Alfa Romeo 155 V6 TI DTM 1993. Championship Winner. Nicola Larini. Autolook Week 2022. Turin, Torino

 
Alfa Romeo 155 V6 TI DTM 1993. Championship Winner. Nicola Larini. Autolook Week 2022. Turin, Torino

The Alfa Romeo 155 V6 TI is a racing car built by Alfa Romeo on the basis of the homonymous series model according to the FIA ​​technical regulations for Class 1 touring cars (first division or D1), to participate in the DTM from 1993 until 1996, when it was renamed ITC (International Touring Car Championship).


In 1993, the Alfa Corse team led by Giorgio Pianta, at that time director of the Fiat racing department, decided to compete in the DTM, the German touring car championship which at the time expressed the highest technical level in the world touring racing scene. While in the rest of Europe the top touring championships used sedans with 2-liter engines (Class 2 or D2), only in Germany it was preferred instead to adopt the FIA ​​class 1 (D1) regulations, this formula provided that cars with maximum displacement of 2.5 liters and with a maximum fractionation of 6 cylinders, derived from homologated models and produced in 25,000 units; it was therefore not necessary to homologate road cars in special or pushed versions, as the regulations allowed the racing car to be profoundly modified, while maintaining the external features of the road model. BMW, Audi and Opel, which until 1992 were involved in the DTM did not adhere to the new regulation, leaving only the reigning champion Mercedes-Benz to compete against the rookie Alfa Romeo.


The German manufacturer fielded a new 375 HP rear-wheel drive Mercedes 190 DTM, while the Alfa with its 155 all-wheel drive and 420 HP engine soon proved to be faster and more reliable, with two talented drivers such as Nicola Larini. and Alessandro Nannini. The Opel then returned to the DTM, competing in the final tests of the championship with the rookie Calibra V6. Nicola Larini prevailed over everyone during the championship, so much so that he won 11 races out of 20, also getting 3 pole positions and naturally becoming champion. In the Nürburgring race on the Nordschleife track, with a length of almost 21 km, Larini won both heats, entering the history of the Milanese company for having brought the brand back to win on that circuit after Tazio Nuvolari in 1935.


From the following season (1994), with the advent of electronics, the 155, while showing superior performance to rival competitors, began to have reliability problems that cost the final victory in the championship on several occasions.


The DTM adventure for the 155 lasted until 1995, and in 1996 it turned into ITC (International Touring Car Championship).








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