Reuter Joins Grasser in Team Manager Role

Two-time 24 Hours of Le Mans winner Manuel Reuter has joined Grasser Racing Team as the Austrian outfit’s manager and sporting director for its DTM program.

Reuter, who won Le Mans with Sauber-Mercedes in 1989 and Porsche in 1996, previously worked with the Rutronik Racing GT3 operation but will now oversee Grasser’s nascent DTM entry with a quartet of Lamborghini Huracan GT3 Evos.

Clemens Schmid is so far the only announced Grasser driver for the eight-round campaign that starts at Portimao in late April-early May.

“We are incredibly happy to welcome Manuel to GRT,” said team principal Gottfried Grasser.

“To have filled the role of team manager and sporting director with such a well-known and capable figure is an important milestone for our organization.

“He knows motorsport inside out, and I am very much in favor of having someone with such a background in our ranks.

“I also know him from the ADAC GT Masters and have always been impressed by the way he operates in team management. I had always hoped that we might be able to bring Manuel on board one day.

“Everyone in the team will benefit from his experience, and I’m really looking forward to working with him on this long-term project.”

Alongside his Le Mans triumphs, Reuter’s driving career included winning the 2003 Nürburgring 24 with Phoenix Racing and finishing second in the 2000 DTM season.

After his retirement from professional racing in 2005, Reuter moved into broadcasting and consulting work.

“Gottfried contacted me at the end of last year and laid out GRT’s plans for the DTM,” he said.

“I immediately found the project interesting, and we soon came to an agreement about working together. The team is a permanent fixture in GT3 racing, so making the step up to the DTM is the logical thing to do.

“The racing series has developed extremely well with the GT3 regulations and has regained much of its former appeal. It has become more attractive for teams and manufacturers alike.

“I am very much looking forward to being part of GRT’s endeavors and to returning to the DTM in the role of team manager and sporting director. I have many great memories of the sport, and I’m excited about the journey ahead.”