DTM season finale // Kelvin van der Linde before the showdown in the DTM title race: “I’m ready for the fight!”
- High tension ahead of the DTM season finale from the 18th to 20th October at the Hockenheimring Baden-Württemberg
- DTM fans can expect a real heart-stopping finale between Mirko Bortolotti, Kelvin van der Linde and Maro Engel
- Exciting title decisions are also in the support series
As expected, the Hockenheimring Baden-Württemberg will once again be the scene of a real showdown in the battle for the DTM championship title from 18th to 20th October. After the penultimate race weekend at the Red Bull Ring, there are now three drivers from three different brands fighting for one of the most prestigious championship titles in the motorsport world at the season finale on the 4.5-kilometer Grand Prix circuit.
Mirko Bortolotti travels to Hockenheim with the best chances of winning the DTM title. The 34-year-old Italian, who lives in Vienna, has put himself in an excellent position in the SSR Performance Lamborghini Huracán GT3 EVO with his first win of the season and a fourth place in Austria. Bortolotti takes a 15-point lead into the final weekend, which is only comforting at first sight. With a total of 56 points left to be scored in Hockenheim, the rivals are not even thinking of giving up in the title fight. Especially as the smallest mistake can turn the standings upside down again.
“I don’t want to be in Mirko’s shoes. I’m ready for the fight,” promises Bortolotti’s hardest rival Kelvin van der Linde, who drives an Audi R8 LMS EVO for the ABT Sportsline team. The 28-year-old from Johannesburg, who has lived in Kempten for years and now drives with a German license, may have lost the top spot in the standings at the Red Bull Ring, but he is known as an absolute fighter who knows how to take advantage of even the smallest opportunity. Just five points behind van der Linde is Maro Engel from Mercedes-AMG Team WINWARD, a real veteran in the DTM grid. In contrast to Bortolotti (1) and van der Linde (2), the 39-year-old Engel has not yet won a race this season, but has finished on the podium seven times, more often than any other driver in the grid. And the words “giving up” do not exist in Engel’s vocabulary either. “ As long as the title is mathematically possible, we will do everything we can to make it happen,” said the driver of the number 130 Mercedes-AMG GT3.
A look at the championship standings shows just how important consistency is, in view of the enormous balance in the DTM field with its seven brands. Apart from the three drivers mentioned above, only defending champion Thomas Preining in the Porsche 911 GT3 R from Manthey EMA and his predecessor, Kelvin van der Linde’s brother Sheldon in the BMW M4 GT3 from Schubert Motorsport, have scored points in all 14 races this season. The counter-example is Jack Aitken. The Briton has three wins and three poles in the Ferrari 296 GT3 from Emil Frey Racing, but no chance of winning the title in view of his four non-finishes.
This is also full of excitement: 17 of the best GT drivers in the world have nothing to do with the title fight but still two chances of a top result. So they will be on full attack without any tactical considerations. And anyone who has followed the past 28 DTM title decisions at the Hockenheimring knows that they have all been exciting and dramatic!
Exciting title decisions in the support series
Action is also on the program in the support series. In the ADAC GT Masters, championship leaders Elias Seppänen and Tom Kalender in the Landgraf Motorsport Mercedes-AMG GT3 take a 29-point lead over Maxime Oosten and Leon Köhler in the FK Performance Motorsport BMW M4 GT3 into the finale. For David Schumacher and Salman Owega (Haupt Racing Team / Mercedes-AMG GT3), who are in third place, Hockenheim is all about a successful end to the season. In the ADAC GT4 Germany, the gap between the top two teams is even smaller. The 2021 champions, Michael Schrey and Gabriele Piana, are just 17 points ahead of Finn Zulauf and Josef Knopp in the Porsche Cayman GT4 fielded by AVIA W&S Motorsport in the BMW M4 GT4 entered by Hofor Racing by Bonk Motorsport. In the Porsche Carrera Cup, Larry ten Voorde travels to Baden with a 35-point cushion over Harry King. And the NXT GEN Cup with the electric LRT NXT1 based on the Mini Cooper will also see a title duel between Calvin de Groot and Victor Nielsen in Hockenheim.
Family-friendly program, family-friendly ticket prices
As always, family-friendliness is the key at the DTM finale in Hockenheim: the Fan Zone attracts visitors with interviews, shows, music, autograph sessions with the racing drivers and much more. The popular “ball pool” is always a welcome attraction for the little ones. The ticket prices fit the concept perfectly: a Friday ticket is available from just 15 euros, day tickets for Saturday or Sunday including paddock access from 39 euros in advance. Admission for children and young people under the age of 16 is free. Tickets are available on the official website www.dtm.com.
Picture: ADAC Motorsport
