Pirelli snags deal for Germany's DTM GT series

OCHSERSLEBEN, Germany—Pirelli & C. S.p.A. has added one more GT racing series—the DTM German Touring Car Championship—to the portfolio of motorsports championships it serves as race tire supplier.

The designation of Pirelli as the series' spec racing tire is the second switch of race tire suppliers in three years for the DTM, a series that dates back to the mid-1980s as the country's premier touring-car championship.

The series—sanctioning of which came under the auspices of the German Auto Club (ADAC) in 2022—ran on Michelin race tires for the past two seasons after a last-minute switch in early 2021 from Hankook, the series' spec tire for the previous 10 seasons.

Financial terms of the supply agreement were not disclosed.

The series, which adopted rules two years ago designating GT3-spec sports and touring cars, kicks off May 27-28 at the Ochsersleben Motorsports Arena in Ochsersleben, Germany, with an expected entry list of 14 two-car teams.

The series will comprise 16 sprint races this season, carried out over eight race weekends at circuits in Germany, Austria and the Netherlands.

Pirelli will supply teams in the DTM with its P Zero DHF series tire for dry conditions and Cinturato WHA for wet conditions. Pirelli said it redesigned the DHF—which is used in other GT3-based racing series worldwide—last year to keep pace with GT3 cars' "relentless technological evolution."

Pirelli is involved in supplying 350-plus racing series around the globe, including numerous GT-based racing series, including:

• Intercontinental GT Challenge;
• GT World Challenge America;
• Fanatec GT World Challenge (series in America, Asia, Australia and Europe); and
• British GT Championship