GRT and Lamborghini Squadra Corse set their sights on new horizons. The Austrian outfit and the Italian sports car manufacturer will take their successful collaboration to the next level in 2022 by entering the DTM. A quartet of Lamborghini Huracán GT3 EVOs will mark the start of a new chapter in the prestigious GT3 Series, with the number 63 car to be piloted by an official Lamborghini factory driver. The complete line-up will be announced in due course.
Moving up to the DTM is a long-awaited step for Grasser Racing after years of success in the most demanding championships in GT3 motor racing, including the ADAC GT Masters, the GT World Challenge Europe and the IMSA SportsCar Championship. Since becoming an official partner of Lamborghini Squadra Corse in 2015, the organisation led by team principal Gottfried Grasser has notched up two championship titles as well as wins in some of the biggest endurance races such as the 24 Hours of Daytona and the 12 Hours of Sebring.
2021 saw the first year of DTM under GT3 regulations, and the series quickly lived up to its reputation as one of the hardest fought championships in the world, with seven manufacturers battling for race wins and title honours. Lamborghini Squadra Corse had a successful baptism of fire in a one-off appearance at Assen, with works driver Mirko Bortolotti claiming a podium and posting the fastest lap of the race. It was the manufacturer’s first outing in the DTM before committing to the series full-time with GRT.
The provisional calendar for the 2022 DTM season extends over eight events of two races each. The appearance of five countries once again makes the championship an international affair. Some of the most iconic venues all around Europe such as Imola, Spa-Francorchamps, the Nürburgring and GRT’s home fixture at Spielberg once again guarantee exciting racing that will be broadcast live in over 60 countries on TV and via streaming. In the years before the corona pandemic the DTM attracted more than 600,000 spectators in total to the race tracks each season.
Gottfried Grasser, Team Principal of GRT: “I’m really thrilled to announce our upcoming venture in the DTM. I’d like to thank Lamborghini Squadra Corse for their incredible support in this project. It’s a childhood dream come true. The DTM is one of the most exciting and most popular racing series in the world, and to enter four cars in this field is a terrific challenge we cannot wait to tackle. The Lamborghini Huracán GT3 EVO has proven its winning DNA many times and is certainly going to provide us with a competitive package in 2022. It’s going to be an exciting season, and I cannot wait to see our cars take to the track.”
Giorgio Sanna, Head of Lamborghini Squadra Corse: “We at Lamborghini Squadra Corse are highly delighted to expand our commitment in the DTM together with Grasser Racing. Since the beginning of our collaboration, we have forged a unique relationship, achieving very important milestones with the Lamborghini Huracán GT3. The DTM is a valuable marketing platform and a challenging competition for us to move ahead into the future. We have high hopes and are looking forward to a successful campaign in 2022.”
Frederic Elsner, Director Event & Operations of DTM: “For the DTM it is a great enrichment and underlines the appreciation of the racing series that Grasser Racing has already registered four Lamborghinis for the DTM 2022 with the official support of the Lamborghini Squadra Corse. Gottfried Grasser’s team has an impressive track record, and Lamborghini is a fascinating Italian sports car brand that has already impressed fans last season. We are all the more excited about the quartet of drivers with whom Grasser Racing will be fighting in the 2022 DTM.”
Benedikt Böhme, Managing Director of ITR: “Grasser Racing is a top-class team that have demonstrated their qualities over a long period of time and therefore match the high standards of our racing series very well. The fact that GRT and Lamborghini are going to have four cars on the grid highlights the enduring fascination and appeal of the DTM.”
Source. GRT Grasser Racing/Photo. Jamey Price
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