Shock News: Mercedes to Quit DTM Post 2018

[Charmin]

Maybe the Opel Astra will come back? Or maybe a sport version of the Insignia. Since GM is a parent company they can throw a Camaro 1LE engine in it. Or a Cadillac ATS-V motor.

Opel will belong to PSA. And as i heared they want to build just E-Cars.

 

[Christopher Johnson]

Formula E is destroying motorsports. First Audi in WEC and now this :/.

Formula Vacuum is a virus in motorsports. No offense formula e fans.

 

[KittX]

Er...
'Murderer'.
Is that not a little strong?
Personal, rude, etc., etc..
Please feel free to say sorry.
Or at least explain yourself.

I am interested as well, in which way Timmy is murderer by posting this.

 

[James Hall]

FormulaE .. can't wait for that bubble to burst and people move on to different racing

The politically correct form of racing. Never mind the nasty chemicals that are used to make all those batteries. Or the tax payer money used to pay for them.

No thank you.

 

[James Hall]

Very sad news indeed. I love DTM. Don't watch it much because I can only catch it when I get a chance sometimes on a certain channel (CBS Sports) and even with that it is all edited and condense with thousands of commercials!.

You see, here in the USA there is a right wing racing series called Nascar that they try to brainwash us with. They air it 24 hours a day seven days a week!...Nascar Nascar Nascar!!!!!...SMH. So we here in the USA don't get to see all the the great European racing series that are available to some of you lucky Euro people. It's really sad.

I watch the races on YouTube without the CBS nonsense.

 

[GuitarTech]

Stil the best brand in the world,no matter what.
Good luck Mercedes

 

[DriverJay]

This is as sad as when i heard Toyota was leaving Indycar, I will definitely miss them and DTM wont feel the same for a while without them but i guess they have there reasons to leave

 

[BoogerMac]

Formula E is destroying motorsports. First Audi in WEC and now this :/.

Formula Vacuum is a virus in motorsports. No offense formula e fans.

Audi leaving WEC had zero to do with Formula E (see Dieselgate).

DTM, like others have said, is killing itself with all the "driver breeding" and team orders.

 

[darkelf1]

Sarcasm or not? Is 2015 much better? How is the DRS handled on stock AC tracks?

eh, i prefer 2012......

 

[Patrick Wright]

I love how so many people at RD bash Formula E...better learn to love it because that's where the companies are going to get the best bang-for-their buck. Ferrari will be the next major manufacturer to enter the mix and one of the American giants will probably enter soon after.

Deal with it people, its the way of the future!

Formula e is garbage

 

[Peter Klawitter]

DTM was getting boring, too many rules and regulations, was little competition because of team orders, but good bumper to bumper and body scrubbing bashing races. with Mercedes leaving, this is 100% sealing the end to DTM.

It is the politically correct form and platform now -> Formula-E regardless of what it all means, but that's the direction dictated and given. surely more will follow as it is happening also with E-Karts and EGT (Tesla Electric GT). i am 100% sure there will be very soon new GT series with all electric cars, sadly for us sound fans, means vacuum cleaner sounding race cars/ slot cars on track. but no way around it, that's the marching direction of the world. and after all the various diesel and vehicle scandals, it was obvious sooner or later this is coming...all Electric.

...until the first BIG thing about batteries hits the news and becomes a scandal, then maybe all will go back to good old pedal racing machineries

 

[apex11]

Today UK papers are saying new petrol and diesel car sales are banned by 2040. Mini BMW and Volvo are both tarting to make all electric cars by 2019.
Experts suggest that the switch will happen way before 2040 as petrol and diesel cars will be more expensive to run etc.
So for me with a 3 year old who will be driving in 15 odd years she will most likely do it in an electric car.......
I am not saying i like it or like formula e over say Group 5 racing monsters orr that the governments and car makers have got it right (still going to hurt the world making batteries etc)...but the very real FACT is Formula E is in the wrong place right now but in next few years they are in very much in the right place. It maybe that F1 simply switches to electric in 20 years and thats that, but still the car makers will move towards Formula E for now as they need to make electric seem 'sexy'....you may laugh but that is what they did with touring cars to make shitty rot boxes like Vauxhalls and Nissans seem 'sexy'.

So as i say...its happening, get used to it, if you are old don't worry though we are at least 15-20 years off it.

But again just let 2040, no petrol and diesel cars to be sold sink in, car makers will stop production way before then, so lets say 2035, by then anyone driving a petrol or diesel will be treated the same as someone smoking in public, the whole car culture will have shifted, you may still get some old car meets of a weekend, but its nearly over guys....its nearly over, I'm 41 and i've had Alfa V6's and alsorts and done track days and had the luck and pleasure of testing racing cars on occasions.
But in my lifetime the switch to all electric will happen...........the true Formula E fans are only just being born....

 

[Matthew Allington]

They thought that steam trains in this country (UK) would be dead by the 70s.... In a way, yes, they're not operating revenue-earning services on the mainline, but there are still plenty of enthusiats restoring and steaming them, much like I can imagine that petrolheads will be restoring and driving petrol cars when the time comes for them to be phased out of production.

Anyway....

 

[Andy_J]

There will always be classic racing using the combustion engine unless Petrol/Gasoline completely runs out. If we have already reached "Peak Oil" and the world in general does not know about it, Electric racing won't happen either. No oil = No civilisation as we know it and a return to the 18th century at best. No fossil fuels, no Electricity generation. Wind farms and tidal power might save us but I think if we have reached "Peak oil" then it's too late for us.
Still time for me to get in a few track days on my Suzuki GSXR1000 in the next year hopefully.

 

[apex11]

They thought that steam trains in this country (UK) would be dead by the 70s.... In a way, yes, they're not operating revenue-earning services on the mainline, but there are still plenty of enthusiats restoring and steaming them, much like I can imagine that petrolheads will be restoring and driving petrol cars when the time comes for them to be phased out of production.

Anyway....

Well yes and that happens now does it not, many people talk of modern cars as rubbish and then fettle their MG's etc in the garage for few sunny drives out a year.
But that isn't going to keep the car manufacturers interested aside from publicity stuff and Goodwood.
Historic racing may still exist, although there is a chance it will be banned or phased out, many grids are poor now in the UK at least for that type of racing and its fleshed out by joining classes together so 16 cars but 3 class's or worse....so it may just not survive anyway.

The real stuff will be happening and it will be just like Formula E... so either start trying to enjoy it or find another hobby... sorry but that is just the cold hard facts.

 

[apex11]

There will always be classic racing using the combustion engine unless Petrol/Gasoline completely runs out. If we have already reached "Peak Oil" and the world in general does not know about it, Electric racing won't happen either. No oil = No civilisation as we know it and a return to the 18th century at best. No fossil fuels, no Electricity generation. Wind farms and tidal power might save us but I think if we have reached "Peak oil" then it's too late for us.
Still time for me to get in a few track days on my Suzuki GSXR1000 in the next year hopefully.

You are still missing the point, its not that it'll run out its that it will not be used for petrol or diesel cars, no point then in car makers racing cars that no one will be buying. Yes a few hobbiests will be likely racing old cars but if they still can how much will fuel be then? What tracks will still allow it? etc etc.
But this is 15 -30 years away.

 

[Andy_J]

No Gas, you are missing my point. But anyway we are going off topic.

 

[apex11]

They aren't moving towards all electric because the oil is running out though, just so you know. We have plenty of time to enjoy what we have anyway. Sadly none of it as good as the olden days apart from MotoGP all classes, which if it were the only Motorsport left i'd not be bothered... if only they could create a decent entry level bike 'sim rig' i'd not be pretending to race cars that's for sure...well not as much anyway..

 

[John Chaser]

Even though I'm a big fan of F1, I have to say Formula E isn't bad at all. Looking at some comments here you'd get the impression it's a terrible series. Is it really that hated because it's electric?

I don't know about people here but the most important thing to me when I watch a race is actual racing and overtaking. Of course looks and sounds are big factors too, but F1 isn't going to be that great in either category next year.

 

[KittX]

Gas, realistically I think it would not happen, at least everywhere. As i told before, too many places where this technology will most likely not be survivable. There are still a lot of roads (Federal roads) between towns, which have even not much petrol stations, and if you don't take extra tank of fuel, you're doomed.
Not talking about trucks and stuff. The least attractive future (and the most realistic) would be bling bling electric cars in the euro cities and old diesel and petrol machines in 3rd world countries working for suppliment for those fancy areas. Transporting chemicals, gear etc.
And a lot of extra bans for roadtripping to different countries, like Euro union would close it's gates for all the petrol cars from Eastern Europe/Russia/Asia.