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The long-awaited DTM America series is set to be announced at the end of the month.

US sanctioning body Grand-Am, which has been in discussions about bringing the DTM category to North America in recent years, has put out a statement saying that it will make a major announcement concerning the DTM in New York later this month.

No details have been announced apart from the date of the press conference on March 26 ahead of the city's motor show, but the respective motorsport bosses of DTM participants Audi and BMW have hinted that the press conference will confirm that the DTM will be exported to the USA within the next two years.

Audi Sport boss Wolfgang Ullrich, speaking at Sebring on the eve of the American Le Mans Series opener, said: "Our goal with the other manufacturers has always been to bring a grid together [in the USA], but you will have to wait for what is going to be announced."

BMW Motorsport's Jens Marquardt, who was also at Sebring, suggested that the time was right to export the DTM to North America.

"We believe there is room for a DTM-based series over here," he explained. "The potential for a very good racing platform is there."

The timescale for the introduction of a series in the USA running to DTM rules remains under wraps, but it appears unlikely to be until 2015.

SUPER GT TIE-UP ALREADY IN PLACE

The potential news about a series dubbed DTM America follows the announcement of a technical tie-up between the DTM and the Super GT series in Japan last October.

The Super GT organiser has agreed to adopt what it called "the basic technical regulations" that came into force in the DTM last season for its premier GT500 class.

This would mean that Nissan, Honda and Toyota, which competes in Super GT under its Lexus brand, would be able to take part in DTM America. All are major players in the US automotive marketplace.

The discussions with Grand-Am, which will operate under the name United SportsCar Racing from next year following its merger with the ALMS, and the Super GT organisers were launched in 2009 by DTM organiser the ITR as part of the process to bring BMW into the German-based series.

One of the conditions of its entry was that it could run a car developed for the DTM in multiple series around the world.