DTM, Super GT, IMSA Steering Committee to Meet Next Week

Series executives and manufacturers from DTM and Super GT will meet next week in Tokyo for the third steering committee meeting, as talks continue towards a common set of worldwide regulations that could result in the launch of a U.S.-based DTM-style championship.

The meeting, scheduled for Sept. 30, will continue discussions related to technical regulations, series promotion, including the possibility of a joint DTM and Super GT race weekend, which is on the table for 2015.

ITR chairman Hans Werner Aufrecht and GTA Chairman Masaaki Bando will be joined by manufacturer representatives from Audi, BMW, Mercedes-Benz and Honda.

A representative from IMSA will not be present in-person but will be attending via video conference. An IMSA spokesperson told Sportscar365 that DTM USA is still an “active and open" project.

The steering committee last met in January during the Rolex 24 at Daytona weekend, where the group discussed a possible standalone American event for 2016, ahead of a potential launch of a new touring car series in 2017 based on the DTM/Super GT technical regulations.

IMSA has yet to reveal any further progress on those talks. It had signed an agreement with DTM organizers ITR in 2013, with the initial target of launching the standalone U.S. series for as early as 2015, but that timeline has since been pushed back. sportscar365.com