Deutsche rennsport meisterschaft

The predecessor of DRM was DARM ( Deutsche Automobile Rundstrecken Meistershaft ) - the German championship in car ring racing. It was held in 1967-1976.

It was attended by cars of the class "Touring" and "Gran Turismo." Points were considered separately for many classes, but the champion was called single, and not necessarily it was the representative of the most powerful class.

After the advent of DRM DARM became the championship of the "second" level.

The German Deutsche Rennsport Mastershaft championship ( German: Deutsche Rennsport Meisterschaft , trans .: German racing championship ) was created for the participation of modified cars of Group 2 (modified road sedans and coupes) and Group 4 (modified GT cars) of German manufacturers, which were respectively divided into 2 division (in terms of engine capacity - up to 2 and up to 4 liters, turbochargers were allowed, with a coefficient of 1.4).

Sports regulations included both racing in the ring - shorter 80-110 km and longer 140-180 km - and climbing the hill (such as Sauerland or Schaunsland, where 2 runs were held). The races of Division 1 and 2 were sometimes carried out jointly, with the aim of filling the starting grid. Points were awarded according to the system 20-15-12-10-8-6-4-3-2-1, the champion was also displayed general, for two divisions. Also, as part of the DRM, long races of “1000 km of the Nurburgring” were held , attracting eminent pilots.

In 1977, Group 5 cars were allowed to compete ( silhouette prototypes similar in appearance to road cars such as the Ford Capri or Porsche 935). Being originally developed for the world championship among brands, these machines gained more recognition in the DRM, they also performed in other series, they were especially popular in the IMSA GT championship. These powerful cars (up to 600 hp, more than those of Formula 1 cars, they were ahead of them in joint tests in Paul Ricard ) formed the basis of the rise in popularity of DRM in the late 70's.

At the same time, Group 5 cars were significantly more expensive than the previous Group 2 and 4 cars. For the former participants, group 2 and 4 cars, the Rennsport Trophae (Racing Trophy) was introduced in 1979.

Since 1982, the previous system of dividing into groups was canceled and the silhouette prototypes of group 5 were replaced by group B, but these cars participated mainly in the rally. Group C sports prototypes participated in the circuit races, in connection with which the DRM changed its philosophy and became the international championship (IDRM, International Deutsche Rennsport Meistershaft), held joint races with other championships. Also, cars of the previous group 6 were allowed to start - special racing prototypes.

In 1984, only three races were held, another three races of the World Endurance Championship were offset by IDRM. In 1985, the championship changed its name to DSM (Deutsche Sportwagen Meistershaft) and spent only one race on its own - at Norisring . All the rest took place within the Interseries. In 1986, the championship finally became a thing of the past, giving way to the super bowl, in which only the cars of group C performed.

The former members of Group 2 (modified serial cars) now ended up in Group A , which later stood out in the 1984 Deutsche Tourenwagen-Meisterschaft Championship.

In 2005, the German Automobile Club (AvD) organized the Revived DRM, with the participation of old cars.

• DARM statistics
• DRM Statistics (1972-1976)
• Frank de Jong site dedicated to the history of body racing
• DRM photo album (link not available)
• DRM galleries
• DRM statistics
• Cars gr. 2 and 4
• Cars gr. 5