World Rally Championship legend Sebastien Ogier has expressed a want to make his first race begin within the DTM since a visitor outing in 2018.
Ogier revealed his intention to participate within the German-based GT3 championship after attending final month’s fifth spherical of the season on the Nurburgring.
“At some point I’ll undoubtedly be a part of this present, as a result of it is all the time enjoyable,” stated the Frenchman. “Everybody may be very shut collectively, there are good tracks, so it is a good championship.”
Ogier has previous expertise of competing in GT3 equipment, having competed in a spherical of the ADAC GT Masters on the Lausitzring in 2014 aboard an Audi R8 LMS GT3 with Markus Winkelhock.
Extra lately, he contested an element marketing campaign within the LMP2 class of the World Endurance Championship in 2022, whereas additionally testing Toyota’s Le Mans Hypercar on two events.
Nonetheless, as a substitute of long-distances, Ogier is now extra drawn to the dash format of the DTM.
There are additionally different private causes behind Ogier’s inclination in the direction of the ADAC-run collection. Since 2014, he has been married to German presenter Andrea Kaiser, who works as a reporter for DTM’s TV broadcaster ProSieben.
“There are all the time shut races right here, it’s all the time very intense,” he stated of the DTM, the place all races final simply over an hour.
Sébastien Ogier, Mercedes-AMG Staff HWA, Mercedes-AMG C63 DTM.
Picture by: James Gasperotti
“The truth that my spouse works right here clearly helps me to comply with the races usually.”
Ogier confirmed promise on his one and solely outing within the DTM six years in the past on the Purple Bull Ring, driving a Mercedes C63 Class One automobile. Regardless of qualifying final, he made his method by the sector to complete twelfth and sixteenth within the two races.
He additionally sampled the Audi RS 5 Class One machine in 2016 as a part of a automobile swap with former DTM star Mattias Ekstrom.
It’s not unusual for WRC drivers to strive their hand at GT3 equipment within the DTM. In 2022, Ogier’s former rally foe Sebastien Loeb obtained an opportunity to race a Ferrari 488 GTE for Purple Bull AF Corse at Portimao, substituting for normal driver Nick Cassidy. He went on to complete sixteenth and 18th within the two races in a discipline of 29 vehicles.
For now, Toyota-contracted Ogier stays targeted on his partial season within the WRC, the place he sits a powerful second within the championship regardless of participating in solely six of the 9 rounds held thus far.
Though he has a powerful shot at a ninth WRC crown that will put him stage with Loeb, the 40-year-old has performed down his possibilities of combating for the highest prize in rallying with Hyundai’s Thierry Neuville holding a 27-point lead into the ultimate 4 occasions.
Ogier will nonetheless contest the subsequent WRC spherical, the Acropolis Rally, this weekend.
