The DTM’s appeal is also effective in the DTM Trophy talent pool: drivers from eleven countries fill the grid for the season opener at Lausitzring Turn 1 powered by Autohero this weekend (20-22 May).
20 production-based GT sports cars from six automakers, Aston Martin, Audi, BMW, Mercedes-AMG, Porsche and Toyota will start at 3:15pm CEST on Saturday and Sunday for the first two of the 14 races of the 2022 DTM Trophy.
“The DTM Trophy field is not only international, but also of a high class. The pre-season test at Hockenheim already gave a first indication of how close the field is and how hard-fought this series will be,” says Martin Tomczyk. As a DTM brand & sport representative at the DTM organization ITR, the former DTM champion has been responsible for, among other things, the management of the DTM Trophy series since the beginning of this year. “The fact that the DTM Trophy, which was first held in 2020, has such a high international status can actually be explained by the appeal of the professional DTM platform. Moreover, DTM Trophy and DTM share the same DNA: one driver, one car. That makes both series so unique.”
Formula 1 two-seater during DTM at Lausitzring
With eight drivers, Germany has the largest contingent, while three drivers come from the US and one from Australia, Bulgaria, Brazil, Spain, Finland, France, Mozambique, the Netherlands and South Africa. As the only female driver in the field, Sophie Hofmann (GER) is starting her second season. Remarkable: from the BMW M2 Cup, a brand’s entry-level model on the DTM platform, four drivers have made the step to the DTM Trophy: Louis Henkefend (GER) as Cup title winner and Colin Caresani (NLD), Nick Hancke (GER) and Rodrigo Dias Almeida (Mozambique).
Two drivers from the 2022 field have already achieved race wins in the DTM Trophy: the first the only 17-year-old Theo Oeverhaus (GER) who will continue to race in a BMW M4 from Walkenhorst Motorsport, and the second Tim Heinemann (GER), the inaugural DTM Trophy Champion, who will race the Ring-Racing Toyota Supra. Like Moritz Löhner (GER), Heinemann is one of the drivers who has made a successful transition from sim racing to real motorsport. Löhner, the 2021 DTM Esports Champion, scored two podium finishes in the 2021 DTM Trophy and will race unchanged this season in a BMW M4 from FK Performance Motorsport. Ben Green, the 2021 DTM Trophy Champion, completed a test with the HRT team’s Mercedes-AMG in Portimão and set up for a DTM ride in 2023.
The fact that the DTM platform is not only highly regarded, but also offers valuable synergy effects, has been used by no fewer than four DTM teams this season. In addition to Walkenhorst Motorsport (BMW), KÜS Team Bernhard (Porsche), BWT Mücke Motorsport (Mercedes-AMG) and T3 Motorsport (Audi) will participate in both the DTM and DTM Trophy for the first time.
The talent pool DTM Trophy will also be broadcast live in the third season. The new partner ServusTV shows all 14 races live on its video and streaming platform ServusTV On (servustv.com), while both races from Lausitz can be seen on Saturday from 4.50 pm to 5.35 pm and on Sunday from 4.55 pm on the ServusTV television program. until 5:40 p.m. CEST.