The Salzburgring is taken into account a serious candidate to return to the DTM calendar as early as 2025.
The boss of the Austrian venue believes that “all the homework” has now been done and the circuit is able to welcome the DTM for the primary time since its sole presence on the venue in 1987.
ADAC Motorsport Director Thomas Voss already visited the Salzburgring in September last yr and is predicted to go to the track again to evaluate its current condition.
“ADAC will be with us in the next few weeks and will take a look at the Salzburgring, the current state of technology and the modifications to the race control system,” track managing director Ernst Penninger told Motorsport.com in an interview with Motorsport-Total.com.
Asked how he rates the Salzburgring's probabilities of joining the DTM calendar, he said: “I can't judge that since it depends solely on the ADAC. All the necessities have been met and that's 1723699019 problem for ADAC. The only query is whether or not it is going to be in 2025, 2026, 2027 or 2028.
“But we can already think about it in the context of 2025.”
The 4.2km track is situated 13km from the Austrian city of Salzburg and was opened in 1969. It has recently undergone a variety of modernisations.
TCR racing on the Salzburgring in 2017
Photo: TCR media
At the center of the redevelopment is the race control room, which has been equipped with all the most recent technology to assist the race director and his team monitor the motion on course.
The track authorities have allocated a six-figure sum to modernise the race control system and convey it as much as Formula 1 level.
“We now have a completely new, fully digitalized race control system,” revealed Penninger. “We finished it in April and it’s been fully operational since May.
“Technically, we’re at the identical level as Spielberg, but we’ve newer technology since the camera technology is newer.
“We are more modern than many other DTM circuits and would have no problem hosting a Formula 1 today.”
In addition to constructing a contemporary race control center, the track has widened the pit entrance. By autumn of this yr, the pit exit width may even be increased.
According to Penninger, the track capability may even not be an obstacle to holding a DTM round: “We organize music festivals with 17,300 participants.”
Penninger made no secret of his desire to see the DTM return to the Salzburgring in the approaching years.
“Then there would be no reason why DTM couldn’t race here,” he said. “But it’s solely the ADAC’s decision whether they want to race here.”
The Salzburgring is best known for hosting the 500cc motorcycle championship (now MotoGP) throughout the Seventies and mid-Nineties. The World SportsCar Championship, World Touring Car Championship and World Superbike Championship are a number of the series which have held races on the circuit previously.
Franco Uncini and Kenny Roberts
Photo: Gold and Goose / Motorsports images
