Schaeffler is the official innovation partner of the DTM
Power and outstanding performance, thrilling action on the track, and cutting-edge internal combustion engine technology – that is the DTM. Since 1984, this racing series has been attracting fans with a combination of enthralling motor sport and a colorful program of entertainment with additional high-level racing series that are held during the race weekends.
Brand ambassador Marco Wittmann has been competing in the DTM in the green Schaeffler BMW since 2019. 2024 sees the two-time champion with number eleven take on his twelfth season, in which Schaeffler will play an important role once again. The ADAC, Germany's largest automobile club, has assumed the role of DTM promoter and Schaeffler remains loyal to the popular racing series as its official innovation partner. The company is actively leveraging its technological expertise to lead the racing series into an attractive future. The DTM Innovation Taxi Audi R8 LMS GT2, which will again feature at every race in the 2024 season of the DTM, is a clear commitment to this objective.
A pioneer in the DTM
Schaeffler has been actively involved in the DTM for many years and has been supporting drivers and teams with its expertise in motor sport and technology:
- 2011
Schaeffler lends its name to the Schaeffler Audi and secures the DTM drivers’ title in its first year with Martin Tomczyk - 2012/13
Mike Rockenfeller becomes Schaeffler’s new DTM driver and wins the DTM drivers’ title in the second year of the partnership - 2019
Start of the premium partnership with BMW M Motorsport with Marco Wittmann at the wheel - 2020
The DTM Electric demonstrator car is presented during the season finale in Hockenheim - 2023
The Audi R8 LMS GT2 DTM Innovation Taxi, with Schaeffler technology on board, celebrates its debut - 2024
#11 is entering its twelfth season: the Schaeffler BMW M4 GT3 with Schaeffler brand ambassador Marco Wittmann at the wheel
Schaeffler makes technology tangible
As official innovation partner, Schaeffler will once again have an important role in the DTM in 2024. The company has always stood for technological progress. Motorsport is often used as a development lab for technologies that make their way from the racetrack to the road, and thereby into series production.
This season’s DTM Innovation Taxi is a good example of this. As a carrier vehicle for innovative technical ideas and their implementation, it showcases technological advances to the public at racing speed and generates enthusiasm with driving experiences. In the course of the season, Schaeffler will deploy fascinating technologies in the Audi R8 LMS GT2, which will give an idea of the future of mobility.
On the racetrack, the partnership between Schaeffler and Marco Wittmann is entering its sixth year in 2024. The #GreenMachine, Wittmann’s BMW M4 GT3, is once again painted in the typical Schaeffler green, making it easily identifiable in the field. But there is an important new aspect: The Schaeffler brand ambassador and two-time DTM champion will be representing Schubert Motorsport in 2024, the team that claimed the 2022 DTM title.
Marco Wittmann
Marco Wittmann and Schaeffler will enter the sixth year of their partnership in 2024. Wittmann – a dyed-in-the-wool Franconian who grew up and still lives just a short distance from Schaeffler’s headquarters in Herzogenaurach – has now become a part of the Schaeffler family without whom it would no longer be complete. He has already brought home the DTM drivers’ title twice, which currently makes him one of the DTM’s most successful and experienced drivers.
Marco Wittmann makes regular visits to Schaeffler’s headquarters. “The partnership with a regional partner like Schaeffler is something special. Thanks to the close proximity to my home, we can regularly meet for a face-to-face talk in Herzogenaurach”, says Wittmann who is clearly delighted with the collaboration.
