The famous Assen TT Motorcycle circuit will welcome some four-wheeled action this weekend as the Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters (DTM) series comes to town.
By Thomas Ansell
This weekend, the 19th to the 21st July will see V8-powered racing cars take to the 4.5KM track: the 620 horsepower cars might look like your average Audi, or BMW saloon, but underneath the familiar bodies are state-of-the-art racing chassis and power trains. This year also sees Aston Martin make its debut in the sport.
DTM is regularly held to be one of the most exciting forms of car racing, with drivers regularly exceeding 300Kph and coming just millimetres from each other. The weekend is set to be a motor sport extravaganza, with several other smaller races taking place, including: the W Series women’s DTM, the Porsche Carrera Cup, the Lotus Cup Europe; and the BOSS GP single-seat racing series.
Friday the 19th will see various practice sessions taking place, with qualifying and the first DTM race (13:30) on Saturday, and various races on Sunday. Aside from the action on-track, the organisers have been keen to also include various other attractions, including plenty of autograph sessions, interviews, the ‘DTM Taxi’; and musical performances: on Saturday legendary Dutch house DJ Fedde Le Grand is performing.
After Assen, the DTM Series will move on to the Brands Hatch circuit in the UK, and then on to Germany for the final three races of the season at the Lausitzring, the Nürburgring, and Hockenheim.
Assen’s TT Circuit has been in the headlines for several reasons in recent months, with the circuit having vied to become the location for the Dutch Grand Prix (the 2020 race will be held at Zandvoort, near The Hague), as well as hosting the Superbike World Championship in April and the Dutch TT in June.
Photo source: Florian Volk
