Deutsche Tourenwagen Meisterschaft

Smalltown England - 1986 index


Slowely but surely the renamed DTM was moving towards Germany's prime series. The fields might have been a little smaller than 1985, but the cars that disappeared were the tail of the field, not the front. The handicap system sure seemed to work; four Mercedes, four Sierras, two Volvos, two BMW 635s, one Rover - they were all podium candidates, the only car disappointing in 1986 was the BMW 3-series, which had such a good 1985 season. One had expected a turbo car whitewash, but the weight penalties and the string of bad luck for the Sierra especially meant that the championship was decided between Weidler, who had missed the first two races, and Thiim in the now single ATN Rover. The Rover's title was well-deserved, Thiim winning three races while Weidler won two. There was even a BMW victory for König, albeit after disqualification, and a fine second for Goeser; the 635 wasn't dead yet! There were two victories for Ford (Niedzwiedz and Reuter) and a single win for Volvo.
Next year, with the Sierra Cosworth and the BMW M3, things might be different; but so far the championship developed in the right direction.

The races:

The cars

Final classification

DTM index

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