Super Tourenwagen Cup (STW): 1994-1999
Alongside the BTCC, Germany’s Super Tourenwagen Cup stood as one of the premier championships of the Super Touring era. In any given year it was hard to split the two series in terms of which had a stronger field; many of the finest drivers of the era had spells in both championships.
Launched in 1994, STW provided a home for Audi and BMW after they pulled out of the DTM following the introduction of the spectacular, but costly, Class 1 Touring Cars. Several other manufacturers quickly got involved too; Ford and Nissan were present for the first season, with Honda, Opel, Alfa Romeo and Peugeot joining in subsequent years.
Many of Germany’s finest drivers were regulars on the grid, joined by a long list of international touring car stars; again much like the BTCC at the time. BMW and Audi enjoyed huge success, with their drivers winning three and two titles respectively, but arguably the most impressive brand was Peugeot. Led by the brilliant Laurent Aïello - the only non-Audi or BMW driver to win the STW title - the French manufacturer was highly impressive; in stark contrast to their BTCC counterparts.
Sadly, the STW also experienced tragedy with the death of Kieth O’dor in 1995. The British driver had taken his first race win in the series in the opening race of the weekend at AVUS in September: this meant he became Nissan’s first race winner in STW, to add to his record of being Nissan’s first BTCC Super Touring-era race winner. In the second race of that weekend O’dor was killed in an accident, at the age of 33.
STW continued to burn bright through the rest of the 90s, but its downfall was brought about by the inverse of the circumstances that led to its initial success. The resurgence of the DTM saw Audi and Opel shift their focus, and ultimately led to the cancellation of STW as the Super Touring era drew to a close.