2001 DTM Season

2001 DTM Season
File:Bernd Schneider.png Bernd Schneider successfully defended his title.
Season Information
No. Rounds	10 (20 Races)
First Round	2001 Hockenheim Opening Qualifying Race
Last Round	2001 Hockenheim Finale Feature Race
Makers	Abt-Audi; AMG-Mercedes; Opel
Tyre(s)	Dunlop
Drivers' Championship
Champion	Second	Third
Bernd Schneider	Uwe Alzen	Peter Dumbreck
161 Pt(s)	101 Pt(s)	88 Pt(s)
Teams' Championship
Champion	Second	Third
D2 AMG-Mercedes	Warsteiner AMG-Mercedes	Eschmann AMG-Mercedes
249 Pt(s)	177 Pt(s)	117 Pt(s)
Brands' Championship
Champion	Second	Third
{{{{{brandchampnat}}}}} Unknown	{{{{{brand2nat}}}}} Unknown	{{{{{brand3nat}}}}} Unknown
unknown Pt(s)	unknown Pt(s)	unknown Pt(s)
Season Guide
2000	2002

The 2001 DTM Season, formally known as the 2001 DMSB Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters Championship, was the second edition of the Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters Championship after it was reformed in 2000. The 2001 edition saw the Championship expanded to ten rounds, with the inclusion of two races outside of Germany, with visits to Austria and the Netherlands, the first foreign races for the return of the DTM.

The structure of the race weekends were also modified, featuring a short qualifying race, staged on Saturday, followed by a conventional "feature race" on Sunday. Points were awarded to the top three in the qualifying race, which also set the starting order for the main race that would run for forty minutes.

The new format saw six different winners on the Sunday, but a strong season for Bernd Schneider saw him become the first driver to retain their DTM crown in either guise. His tally of 161 was 60 more than stable mate Uwe Alzen, while Schneider's team mate Peter Dumbreck completed a clean sweep of the podium for Mercedes. It was also a clean sweep of the top three in the Teams' Championship for the Stuttgart squad, in what was arguably their most dominant season.

Laurent Aïello was the first non-Mercedes driver in the Championship, racing for the still semi-factory backed Abt-Audi squad. Opel had also stayed in the DTM for 2001, and saw their best driver in the form of Manuel Reuter, down in ninth place.

The new season was also an important step in the evolution of the DTM, as several drivers from the original version were phased out. Abt-Audi notably opted to blood new talent in the form of Martin Tomczyk and Mattias Ekström, who were paired together in the Junior Abt Sportsline team. Christijan Albers was another rookie to début that season, having been offered a drive at Persson Motorsport for Mercedes.

Calendar

The 2001 season would follow roughly the same time table as the previous year, albeit with the season opener at Hockenheim scheduled a month earlier in April. Rounds would be held at all six host venues in 2001, with two visits to the Nürburgring, while Hockenheim would host the season finale. Yet, the DTM was already looking to broaden its horizons, adding the A1 Ring in Austria, and Zandvoort to the calendar towards the end of the season.

Schedule

The full calendar for the 2001 DTM Championship is shown below:

2001 DTM Championship Calendar
Round	Event	Circuit	Date	Report
I	Rennsport-Festival 2001	Hockenheimring	22 April 2001	Report
			22 April 2001	Report
II	Eifelrennen 2001	Nürburgring	6 May 2001	Report
			6 May 2001	Report
III	ADAC-Preis von Sachsen-Anhalt 2001	Oschersleben	20 May 2001	Report
			20 May 2001	Report
IV	Rundstreckenrennen Sachsenring 2001	Sachsenring	17 June 2001	Report
			17 June 2001	Report
V	ADAC Norisring Trophäe 2001	Norisring	8 July 2001	Report
			8 July 2001	Report
VI	2001 Lausitz 200	Lausitzring	12 August 2001	Report
			12 August 2001	Report
VII	Großer Preis der Tourenwagen 2001	Nürburgring	26 August 2001	Report
			26 August 2001	Report
VIII	Rundstreckenrennen A1-Ring 2001	A1-Ring	9 September 2001	Report
			9 September 2001	Report
IX	Rundstreckenrennen Zandvoort 2001	Circuit Park Zandvoort	23 September 2001	Report
			23 September 2001	Report
X	DMV-Preis Hockenheim 2001	Hockenheimring	7 October 2001	Report
			7 October 2001	Report
2001 DTM Tests
I	DTM Hockenheimring Test 2001	Hockenheimring	16 - 18 April 2019	Report

Entrants

Twenty two cars were entered throughout the 2001 DTM season, with Mercedes building ten, Opel fielding eight and Abt-Audi completing four cars. With the smallest compliment, Abt-Audi were able to equip all their drivers with new equipment, while Mercedes and Opel would have to split their drivers between old and new. All three teams retained their lead drivers from 2000, although Abt-Audi and Mercedes added fresh blood in several of their cars to challenge the old guard.

Season Entry

The full entry list for the 2001 DTM Championship is outlined below:

2001 DTM Championship Entry List
Entrant	No.	Name	Abbr.	Rnds.
D2 AMG-Mercedes AMG-Mercedes CLK-DTM 2001	1	Bernd Schneider	BSC	All
	2	Peter Dumbreck	DUM	All
OPC Team Holzer I Opel Astra V8 Coupé DTM 2001	3	Joachim Winkelhock	WIN	All
	4	Timo Scheider	TSC	All
Warsteiner AMG-Mercedes AMG-Mercedes CLK-DTM 2001	5	Uwe Alzen	ALZ	All
	6	Marcel Fässler	FAE	All
OPC Team Phoenix Opel Astra V8 Coupé DTM 2001	7	Manuel Reuter	REU	All
	8	Yves Olivier	OLI	All
Eschmann AMG-Mercedes AMG-Mercedes CLK-DTM 2001	9	Bernd Mayländer	MAY	1-2, 6-10
		Marcel Tiemann	TIE	3-5
	10	Patrick Huisman	HUL	All
OPC Team Holzer II Opel Astra V8 Coupé DTM 2001	11	Michael Bartels	BAR	All
Original Teile AMG-Mercedes AMG-Mercedes CLK-DTM 2000	14	Thomas Jäger	JAE	All
	15	Christijan Albers	ALB	All
OPC Euroteam Opel Astra V8 Coupé DTM 2000	16	Alain Menu	MEN	All
	17	Hubert Haupt	HAU	All
Team Abt Sportsline Abt-Audi TT-R 2001	18	Christian Abt	ABT	All
	19	Laurent Aïello	AIE	1-3, 5-10
		Kris Nissen	NIS	4
Mamerow Racing Team Opel Astra V8 Coupé DTM 2000	20	Peter Mamerow	MAM	All
Team Abt Sportsline Junior Abt-Audi TT-R 2001	22	Mattias Ekström	TOM	All
	23	Martin Tomczyk	EKS	All
Service 24h AMG-Mercedes AMG-Mercedes CLK-DTM 2000	24	Pedro Lamy	LAM	1-2
		David Saelens	SAE	3-10
	42	Darren Turner	TUR	All

Season Report

Intrigue built ahead of the 2001 season with the introduction of rounds outside of Germany, despite the fact that it was the evolution of the DTM into an international series that had ended its original run in 1996. If the A1 Ring and Circuit Park Zandvoort events drew large attendance figures, then the reborn DTM would be a success, although if they flopped, then the revival may well have been snuffed out before it had properly begun.

Round I: Rennsport-Festival 2001

The 21 April would be the date for the first races of the season, held at Hockenheimring in Hockenheim Baden-Württemberg, Germany, on the National/Sprint circuit.

Qualifying

For the full qualifying report, head to the 2001 Hockenheim Opening Qualifying Race article.

Race

For the full race report, head to the 2001 Hockenheim Opening Feature Race article.

Round II: Eifelrennen 2001

The first visit to the Nürburgring of the season would occur during the first weekend of May, with the national layout used instead of the Grand Prix course.

Qualifying

For the full qualifying report, head to the 2001 Nürburgring I Qualifying Race article.

Race

For the full race report, head to the 2001 Nürburgring I Feature Race article.

Round III: ADAC-Preis von Sachsen-Anhalt 2001

Oschersleben only got to host the DTM once in 2001, with the only visit scheduled for the 20 May.

Qualifying

For the full qualifying report, head to the 2001 Oschersleben Qualifying Race article.

Race

For the full race report, head to the 2001 Oschersleben Feature Race article.

Round IV: Rundstreckenrennen Sachsenring 2001

Round four of the 2001 Championship was held at the Sachsenring on 17 June, although a clash with the 24 Hours of Le Mans caused a lower attendance then expected.

Qualifying

For the full qualifying report, head to the 2001 Sachsenring Qualifying Race article.

Race

For the full race report, head to the 2001 Sachsenring Feature Race article.

Round V: ADAC Norisring Trophäe 2001

The Norisring in Nuremburg got its chance to host the DTM in mid-July, before a month long break in the action.

Qualifying

For the full qualifying report, head to the 2001 Norisring Qualifying Race article.

Race

For the full race report, head to the 2001 Norisring Feature Race article.

Round VI: 2001 Lausitz 200

The Lausitzring was scheduled for the DTM once again after the summer break, and hoped to host its races without intervention from the weather.

Qualifying

For the full qualifying report, head to the 2001 Lausitzring Qualifying Race article.

Race

For the full race report, head to the 2001 Lausitzring Feature Race article.

Round VII: Großer Preis der Tourenwagen 2001

Late August saw the return of the Championship to the Nürburgring, again using the national layout.

Qualifying

For the full qualifying report, head to the 2001 Nürburgring II Qualifying Race article.

Race

For the full race report, head to the 2001 Nürburgring II Feature Race article.

Round VIII: Rundstreckenrennen A1-Ring 2001

The revived DTM's maiden weekend abroad would come on the 7 September 2001, when the Austrian based A1 Ring hosted the Series.

Qualifying

For the full qualifying report, head to the 2001 Spielberg Qualifying Race article.

Race

For the full race report, head to the 2001 Spielberg Feature Race article.

Round IX: Rundstreckenrennen Zandvoort 2001

The second test for the DTM would be the penultimate round, when the series headed to the sand dunes of Zandvoort in the Netherlands on the 23 September.

Qualifying

For the full qualifying report, head to the 2001 Zandvoort Qualifying Race article.

Race

For the full race report, head to the 2001 Zandvoort Feature Race article.

Round X: DMV-Preis Hockenheim 2001

The first week of October was to see the conclusion of the Championship back at the Hockenheimring, using the full Grand Prix circuit for the final time.

Qualifying

For the full qualifying report, head to the 2001 Hockenheim Finale Qualifying Race article.

Race

For the full race report, head to the 2001 Hockenheim Finale Feature Race article.

Regulations

The regulations concerning technology were largely the same as they had been for 2000, although manufacturers were allowed to field "2001-spec" cars, while also allowing customer teams to use older equipment. Aerodynamic tweaks were largely the difference between old and new, with the same V8, air restricted engine designs from 2000 still to be used.

Sporting

There were several changes to the rulebook ahead of the 2001 season, including a major change to the race format. The main change saw the first 100 km race of the weekend reduced to a 35 km "Qualifying" Race, which would then be used to set the grid for the "Feature" race. The Feature race would then last for 100 km or 40 minutes, with a mandatory pitstop that had to be completed within the middle third of the race.

There would also be a separate, more traditional, qualifying session to set the grid for the Qualifying Race.

Feature Race Points

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 points 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.

The full points scoring system for the 2001 DTM campaign is outlined below:

2001 DTM Championship Feature Race Points
1st	2nd	3rd	4th	5th	6th	7th	8th	9th	10th
20	15	12	10	8	6	4	3	2	1

Qualifying Race Points

The new qualifying format also awarded points, intended to increase the excitement in the session by using a race format. First, second and third would be rewarded three, two and one point respectively, with the field starting in the order that the quali-race finished.

The full points scoring system for qualifying races in the 2001 DTM campaign is outlined below:

2001 Qualifying Race Points
1st	2nd	3rd
3	2	1

Fastest lap remained an unrewarded feat in the DTM.

Standings

2001 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.

2001 DTM Championship for Drivers

Three "main race" wins for Bernd Schneider saw the German defend his DTM crown, becoming the first driver to defend a DTM title in any form. Indeed, Schneider managed to finish on the podium in all of the main races bar one, and beat stable mate Uwe Alzen to the title by 60 points. Peter Dumbreck claimed third ahead of Marcel Fässler, with Laurent Aïello the first non-Mercedes driver in fifth for Abt-Audi. Manuel Reuter was the best of the Opel racers down in ninth.

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

2001 Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters Championship for Drivers
Pos.	Abb.																					Pts.
		Q	F	Q	F	Q	F	Q	F	Q	F	Q	F	Q	F	Q	F	Q	F	Q	F
1st	BSC	1st	1st	6th	2nd	3rd	2nd	4th	1st	1st	2nd	3rd	2nd	4th	6th	1st	1st	10th	3rd	Ret	3rd	161
2nd	ALZ	5th	4th	7th	19th	4th	3rd	11th	Ret	2nd	1st	1st	Ret	2nd	2nd	3rd	3rd	7th	1st	7th	7th	101
3rd	DUM	2nd	3rd	3rd	8th	5th	4th	1st	6th	7th	5th	4th	1st	Ret	DNS	2nd	Ret	3rd	7th	3rd	2nd	88
4th	FAE	7th	2nd	8th	5th	1st	1st	6th	8th	4th	Ret	2nd	8th	7th	Ret	7th	6th	6th	5th	Ret	5th	76
5th	AIE	8th	7th	1st	1st	2nd	5th			10th	12th	6th	12th	1st	1st	4th	2nd	5th	Ret	Ret	DNS	75
6th	HUI	16th	Ret	12th	7th	7th	9th	5th	3rd	Ret	7th	Ret	5th	10th	3rd	12th	5th	4th	4th	1st	18th	63
7th	JAE	3rd	5th	4th	3rd	9th	10th	14th	13th	20th	DNS	7th	4th	Ret	4th	Ret	DNS	12th	12th	12th	10th	43
8th	EKS	17th	DNS	10th	9th	6th	7th	2nd	5th	11th	9th	Ret	3rd	6th	14th	Ret	11th	2nd	Ret	6th	6th	38
9th	REU	12th	12th	Ret	DNS	13th	15th	8th	14th	15th	8th	13th	7th	12th	5th	13th	4th	9th	13th	11th	4th	35
10th	ABT	10th	10th	NC	Ret	8th	6th	3rd	9th	5th	17th	5th	18th	3rd	DSQ	18th	DNS	1st	2nd	8th	11th	29
11th	MAY	9th	9th	11th	20th							8th	13th	5th	7th	9th	Ret	Ret	DNS	2nd	1st	28
12th	TIE					12th	8th	7th	4th	3rd	3rd											26
13th	TOM	20th	Ret	2nd	4th	10th	20th	21st	7th	16th	10th	Ret	6th	9th	Ret	6th	Ret	16th	Ret	Ret	16th	23
14th	ALB	13th	13th	13th	12th	11th	11th	16th	2nd	13th	16th	12th	16th	8th	9th	11th	Ret	8th	Ret	14th	9th	19
15th	TUR	6th	8th	9th	16th	14th	DSQ	9th	Ret	Ret	11th	10th	9th	Ret	8th	14th	10th	15th	8th	9th	8th	15
16th	WIN	Ret	DNS	19th	13th	21st	17th	15th	Ret	6th	4th	Ret	14th	16th	13th	16th	9th	Ret	DNS	Ret	DNS	12
17th	LAM	4th	6th	5th	6th																	12
18th	BAR	14th	Ret	20th	14th	17th	14th	17th	10th	8th	6th	14th	Ret	14th	11th	8th	Ret	18th	10th	4th	12th	8
19th	TSC	15th	11th	16th	10th	18th	12th	13th	12th	9th	Ret	9th	11th	11th	Ret	Ret	DNS	13th	6th	5th	Ret	7
20th	HAU	18th	15th	15th	15th	20th	18th	10th	Ret	17th	Ret	15th	15th	17th	16th	17th	7th	17th	15th	Ret	13th	4
21st	SAE					19th	19th	12th	11th	12th	13th	16th	10th	13th	10th	10th	Ret	11th	9th	13th	15th	4
22nd	OLI	19th	14th	14th	11th	15th	13th	18th	Ret	14th	Ret	17th	Ret	15th	Ret	15th	8th	19th	14th	16th	Ret	3
23rd	MEN	11th	Ret	17th	17th	16th	16th	22nd	Ret	18th	14th	11th	19th	Ret	12th	5th	Ret	14th	11th	10th	14th	0
24th	MAM	21st	16th	18th	18th	Ret	Ret	20th	Ret	19th	15th	18th	17th	18th	15th	Ret	DNS	20th	Ret	15th	17th	0
25th	NIS							19th	Ret													0
Pos.	Abb.	Q	F	Q	F	Q	F	Q	F	Q	F	Q	F	Q	F	Q	F	Q	F	Q	F	Pts.

2001 DTM Championship for Teams

The final standings for the 2001 DTM Championship for Teams are outlined below: Outlined below are the Championship standings for the 2000 DTM Championship for Drivers:

2001 Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters Championship for Drivers
Pos.	Abb.	No.																					Pts.
			Q	F	Q	F	Q	F	Q	F	Q	F	Q	F	Q	F	Q	F	Q	F	Q	F
1st	D2	1	1st	1st	6th	2nd	3rd	2nd	4th	1st	1st	2nd	3rd	2nd	4th	6th	1st	1st	10th	3rd	Ret	3rd	249
		2	2nd	3rd	3rd	8th	5th	4th	1st	6th	7th	5th	4th	1st	Ret	DNS	2nd	Ret	3rd	7th	3rd	2nd
2nd	WAR	5	5th	4th	7th	19th	4th	3rd	11th	Ret	2nd	1st	1st	Ret	2nd	2nd	3rd	3rd	7th	1st	7th	7th	177
		6	7th	2nd	8th	5th	1st	1st	6th	8th	4th	Ret	2nd	8th	7th	Ret	7th	6th	6th	5th	Ret	5th
3rd	ESC	9	9th	9th	11th	20th	12th	8th	7th	4th	3rd	3rd	8th	13th	5th	7th	9th	Ret	Ret	DNS	2nd	1st	117
		10	16th	Ret	12th	7th	7th	9th	5th	3rd	Ret	7th	Ret	5th	10th	3rd	12th	5th	4th	4th	1st	18th
4th	ABT	18	10th	10th	NC	Ret	8th	6th	3rd	9th	5th	17th	5th	18th	3rd	DSQ	18th	DNS	1st	2nd	8th	11th	104
		19	8th	7th	1st	1st	2nd	5th	19th	Ret	10th	12th	6th	12th	1st	1st	4th	2nd	5th	Ret	Ret	DNS
5th	ORI	14	3rd	5th	4th	3rd	9th	10th	14th	13th	20th	DNS	7th	4th	Ret	4th	Ret	DNS	12th	12th	12th	10th	128
		15	13th	13th	13th	12th	11th	11th	16th	2nd	13th	16th	12th	16th	8th	9th	11th	Ret	8th	Ret	14th	9th
6th	ABT J	22	20th	Ret	2nd	4th	10th	20th	21st	7th	16th	10th	Ret	6th	9th	Ret	6th	Ret	16th	Ret	Ret	16th	61
		23	17th	DNS	10th	9th	6th	7th	2nd	5th	11th	9th	Ret	3rd	6th	14th	Ret	11th	2nd	Ret	6th	6th
7th	PHO	7	12th	12th	Ret	DNS	13th	15th	8th	14th	15th	8th	13th	7th	12th	5th	13th	4th	9th	13th	11th	4th	38
		8	19th	14th	14th	11th	15th	13th	18th	Ret	14th	Ret	17th	Ret	15th	Ret	15th	8th	19th	14th	16th	Ret
8th	ROS	24	4th	6th	5th	6th	19th	19th	12th	11th	12th	13th	16th	10th	13th	10th	10th	Ret	11th	9th	13th	15th	31
		42	6th	8th	9th	16th	14th	DSQ	9th	Ret	Ret	11th	10th	9th	Ret	8th	14th	10th	15th	8th	9th	8th
9th	HOL I	3	Ret	DNS	19th	13th	21st	17th	15th	Ret	6th	4th	Ret	14th	16th	13th	16th	9th	Ret	DNS	Ret	DNS	19
		4	15th	11th	16th	10th	18th	12th	13th	12th	9th	Ret	9th	11th	11th	Ret	Ret	DNS	13th	6th	5th	Ret
10th	HOL II	11	14th	Ret	20th	14th	17th	14th	17th	10th	8th	6th	14th	Ret	14th	11th	8th	Ret	18th	10th	4th	12th	8
11th	EUR	16	11th	Ret	17th	17th	16th	16th	22nd	Ret	18th	14th	11th	19th	Ret	12th	5th	Ret	14th	11th	10th	14th	4
		17	18th	15th	15th	15th	20th	18th	10th	Ret	17th	Ret	15th	15th	17th	16th	17th	7th	17th	15th	Ret	13th
12th	MRT	20	21st	16th	18th	18th	Ret	Ret	20th	Ret	19th	15th	18th	17th	18th	15th	Ret	DNS	20th	Ret	15th	17th	0
Pos.	Abb.	No.	Q	F	Q	F	Q	F	Q	F	Q	F	Q	F	Q	F	Q	F	Q	F	Q	F	Pts.

References

Videos and Images:

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