Winkelhock to make first DTM start in over a decade
Markus Winkelhock will contest his first DTM races since 2010 when he lines up on the grid at the Nurburgring later this month in an Audi R8 LMS.
As reported by Motorsport.com's sister site Motorsport-Total on Wednesday, Winkelhock will replace Sophia Floersch at the factory-supported Abt Sportsline team for the fourth round of the 2021 season on August 21-22.
Floersch has a full-season contract with Abt, which is also fielding GT3 star Kelvin van der Linde and 2013 DTM champion Mike Rockenfeller, but will be unable to race at the Nurburgring due to clashing commitments in the Le Mans 24 Hours with the Richard Mille LMP2 team.
Her replacement Winkelhock is well versed with the Schaeffler-Paravan-developed Space Drive system, being the first driver to test it in racing conditions in a GTC race at the same venue in 2019.
The 41-year-old is also no stranger to Abt, having completed two rounds with what was then a full-fledged factory Audi team in 2007.
"I drove for ABT for the first time at Oschersleben in 2007," Winkelhock said . "Back then I was a substitute for Tom Kristensen, who had a serious accident at Hockenheim. That was my very first race for Audi in the DTM.
"To be back in the DTM after ten years of abstinence and to be able to take the wheel for ABT again so many years later is something very special. I'm really looking forward to it. The Nurburgring is one of my favourite circuits. In this respect, I hope that I can achieve a good result there for ABT."
Abt driver Van der Linde leads the DTM championship with a victory and a podium in the opening two rounds of the championship. Rockenfeller also bagged a rostrum finish at the Lausitzring last month, while Floersch has had a difficult time in the team's third Audi, managing a best finish of 15th after the first four races of the season.
"We are very pleased that Schaeffler and Schaeffler Paravan are making Markus Winkelhock's entry possible," said team principal Thomas Biermaier. "Markus is one of the most experienced and successful GT3 drivers in the Audi Sport customer racing driver squad and simply a great guy who fits in well with our team."
Winkelhock is arguably best known for leading the 2007 European Grand Prix during his one and only Formula 1 start for the backmarker Spyker team.
However, the German driver has achieved plenty of success in sportscar racing, securing titles in GT1 World Championship, Intercontinental GT Challenge as well as three outright wins in the Nurburgring 24 Hours.
He also contested five seasons in the DTM between 2014-10, most of them with Audi, bagging a trio of fourth place finishes.
Sophia Flörsch, Abt Sportsline Audi R8 LMS GT3
Photo by: Alexander Trienitz
Related video
DTM: Norisring to host 2021 season finale in October
Round 2: Lausitzring - Race 2 Highlights
Round 2: Lausitzring - Race 1 Highlights
Sheldon and Kelvin van der Linde - DTM
The number-crunching behind the new-look DTM's equalisation drive
Switching to GT3 regulations marked a fresh start for the DTM in 2021, but it has also drawn a line in the sand against other series using similar cars by engaging AVL Racing to develop a bespoke Balance of Performance system. Here’s how it works.
The initial verdict on DTM's move to GT3 cars
OPINION: Facing collapse last year, the DTM has shifted its philosophy from a championship for silhouette-based touring cars to GT machines not too dissimilar to those racing across multiple series worldwide. But despite some initial BoP-based teething troubles, there were some pleasant findings as the 'new DTM' got underway at Monza
Why Albon has his work cut out in the new-look DTM
The DTM moves into its bold new GT3 era with welcome support from Red Bull, which enters two AF Corse-run Ferraris. That includes one for ex-F1 driver Alex Albon, who’s determined to make a success of his GT switch
The slow-burner threatening to unseat Audi's DTM king
It's taken him a while to emerge as a consistent title challenger, but in the final year of DTM's Class One ruleset, Nico Muller has smoothed the rough edges and has double champion stablemate Rene Rast working harder than ever to keep up in the title race.
Does 2000 hold the answers to the DTM's current crisis?
It's 20 years since the DTM roared back into life at a packed Hockenheim with a back-to-basics approach as the antidote to its high-tech past. Now it's on its knees again, so is it time to recall the lessons learned in 2000?
Ranking the 10 best Audi DTM drivers
Audi last week announced it would be exiting the DTM at the end of 2020, bringing the curtain down on 20 years of continuous participation since the series' reboot in 2000.
Why the DTM must reinvent itself after Audi exit
Audi's announcement that it will withdraw from the DTM at the end of 2020 was the latest blow for a series that has lost three manufacturers in as many years. Some major soul-searching will now be required to assess how it can survive.
Why cynic Berger changed his mind over green tech in racing
DTM boss Gerhard Berger was a detractor of Formula E and held a reluctance for his series to embrace greener engine technologies. However, this cynic's tune has had to change to ensure DTM's existence as the motorsport world moves forward
