2000 DTM Season

2000 DTM Season
File:Bernd Schneider.png The first Champion of the new DTM: Bernd Schneider
Season Information
No. Rounds	9 (18 Races)
First Round	2000 Hockenheim Opening Race 1
Last Round	2000 Hockenheim Finale Race 2
Makers	Audi; Mercedes; Opel
Tyre(s)	Dunlop
Drivers' Championship
Champion	Second	Third
Bernd Schneider	Manuel Reuter	Klaus Ludwig
221 Pt(s)	162 Pt(s)	122 Pt(s)
Teams' Championship
Champion	Second	Third
D2 AMG-Mercedes	Opel-Team Phoenix	Warsteiner AMG-Mercedes
273 Pt(s)	249 Pt(s)	238 Pt(s)
Brands' Championship
Champion	Second	Third
{{{{{brandchampnat}}}}} Unknown	{{{{{brand2nat}}}}} Unknown	{{{{{brand3nat}}}}} Unknown
unknown Pt(s)	unknown Pt(s)	unknown Pt(s)
Season Guide
1996	2001

The 2000 DTM Season, formally known as the 2000 DMSB Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters Championship was the first edition of the DTM, after the cancellation of the original series in 1996. The season would see factory efforts from Mercedes-Benz and Opel, while Abt Sportsline would run Audi TT-Rs, with semi-backing from the Ingolstadt squad.

The return of the DTM in 2000 saw several of its former stars return, including final Champion Bernd Schneider, who would drive the #1 car for the year. Klaus Ludwig was another veteran to return, among a number of drivers from Mercedes recently defunct Le Mans programme. Opel and Abt would also bring a mixture of youth and experience, with Abt only fielding four cars, compared to sixteen between the other two.

Nine rounds were scheduled for the Series' return, featuring two 40 minute long races each weekend. Yet, the calendar would take a knock when the round at the Lausitzring was cancelled due to heavy rain. Ultimately, the sixteen race season provided plenty of action for fans, as the DTM retained its high-tech stance on a significantly lower budget.

Yet, the last of the old Champions would also be the first of the new, as Schneider took six victories on his way to the title. Manuel Reuter claimed second having taken four wins through the mid-season, while Ludwig finished third with two wins to his name. Schneider's team, D2 AMG-Mercedes, would take victory in the Teams' Championship, as Mercedes and Opel shared eight race wins between them.

Calendar

The first calendar of the new DTM would begin a tradition for the Championship, with the Hockenheimring in Hockenheim, Baden-Württemberg, book-ending the season, with the first pair of race scheduled for the 24 May 2000. The field would then head to Oschersleben for the ADAC-Preis von Sachsen-Anhalt 2000, before a trip to Nuremburg and the Norisring for the ADAC Norisring Trophäe 2000. The Sachsenring would then host its first DTM races on 4 August, before the first half of the season was to come to a conclusion at the Nürburgring on 3 September 2000 for the Großer Preis der Tourenwagen 2000.

The second half of the season would begin at the Lausitzring on 3 September, although that event was cancelled due to heavy rain after qualifying. As second trip to Oschersleben for the ADAC-Preis von Niedersachsen 2000 followed, before the series returned to the Nürburgring for the Eifelrennen 2000. The series would then conclude with a second pair of races in Hockenheim on 29 October, bringing the calendar to nine rounds and eighteen races.

Schedule

The full calendar for the 2000 DTM Championship is shown below:

2000 DTM Championship Calendar
Round	Event	Circuit	Date	Report
I	Rennsport-Festival 2000	Hockenheimring	28 May 2000	Report
			28 May 2000	Report
II	ADAC-Preis von Sachsen-Anhalt 2000	Oschersleben	18 June 2000	Report
			18 June 2000	Report
III	ADAC Norisring Trophäe 2000	Norisring	9 July 2000	Report
			9 July 2000	Report
IV	ADAC-Preis Sachsenring 2000	Sachsenring	6 August 2000	Report
			6 August 2000	Report
V	Großer Preis der Tourenwagen 2000	Nürburgring	20 August 2000	Report
			20 August 2000	Report
VII	ADAC-Preis von Niedersachsen 2000	Oschersleben	24 September 2000	Report
			24 September 2000	Report
VIII	Eifelrennen 2000	Nürburgring	8 October 2000	Report
			8 October 2000	Report
IX	ADAC-Preis Hockenheim 2000	Hockenheimring	29 October 2000	Report
			29 October 2000	Report
Cancelled
VI*	Rundstreckenrennen Lausitzring 2000	Lausitzring	3 September 2000	Report

Entrants

Twenty entries were available for the return of the DTM in 2000, with eight each at Mercedes-Benz and Opel, and the remaining four with Abt-Audi. Opel and Mercedes mixed drivers (and Champions) from the original DTM with several new comers, while Abt-Audi adopted a group of Audi factory drivers, mainly employed in Audi's Le Mans programme.

Season Entry

The full entry list for the 2000 DTM Championship is outlined below:

2000 DTM Championship Entry List
Entrant	No.	Name	Abbr.	Rnds.	Livery
D2 AMG-Mercedes AMG-Mercedes CLK-DTM 2000	1	Bernd Schneider	BSC	All
	2	Thomas Jäger	JAE	All
Opel Team Holzer I Opel Astra V8 Coupé DTM 2000	3	Uwe Alzen	ALZ	All
	4	Joachim Winkelhock	WIN	All
Warsteiner AMG-Mercedes AMG-Mercedes CLK-DTM 2000	5	Klaus Ludwig	LUD	All
	6	Marcel Fässler	FAE	All
Opel Team Phoenix Opel Astra V8 Coupé DTM 2000	7	Manuel Reuter	REU	All
	8	Michael Bartels	BAR	All
Abt Sportsline I Abt-Audi TT-R 2000	9	Laurent Aïello	AIE	1, 3-10
	10	Christian Abt	ABT	1, 3-10
	23	Roland Asch	ASC	2
Opel Team Holzer II Opel Astra V8 Coupé DTM 2000	11	Éric Hélary	HEL	All
	17	Timo Scheider	TSC	All
Opel Team Irmscher Opel Astra V8 Coupé DTM 2000	12	Christian Menzel	MEN	All
24h Service AMG-Mercedes AMG-Mercedes CLK-DTM 2000	14	Pedro Lamy*	LAM	All
	15	Darren Turner*	TUR	All
Euroteam Opel Astra V8 Coupé DTM 2000	16	Stefano Modena	MOD	All
Original Teile AMG-Mercedes AMG-Mercedes CLK-DTM 2000	18	Marcel Tiemann	TIE	All
	19	Peter Dumbreck	DUM	All
Abt Sportsline II Abt-Audi TT-R 2000	20	Kris Nissen	NIS	All
	21	James Thompson	THO	2, 5-10

• * Lamy and Turner used #24 and #42 respectively after round two.

Season Report

The DTM returned in 2000 to little fan fare, although intrigue did build as people questioned whether the new series could return the heights of the late 1980s. The organisers had opted to keep the Championship limited to German circuits, and went to great lengths to ensure fan favourite the Norisring was kept on the calendar.

Round I: Rennsport-Festival 2000

The reborn DTM would start at the legendary Hockenheimring, using the national circuit rather than the blast through the trees around the Grand Prix circuit.

Race One

For the full race report, head to the 2000 Hockenheim Opening Race 1 article.

Race Two

For the full race report, head to the 2000 Hockenheim Opening Race 2 article.

Round II: ADAC-Preis von Sachsen-Anhalt 2000

Germany's third permanent race circuit, the Motorsport Arena Oschersleben would host two races in mid-June, although a clash with the 24 Hours of Le Mans meant that several drivers were absent.

Race Three

For the full race report, head to the 2000 Oschersleben I Race 1 article.

Race Four

For the full race report, head to the 2000 Oschersleben I Race 2 article.

Round III: ADAC Norisring Trophäe 2000

Fan favourite the Norisring returned in 2000, and would see the drivers battle around the city of Nuremburg as the Le Mans drivers returned.

Race Five

For the full race report, head to the 2000 Norisring Race 1 article.

Race Six

For the full race report, head to the 2000 Norisring Race 2 article.

Round IV: ADAC-Preis Sachsenring 2000

The DTM returned to another old stomping ground at the start of August, as the Sachsenring played host after a month long break in the action.

Race Seven

For the full race report, head to the 2000 Sachsenring Race 1 article.

Race Eight

For the full race report, head to the 2000 Sachsenring Race 2 article.

Round V: Großer Preis der Tourenwagen 2000

The Championship's first visit to the Nürburgring would happen in mid-August, using the Sprint version of the GP-Strecke.

Race Nine

For the full race report, head to the 2000 Nürburgring I Race 1 article.

Race Ten

For the full race report, head to the 2000 Nürburgring I Race 2 article.

Round VI: Rundstreckenrennen Lausitzring 2000

Round six, and races eleven and twelve of the season, were to be hosted at the Lausitzring, although fate would have a say on the matter after qualifying had been completed.

Cancellation

For the full race report, head to the 2000 Laustizring Race article.

Round VII: ADAC-Preis von Niedersachsen 2000

The Championship returned to Oschersleben on the penultimate weekend of September, signalling the start of the final crescendo to the first season.

Race Eleven

For the full race report, head to the 2000 Oschersleben II Race 1 article.

Race Twelve

For the full race report, head to the 2000 Oschersleben II Race 2 article.

Round VIII: Eifelrennen 2000

Another return to an earlier venue for the penultimate round of the season, as the Nürburgring's short circuit played host once again at the start of October.

Race Thirteen

For the full race report, head to the 2000 Nürburgring II Race 1 article.

Race Fourteen

For the full race report, head to the 2000 Nürburgring II Race 2 article.

Round IX: ADAC-Preis Hockenheim 2000

The season finale was to be hosted in Hockenheim, with the DTM Champion to be declared, and crowned, after the second race of the weekend.

Race Fifteen

For the full race report, head to the 2000 Hockenheim Finale Race 1 article.

Race Sixteen

For the full race report, head to the 2000 Hockenheim Finale Race 2 article.

Regulations

2000 saw the Championship's regulations restricted to a certain degree, although Mercedes used their Le Mans experience to develop their machine. Opel opted to enter cars based on their Super Tourenwagen Cup, while Abt developed the Audi TT-R on their own initiative, albeit with a assistance from Audi. Yet, the cars were all made to run V8 engines, with power restricted through air restrictors, a principle used in every DTM season.

Sporting

The new Championship saw the use of a new scoring system, with 20 points awarded to the winner of each race. Second would receive 15, third 12 and fourth ten with the following drivers given 8, 6, 4, 3, 2, and 1 respectively. The final point would be awarded to the driver who finished tenth, with no variation of point scores in either race of the weekend.

The full points scoring system for the 2000 DTM campaign is outlined below:

2000 DTM Championship Race Points
1st	2nd	3rd	4th	5th	6th	7th	8th	9th	10th
20	15	12	10	8	6	4	3	2	1

Pole position and fastest lap were recognised achievements during the season, although they would not be awarded points unlike other series at the time.

Standings

2000 saw two titles on offer, one for drivers and one for teams. The driver's would compete for the DTM Championship, awarded with a trophy at the season finale, while the Teams' would be offered prize money based on their finishing position. There would be no prize on offer for the three manufacturers, with Mercedes-Benz, Opel and Abt-Audi content not to pursue a third title.

2000 DTM Championship for Drivers

The first season of the new DTM saw the last Champion become the new, as Bernd Schneider swept to six race victories, winning the season opener and never looking back. Manuel Reuter claimed second as the first of the Opel drivers, while Klaus Ludwig claimed third. Abt-Audi saw their best driver in the form of Laurent Aïello down in sixteenth.

Outlined below are the Championship standings for the 2000 DTM Championship for Drivers:

2000 Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters Championship for Drivers
Pos.	Abb.																			Pts.
		1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18
1st	BSC	1st	1st	3rd	12th	4th	1st	3rd	3rd	1st	1st	CAN	CAN	2nd	1st	2nd	4th	2nd	NC	221
2nd	REU	3rd	13th	1st	1st	3rd	2nd	13th	11th	5th	5th	CAN	CAN	3rd	2nd	1st	1st	16th	Ret	162
3rd	LUD	9th	9th	8th	11th	2nd	3rd	1st	1st	2nd	2nd	CAN	CAN	6th	3rd	12th	Ret	Ret	11th	122
4th	FAE	2nd	2nd	9th	3rd	13th	7th	10th	4th	3rd	3rd	CAN	CAN	NC	12th	4th	2nd	5th	Ret	116
5th	WIN	10th	6th	2nd	2nd	1st	4th	Ret	10th	9th	19th	CAN	CAN	NC	Ret	5th	5th	3rd	2nd	113
6th	ALZ	Ret	DNS	Ret	9th	8th	6th	Ret	Ret	10th	13th	CAN	CAN	1st	4th	3rd	6th	1st	1st	100
7th	BAR	8th	3rd	18th	Ret	5th	5th	6th	6th	14th	10th	CAN	CAN	7th	5th	6th	8th	4th	3rd	87
8th	DUM	5th	5th	11th	5th	14th	9th	2nd	2nd	6th	12th	CAN	CAN	NC	6th	10th	9th	7th	Ret	75
9th	HEL	Ret	7th	4th	10th	15th	15th	4th	16th	8th	7th	CAN	CAN	4th	10th	14th	Ret	6th	7th	53
10th	TIE	6th	12th	10th	6th	6th	Ret	5th	5th	13th	6th	CAN	CAN	NC	7th	18th	12th	15th	5th	53
11th	JAE	7th	14th	6th	4th	7th	13th	NC	9th	7th	17th	CAN	CAN	DNS	8th	7th	3rd	12th	8th	52
12th	TSC	4th	4th	5th	7th	12th	11th	7th	7th	16th	11th	CAN	CAN	8th	9th	11th	16th	11th	Ret	45
13th	LAM	11th	Ret	7th	8th	9th	8th	NC	12th	4th	4th	CAN	CAN	DNS	DNS	8th	13th	8th	10th	39
14th	TUR	12th	8th	13th	Ret	11th	12th	8th	8th	15th	8th	CAN	CAN	DNS	DNS	13th	11th	10th	6th	19
15th	MOD	13th	10th	12th	Ret	10th	10th	14th	Ret	19th	15th	CAN	CAN	Ret	DNS	Ret	DNS	9th	4th	15
16th	AIE	15th	DNS			Ret	DNS	12th	14th	11th	14th	CAN	CAN	5th	11th	9th	7th	Ret	DNS	14
17th	MEN	14th	11th	14th	Ret	16th	Ret	9th	13th	17th	9th	CAN	CAN	Ret	Ret	17th	10th	Ret	DNS	5
18th	THO			17th	DNS					12th	16th	CAN	CAN	9th	Ret	15th	Ret	13th	9th	4
19th	ABT	Ret	Ret			Ret	DNS	Ret	DNS	18th	18th	CAN	CAN	10th	Ret	19th	14th	Ret	Ret	1
20th	NIS	16th	Ret	16th	13th	Ret	14th	11th	15th	Ret	Ret	CAN	CAN	11th	Ret	16th	15th	14th	Ret	0
21st	ASC			15th	Ret															0
Pos.	Abb.	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	Pts.

Teams' Championship

Outlined below are the Championship standings for the 2000 DTM Championship for Teams:

2000 Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters Championship for Teams
Pos.	Abb.	No.																			Pts.
			1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18
1st	D2	1	1st	1st	3rd	12th	4th	1st	3rd	3rd	1st	1st	CAN	CAN	2nd	1st	2nd	4th	2nd	NC	273
		2	7th	14th	6th	4th	7th	13th	NC	9th	7th	17th	CAN	CAN	DNS	8th	7th	3rd	12th	8th
2nd	PHO	7	3rd	13th	1st	1st	3rd	2nd	13th	11th	5th	5th	CAN	CAN	3rd	2nd	1st	1st	16th	Ret	249
		8	8th	3rd	18th	Ret	5th	5th	6th	6th	14th	10th	CAN	CAN	7th	5th	6th	8th	4th	3rd
3rd	WAR	5	9th	9th	8th	11th	2nd	3rd	1st	1st	2nd	2nd	CAN	CAN	6th	3rd	12th	Ret	Ret	11th	238
		6	2nd	2nd	9th	3rd	13th	7th	10th	4th	3rd	3rd	CAN	CAN	NC	12th	4th	2nd	5th	Ret
4th	HOL I	3	Ret	DNS	Ret	9th	8th	6th	Ret	Ret	10th	13th	CAN	CAN	1st	4th	3rd	6th	1st	1st	213
		4	10th	6th	2nd	2nd	1st	4th	Ret	10th	9th	19th	CAN	CAN	NC	Ret	5th	5th	3rd	2nd
5th	ORI	18	6th	12th	10th	6th	6th	Ret	5th	5th	13th	6th	CAN	CAN	NC	7th	18th	12th	15th	5th	128
		19	5th	5th	11th	5th	14th	9th	2nd	2nd	6th	12th	CAN	CAN	NC	6th	10th	9th	7th	Ret
6th	HOL II	11	Ret	7th	4th	10th	15th	15th	4th	16th	8th	7th	CAN	CAN	4th	10th	14th	Ret	6th	7th	98
		17	4th	4th	5th	7th	12th	11th	7th	7th	16th	11th	CAN	CAN	8th	9th	11th	16th	11th	Ret
7th	ROS	24	11th	Ret	7th	8th	9th	8th	NC	12th	4th	4th	CAN	CAN	DNS	DNS	8th	13th	8th	10th	58
		42	12th	8th	13th	Ret	11th	12th	8th	8th	15th	8th	CAN	CAN	DNS	DNS	13th	11th	10th	6th
8th	EUR	16	13th	10th	12th	Ret	10th	10th	14th	Ret	19th	15th	CAN	CAN	Ret	DNS	Ret	DNS	9th	4th	15
9th	ABT I	9	15th	DNS			Ret	DNS	12th	14th	11th	14th	CAN	CAN	5th	11th	9th	7th	Ret	DNS	15
		10	Ret	Ret			Ret	DNS	Ret	DNS	18th	18th	CAN	CAN	10th	Ret	19th	14th	Ret	Ret
		23			15th	Ret
10th	IRM	12	14th	11th	14th	Ret	16th	Ret	9th	13th	17th	9th	CAN	CAN	Ret	Ret	17th	10th	Ret	DNS	5
11th	ABT II	20	16th	Ret	16th	13th	Ret	14th	11th	15th	Ret	Ret	CAN	CAN	11th	Ret	16th	15th	14th	Ret	4
		21			17th	DNS					12th	16th	CAN	CAN	9th	Ret	15th	Ret	13th	9th
Pos.	Abb.	No.	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	Pts.

References

Videos and Images:

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