The choice has been made: The Grasser workforce will line up once more with two Lamborghini Temerario GT3 automobiles on the upcoming DTM weekend on the Nürburgring, after logistical issues meant they had been unable to get Maximilian Paul’s crashed automotive prepared in time for Oschersleben.
“We can be racing once more with two automobiles on the Nurburgring,” confirms workforce principal Gottfried Grasser. “We purchased a brand new chassis – that’s the answer now. In line with Lamborghini, the opposite automotive shouldn’t be repairable.”
This brings the DTM subject within the Eifel again as much as 21 automobiles. However who will sit within the Lamborghini Temerario GT3 with beginning quantity 19 and thus be the teammate of Oschersleben winner Mirko Bortolotti? In line with workforce principal Grasser, that has not but been lastly determined.
Which Lamborghini manufacturing facility driver will get the nod?
“It’s going to undoubtedly be a Lamborghini manufacturing facility driver,” says the Austrian. “Nothing extra has been determined but.” In line with data from Motorsport-Whole.com, the choice can be made by Lamborghini itself – and the variety of candidates is proscribed anyway as a result of manageable manufacturing facility roster of the Italian Audi subsidiary.
Who’re we speaking about? Frenchman Franck Perera has DTM expertise – and he additionally is aware of the Grasser workforce very nicely along with the Temerario GT3, as he additionally competes for the squad within the GT World Problem Europe (GTWCE) endurance sequence.
The 42-year-old was already a DTM driver with SSR Efficiency in 2023 and celebrated his solely victory at Oschersleben on the time. In 2024, after Christian Engelhart was sidelined throughout the season resulting from his knee damage, he returned as a substitute and celebrated one other podium end with second place on the Norisring.
Perera, nevertheless, shouldn’t be precisely thought of Mirko Bortolotti’s finest pal, having already been his teammate at SSR.
Comeback probability for Engelhart or Niederhauser?
Engelhart, by the way in which, also can hope for the cockpit – and thus for a DTM comeback. The 39-year-old Bavarian celebrated a DTM victory in 2023 within the Toksport WRT Porsche and was on the rostrum later that very same season within the Grasser Lamborghini on the season finale in Hockenheim.
Nonetheless, Engelhart injured his knee throughout the winter break and vacated his Grasser cockpit throughout the 2024 season as a result of he needed to endure surgical procedure.
One promising candidate is Patric Niederhauser: The Swiss driver contested a DTM season in an Audi in 2023, though his Attempto workforce was not aggressive. Simply final weekend, the 34-year-old confirmed his class within the Lamborghini Temerario GT3 fielded by the Rutronik workforce within the GTWC Dash Sequence at Magny-Cours, taking a powerful third place along with teammate Luca Engstler.
After which there may be Briton Sandy Mitchell, who final weekend, along with Andrea Caldarelli and the Pfaff workforce within the IMSA Sportscar Championship, scored the Lamborghini Temerario GT3’s first victory within the USA at Elkhart Lake. Other than check drives with SSR, nevertheless, he doesn’t know the DTM in any respect.
Past the Nurburgring weekend, it at the moment seems to be as if Grasser will in any case additionally want an alternative choice to the Sachsenring in September. Whether or not Paul could also be match once more for the season finale in Hockenheim in October and make a comeback is at the moment unsure.
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