From the coming season, the ADAC will be organizing the DTM and will also be repositioning itself in many areas. In an interview with auto motor und sport, motorsport boss Thomas Voss explains why the path back to traditional touring cars is complicated, how German drivers are to be strengthened in single-seater racing and how the ADAC is planning for the future of racing.
With the takeover of the DTM , the future of the series as a GT3 format is secured in the medium term. Are there any thoughts of going back to touring cars or touring car-style cars like the Australian supercars in the long term?
Voss: The GT3 class is stable and will certainly remain so for a few more years due to the growth of other brands. Of course, one of our jobs is to think about what might follow. However, the focus is not primarily on the body shape, but on the drive concept. As a promoter, we are dependent on what the automotive industry has to offer when it comes to the shape of the body.
For manufacturers and consumers, four-door sedans as the classic basis of touring car sport no longer enjoy the same status as they did at the peak of Group A or the super touring cars in the 1990s. Other body styles dominate the production market, and two-door coupés will even be driving in the Australian Supercars Championship from next year.
The ADAC is discontinuing its Formula 4 series and will report a support team in France instead. What is the philosophy behind the modified youth development?
Voss: A Formula 4 season can hardly be financed for a young driver anymore. Although the prices for vehicles and spare parts are capped in the class, the costs have continued to rise in recent years - be it due to double or triple racing programs or excessive testing. As a result, in recent years there have only been one or two German drivers who have been able to afford an entire ADAC Formula 4 season. It was time to break this spiral.
We see good approaches in the FFSA Formula 4, because the series there is the only Formula 4 series in Europe with a central deployment and so transparent and manageable costs. That is why we have entered into a cooperation with the Fédération française du sport automobile, the French DMSB, and will give two German talents a chance there next year. We are planning to expand this cooperation, are talking about increasing the number of places for the ADAC Formula Junior Team, races in the DTM and are examining whether a central deployment could also be a model for an ADAC Formula 4 in the coming years. We will definitely continue to work in this area.
German motorsport is under increasing pressure. Many teams and drivers struggle with the difficult search for sponsors and the rising costs.How does the ADAC want to support the German scene?
Voss: The ADAC supports motorsport, among other things, by tendering and implementing series and of course platforms, in rallying as well as on the circuit. In mass sport, for example, we have successfully established the ADAC Racing Weekend, which now gives a home to many series and amateur motorsport athletes. At the ADAC Racing Weekend, we support the organizers with our expertise and up-to-date standards in various areas, with the aim of making these events fit for the future.
What role do new drives play in this?
Voss: New drives play a major role in ADAC Motorsport, but so do conventional drives with fossil-free fuels. In rallying, we have successfully established the ADAC Opel e-Rally Cup. So far, the Cup is the first electric rally series and also the only electric series in young and popular sports. We are open to every automobile manufacturer to implement such a concept with us on the circuit.
