Is the battle between Timo Glock and the McLaren staff Dorr escalating? After the previous System 1 driver selected clear phrases following the Sunday race on the Nurburgring and spoke of an “A automotive and a B automotive” at Dorr Motorsport, the German McLaren squad shocked everybody with an uncommon press launch.
In it, the staff reacts to speculations that had not even been publicly reported on till now. “Just lately, rumors had been buzzing by the DTM paddock that completely different differentials had been getting used on the racing vehicles of Ben Dorr and Timo Glock,” it states.
Even earlier than the primary observe session on the Nurburgring, the Dorr staff reportedly supplied the technical delegates of the governing physique DMSB (Deutscher Motor Sport Bund) to verify the corresponding elements on each McLaren 720S GT3 Evos “at any time.”
Dorr reacts to Glock’s accusation: “We have now a B and a T automotive”
In accordance with the staff, the officers accepted the provide and “opened the gearboxes of each autos. After a detailed inspection, they reached the conclusion that each differentials are equivalent and adjust to the laws,” Dorr introduced. The elements had been subsequently “reinstalled and resealed,” after which each drivers began the race with them.
“I’m grateful to the DMSB that readability now prevails – each drivers have the identical materials at their disposal,” staff proprietor Rainer Dorr is quoted as saying – a transparent response to Glock’s accusation that he’s not receiving the identical gear. “We have now a B and a T automotive – for Ben and for Timo,” he additionally reacted on to Glock’s accusation in a dialog with Motorsport-Complete.com.
Rumors about unlawful ramp angles for Ben Dorr
However how does it come about that Dorr denies speculations that aren’t even publicly recognized? Particularly, a rumor has certainly been circulating within the DTM paddock for a while that the Dorr staff had made modifications to the differential of Ben Dorr’s McLaren – and swapped the ramp angles. Nonetheless, solely on the automotive of the staff proprietor’s son.
To clarify: If you wish to obtain much less locking impact throughout braking and turn-in, a corresponding ramp angle can result in the interior and outer rear wheels with the ability to undertake extra considerably completely different wheel speeds. This has a optimistic impact on the rotation of the automotive within the nook. “There may be actual efficiency in that,” is aware of one engineer from the DTM paddock.
Nonetheless, the ramp angle is exactly prescribed by the DTM GT3 homologation – a change can be a transparent guidelines violation.
Did Timo Glock instigate the inspection?
In the course of the Norisring weekend, 5 vehicles – together with Ben Dorr’s McLaren – had been checked for irregularities relating to the differential. The Dorr staff subsequently approached Glock, asking if he had instigated the DMSB to verify Ben Dorr’s automotive.
“A number of vehicles had been checked by the DMSB,” the 44-year-old mentioned, unable to grasp the fuss throughout a dialog with Motorsport-Complete.com on the Nurburgring. “To impact that, I’d have needed to file a written protest half-hour after the tip of the race. Did I do this, or is there a corresponding doc from me? No.”
The automotive’s rotation performs a very very important function on the Norisring.
Foto: ADAC Motorsport
The DMSB additionally clearly states that an investigation of the differentials on the Norisring had already been deliberate earlier than the season, as higher rotation of the vehicles represents a significant benefit, particularly on a road circuit with two hairpins.
Norisring verify apparently based mostly on qualifying outcomes
The outcomes of the primary Norisring qualifying had been seemingly used as the premise for choice: On Saturday, after the race, the DMSB checked the Aston Martin of Nicki Thiim, the Mercedes-AMG of Maro Engel, and the Ford of Arjun Maini – the highest 3 from qualifying.
After Sunday’s qualifying, the differentials of Ben Dorr’s McLaren and Thierry Vermeulen’s Emil Frey Ferrari had been sealed to research them after the race, as official paperwork show.
On Sunday, subsequently, these two autos had been checked that – if one goes by the results of the primary qualifying – can be the following two manufacturers in line. It’s because Ben Dorr would have been fourth on the Saturday grid had he not been disqualified for being underweight. And because the Lamborghini of ninth-placed Maximilian Paul was a wreck, the following in line is the ninth-placed Vermeulen Ferrari.
The actual fact is: Not one of the 5 vehicles confronted disqualification after the Norisring investigation.
Why did Dorr have itself checked on the Nurburgring?
Battle of curiosity on the DMSB rule keepers?
Underneath regular circumstances, variations between two autos – so long as every little thing stays inside the authorized vary – are usually not a case for the DMSB. On this occasion, nonetheless, the rule keepers carried out the inspection, based on their very own statements, to provide the staff the chance to calm the scenario.
By way of the press launch, nonetheless, the Dorr staff has now made the matter a public subject themselves. Despite the fact that there have been already discussions final 12 months: When Glock and Ben Dorr swapped vehicles a 12 months in the past on the Nurburgring, there was allegedly an anomaly with the gearbox and differential.
In accordance with data from Motorsport-Complete.com, the respective elements remained within the automotive through the driver swap. Glock’s trusted engineers, Richard Selwin and Kevin Mirocha, are mentioned to have addressed the problem internally – and are not on board within the DTM this 12 months.
The personnel constellation raises extra questions: Robin Strycek, the son of Dorr’s GT3 supervisor Volker Strycek, has been the DMSB board member for the sports activities sector because the starting of 2026.
The DMSB sees no battle of curiosity on this. “I place significance on the truth that that is separated from the technical space,” says a spokesperson for the DMSB. “Robin Strycek is a part of the three-member full-time board and isn’t concerned in these matters. The technical coordinator for the DTM is Robert Maas, who’s commissioned by the ADAC.”
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