Gass Appointed JOTA Hypercar Team Principal

Hertz Team JOTA has appointed former Head of Audi Motorsport Dieter Gass as team principal for its FIA World Endurance Championship Hypercar program with Porsche.

Gass will oversee the British team’s privateer entry into the WEC’s top category this year with a single Porsche 963 driven by Antonio Felix da Costa, Will Stevens and Yifei Ye.

After working for Audi as a race engineer from 1994 until 2001, Gass embarked on a decade-long stint in Formula 1 that included periods at the Toyota and Lotus teams.

He returned to Audi in 2012 as its Head of Racing Commitments, which included spearheading the manufacturer’s WEC titles in the first two years of the championship and three 24 Hours of Le Mans outright victories.

Gass, who was also in charge of Audi’s factory DTM effort, then succeeded Dr. Wolfgang Ullrich as head of all Audi motorsport activities in 2017 and brought the company into Formula E as part of its electric racing push.

He held the Head of Motorsport position until the end of 2020 when the DTM’s Class One era drew to a close.

“Hertz Team JOTA is a new entrant into WEC’s Hypercar class, built upon long-term racing pedigree and an innovative approach to bringing new fans to the championship,” said Gass.

“We have a strong mix of skill and youthful potential in our drivers and an experienced engineering and technical team.

“I look forward to working alongside the team, where we hope to challenge for race wins and championship honors.”

JOTA is one of two independent teams planning to run Porsche’s new LMDh car in the WEC this year, along with Proton Competition.

It is unclear precisely when both teams will make their Hypercar class debuts, considering Porsche is planning to deliver its customer-purchased cars in late April.

JOTA won the LMP2 title last year with Da Costa, Stevens and Roberto Gonzalez, and will continue to race in the second-tier category alongside its Hypercar foray.

Commenting on the new team principal appointment, JOTA co-owners David Clark and Sam Hignett said: “Dieter brings a wealth of experience and knowledge that we believe will take Hertz Team JOTA forward over the coming years.

“We’re stepping up to the Hypercar class and competing against some of the world’s largest automotive manufacturers.

“Dieter has lived and breathed competitive motorsport at the highest level and will help build on our foundations to bring our historical success to the top class of endurance racing.”