Audi drivers Nico Müller, René Rast and Mike Rockenfeller completed the first test of the new turbo charged Audi RS 5 DTM and praised the Class One new regulations.

“The turbo engine has awesome thrust. We’re going to see speeds that the DTM has never seen before,” said Müller.

“The power boost is really noticeable. This is going to make even greater demands on us drivers. The car also looks really fast when you stand trackside. The sound is fascinating too. I definitely wouldn’t want to swap the turbo for the old V8 aspirated engine again.”

The Audi trio took part in the test at Estoril in Portugal, with BMW also present, that provided a first glimpse of the changes of Class One in the form of more power and less aerodynamics.

“We’re pleased to see that the first impressions of our drivers confirm exactly what we were aiming to achieve with the new DTM race cars,” said Head of Audi Motorsport Dieter Gass.

“The cars are faster, more challenging to drive, look more dynamic and sound really good. The DTM is at the beginning of an exciting era. Even at this point, I can hardly wait to see the new cars in a race for the first time. The improvement of the power to weight ratio can be seen with the naked eye. With that, we’re taking a clear step toward the ‘ride on a cannon ball’ that Gerhard Berger would like to see.”