Seebach Replaces Gass as Head of Audi Motorsport

Audi has confirmed that Dieter Gass will step down from his position as head of the manufacturer’s motorsport division and be replaced by Julius Seebach.

Gass, who succeeded Dr. Wolfgang Ullrich as the boss of Audi’s factory racing endeavors in 2017, will leave the company to focus on “new tasks for the future” according to a statement.

His successor Seebach, 36, is the current managing director of Audi Sport, the brand under which Audi’s racing and high-performance road car programs are housed.

“I am convinced that Julius Seebach is the right person for the repositioning of the motorsport activities,” said Markus Duesmann, Chairman of the Board of Management and Board Member for Technical Development at Audi AG.

“On behalf of the entire Board of Management, I would like to thank Dieter Gass for his tireless efforts.

“Above all, he stands for the almost unbelievable success we have had in the DTM, especially in the last two years. But, Dieter Gass is also responsible for the successful entry into Formula E.

“I myself have been in motorsport for almost my whole life and I know how much passion and personal commitment is necessary to be successful in motorsport.”

Gass joined Audi Sport in 1994 as an engineer before switching to roles at the Toyota and Lotus Formula One teams that he held between 2001 and 2010.

He returned to Audi in early 2012 as its Head of Racing Commitments and soon took charge of the manufacturer’s works DTM program which ended after this year’s season.

Gass was then promoted to lead all company motorsport activities after Ullrich stepped down from his Head of Motorsport role at Audi’s exit from the LMP1 class in 2016.

“The DTM finale at Hockenheim was a very emotional moment for me,” said Gass.

“The DTM has shaped my life over the past eight years. It was an incredibly intense time during which my family didn’t see me very often on weekends.

“That’s why the end of the DTM era, as we all know it, is a good opportunity for me to also start something new, especially since 2020 was a particularly intense year due to the integration of factory racing into Audi Sport GmbH.

“I would like to thank the entire squad, our teams, drivers and partners. The cooperation has given me great pleasure.

“I am very pleased that motorsport will remain an important part of Audi’s corporate strategy in the future and I am convinced that Audi Sport will continue to be successful in its new set-up.

“With Markus Duesmann and Oliver Hoffmann, two real racers are at the forefront, who, despite their enormous responsibility for the entire company, do not forget us motorsport enthusiasts.”

Seebach joined Audi in 2015 after starting his career at Porsche.

He started out as head of strategy and powertrain control in the manufacturer’s Technical Development division, focusing on RS-brand road models.

Seebach became managing director of Audi Sport in May 2019.