence, I did a couple of races at the weekend in the 1995 DTM Mercedes against the AI around Portimao (the real championship didn’t go there, but they did visit Estoril in Portugal), and had a lot of fun with the screaming 505bhp V6 (which took Schneider to the title that year). If the 2002 cars are as much fun to drive, they’ll make for some great racing.
It also makes me hopeful that RaceRoom will continue to add particularly notable classic race series, or update some of their existing cars. It’s a clear way to stand out from other sim racing titles, they’ve already got a range of cars and tracks which don’t feature elsewhere, and they’ve got loads of experience with touring cars in particular. Given the success of the Super Touring class, it’d be great to see one or two more vintage touring car seasons added.
As a British racing face, I could only hope for a late 80s BTCC equivalent with the Ford Sierra RS500, BMW M3, Astra GTE and the single Maserati Biturbo, for example. Especially as the 1991 BMW M3 is already available in the Touring Classics class.
No date or price has been announced yet for the DTM 2002 cars or pack, but it’ll probably be revealed in the very near future.
You can download Raceroom Racing Experience on the PC for free via Steam. Some additional content is available via Steam, but everything can be purchased via the official game store.
Keep up with all the latest RaceRoom news, updates and eSports articles, here. And check everything available for free and via paid DLC with our RaceRoom car list, and RaceRoom track list.
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