A sign of the times: Technically demanding touring car racing needs a high-quality stage more than ever, an exclusive – yet approachable – platform solely for Group A racing touring cars from 1982 to 1992.
Due to multiple demand: TOURING CAR LEGENDS presents this platform as a pilot project and the starting point for a future, independent event format.
The development path of TOURING CAR LEGENDS: from diversification back to specialization.
Since November 1, 2023, the TOURING CAR LEGENDS racing format, founded in 2019, has been under new management – in sporting, strategic, and financial terms. The first, immediate consequence: an opening and expansion of the class structure – and thus the number of participants.
The TOURING CAR LEGENDS series now presents itself as a diverse, welcoming, and accessible playground for racing touring cars and Grand Tourers up to the 2009 model year. Nevertheless, the demand for classic touring car racing under the Group A regulations from 1982 to 1992 has never waned; quite the contrary: the call for independence and visibility has grown ever louder.
A new platform as a pilot project and starting point for an independent event format: Pure Group A.
In 1982, the FIA, motorsport’s governing body, introduced Group A for mass-produced touring cars. Until the introduction of the more technically liberal Class 1 ten years later, the Group A regulations were internationally synonymous with quality, and not just in the European Touring Car Championship. In 1984, the German Production Car Championship (DTM) began its triumphant run based on Group A, followed two years later by the German Touring Car Championship (DTM).
From the BMW 528i to the Mercedes-Benz 190E 2.5-16 Evo 2, the range of successful models was and remains famously vast – their appeal is undiminished to this day. However, investing in such a vehicle – whether original or a rebuilt – requires a level playing field. This can apparently only be guaranteed in a dedicated format for this historically significant category.
Regulatory Basis: The DMSB Group H regulations are decisive due to modifications that are difficult to reverse.
The decisive factor is the current reality of historic touring car racing, starting with the widespread retrofitting of sequential gearboxes. These should continue to be permitted, but only within a coherent overall context.
Therefore, the DMSB Group H forms the regulatory framework that is also as practical as possible. To avoid any potential misinterpretations from the outset, the organizing committee will only accept entries by invitation and will reject vehicles that contradict the philosophy of a coherent overall concept. This applies in particular to deviations in engine power from the specifications of the original regulations.
Four classes, four timelines: Taking into account leaps in development and evolution, for maximum equality of opportunity.
Class 1: Construction/homologation years 1982 to 1985
Class 2: Construction/homologation years 1986 to 1987
Class 3: Construction/homologation years 1988 to 1989
Class 4: Construction/homologation years 1990 to 1992
100 minutes of track time, 40 minutes of pure race duration: an ideal setting for Pro-Am teams.
The event format is kept remarkably simple:
20 minutes of free practice
20 minutes of qualifying 1
20 minutes of qualifying 2
40-minute race with driver change option and mandatory pit stop, changeover window from minute 18 to minute 22
Optional Pro-Am mode: an opportunity for renowned drivers and car owners alike.
Anything is possible, nothing is mandatory: solo drivers can compete alone, teams are welcome to participate together, and ambitious amateurs and former professionals have the chance to form a carpool. Many car owners dream of inviting their childhood idols into their own, often painstakingly restored, cherished car. The Group A pilot project aims to provide this opportunity.
With 100 minutes of track time, there’s ample opportunity for fine-tuning – many car owners have little chance to conduct test drives outside of official event weekends.
For this reason, a free practice session serves as a good way to compensate for a lack of testing opportunities.
Looking forward: Three to four races are desired in the upcoming season – with a deliberate international focus.
The TOURING CAR LEGENDS team relies on proven personnel and organizational structures to ensure a professional and reliable experience. Following numerous discussions about future prospects, the goal is to hold at least three and at most four races within a year – naturally at a level that reflects the historical significance of the German Touring Car Championship, the DTM.
The event should be presented in an authentic way, free from technical excesses. The Group A pilot project (1982 to 1992) was designed for racing touring cars built to the original Group A regulations, within the framework of today’s DMSB Group A.
History Repeating: In 1987, race director Werner Aichinger launched his pilot project at the Esslingen City Prize.
October 1987, Hockenheimring: At the Hockenheimring, Werner Aichinger, the renowned race director and co-organizer of the Special Touring Car Trophy (established in 1986), made history with his DTM 1988 pilot project. The concept and vehicles were the same as those in the planned Group A pilot project. The initiators aim to recapture precisely this spirit, supported by 25 to 35 potential participants and their cars. A possible motto: We can turn back the clock.
Pilot project on October 3rd and 4th, 2026, as part of the ADAC Racing Weekend at the Hockenheimring: place your entry now.
The legal basis is the existing, approved framework regulations for TOURING CAR LEGENDS in classes 2 and 3.
The online entry portal on the official TOURING CAR LEGENDS website is now open for the Pure Group A pilot project:
https://nennung.tourenwagen-legenden.de
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