BMW has officially confirmed its return to the German Touring Car Masters (DTM) starting from 2012, almost two decades since its departure from the series in 1994. The Munich-based marque said it took the decision after the positive nature of discussions in recent months with the DTM umbrella organization ITR e.V. and the other manufacturers represented in the touring car series on issues regarding the future technical regulations, and the long-term internationalization of the championship.

The company said it plans to make its racing comeback to the series with the M3 model as the firm's basic DTM vehicle.

Dr Klaus Draeger, member of the Board of Management of BMW AG with responsibility for development, says: "The return of BMW to the DTM is a fundamental part of the restructuring of our motorsport activities. With its increased commitment to production car racing, BMW is returning to its roots. The race track is the perfect place to demonstrate the impressive sporting characteristics of our vehicles against our core competitors in a high-powered environment. The DTM is the ideal stage on which to do this."

BMW has won the touring car series twice in the past with Eric van de Poele (BE) and Roberto Ravaglia (IT) who celebrated two DTM titles with the original E30 M3 back in 1987 and 1989, while before that, Volker Strycek (DE) won the DTM premiere in 1984 in the 635 CSi.

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