The drivers of the German Touring Car Championship (DTM) "have created a union and elected Manuel Reuter as their spokesperson," according to the SID. Reuter said that "only one of the 23 DTM drivers has not joined the new union." Media outlets reported that "the driver in question is veteran Mattias Ekström." The reason for his decision "is reportedly other time commitments." He said, "If I do something, I do it right. I want to be involved and contribute to the project. However, I don't have enough time to do it. I'm a DTM driver, rally cross driver and team principal." The manufacturer-independent organization called DTM Drivers Association "is supposed to improve the collaboration between the drivers, DTM rights holder ITR and the German Motorsports Association (DMSB)." The drivers "elected a representative for each of the three car manufactures." Audi drivers will be represented by Timo Scheider. BMW drivers elected former F1 driver Timo Glock and Gary Paffet will represent the interests of Mercedes drivers (SID, 8/2).
