Weekly Racing Roundup (11.19.18)

Photo: Audi

Drivers Praise New Turbo DTM Cars Following First Test

Several drivers have expressed their praise for the new Class 1 DTM cars following the first pre-season test at Estoril last week, with Audi and BMW both debuting their new challengers.

Nico Mueller, Rene Rast and Mike Rockenfeller were on hand to pilot the 2019-spec Audi RS 5 DTM while Bruno Spengler and Marco Wittmann shared the BMW M4 DTM.

“I’m overwhelmingly positive after the initial test and I think that the fans really have something to look forward to,” said two-time champion Wittmann. 

“From the outside you can clearly tell that the cars are much faster than last year. This will definitely make for more of a spectacle. And I can reassure the fans: the sound remains as great as ever.”

Added Audi driver Mueller: “The turbo engine has awesome thrust. We’re going to see speeds that the DTM has never seen before. 

“The power boost is really noticeable. This is going to make even greater demands on us drivers.”

Photo: Flying Lizard Motorsports

Flying Lizard Reveals All-Female Lineup for 25H Thunderhill

Flying Lizard Motorsports will run an all-female lineup in one of its two entries for the NASA 25 Hours of Thunderhill, including Christina Nielsen and Aurora Straus.

The pair will be joined by Ashton Harrison, Laura Ely and Erin Vogel in an Audi R8 LMS GT4 for the Nov. 30 – Dec. 2 event, in a program initiated by Vogel.

It is the second all-female lineup for the northern California endurance race, with Pippa Mann, Shea Holbrook and Ashley Freiburg set to share a Mosler Consulier under the Shift Up Now banner.

Flying Lizard will also run a 2009 Porsche 911 GT3 RSR for Wolf Henzler, Johannes van Overbeek, Justin Marks, Charlie Hayes and Andy Wilzoch.

News & Notes

***GTronix360 team mcchip-dkr will campaign a Lamborghini Huracan GT3 in VLN next year, making the switch from the Renault R.S. 01 GT3. Discussions are ongoing to decide the team’s exact program, but it is expected to include most VLN races and possibly the Nürburgring 24 in June.

Jake Kilshaw

Jake Kilshaw is a UK-based journalist. He is a graduate of Politics and International Relations.