The TGI Team Lamborghini by GRT supported by Automobili Lamborghini Squadra Corse took a significant step forward in the title race at the penultimate DTM race weekend in Spielberg. At the home race of the team, which is located in the immediate vicinity of the Red Bull Ring, Luca Engstler and Jordan Pepper achieved top-ten finishes in both races. Jordan Pepper thus remains the closest challenger to the leader, seven points behind, within striking distance ahead of the season finale in Hockenheim.

In the first qualifying session on Saturday morning, the Lamborghini Huracán GT3 Evo2 was unable to show its strengths on the high-speed track in Styria. Luca Engstler qualified in tenth place with a time of 1:28.329 minutes. Jordan Pepper started Saturday’s race from 15th place. In the early stages, both drivers were able to make up four positions each, putting themselves in a promising position early on. Luca Engstler made his mandatory pit stop in the Lamborghini Huracán GT3 Evo2 #19 after around 30 minutes, where he fell back a few places with a stop time of over 16 seconds. At the end of the pit stop window, he was in eleventh place, while his teammate Jordan Pepper entered the final phase in ninth. The South African overtook two competitors on the penultimate lap, finishing the race in seventh place. Luca Engstler came tenth. 

In the second qualifying session on Sunday, Pepper and Engstler were back on pace with their lap times and well on their way to securing a top-10 starting position. However, both drivers violated the track limits during their decisive attempt and ultimately started from 14th (Pepper) and 16th (Engstler) on the grid. In the race, the Lamborghini Huracán GT3 Evo2 immediately demonstrated its potential. Both cars climbed up the rankings in the turbulent early stages and were on course for a top-10 finish after the first pit stop window. Pepper and Engstler confidently held their positions for the rest of the race and moved up another place each thanks to penalties against a competitor. Pepper crossed the finish line in sixth place with the #63 car, collecting a total of 19 championship points this weekend. Luca Engstler finished the race in tenth place, as he had done the day before.

As none of his direct championship rivals performed convincingly in both races, Jordan Pepper moved up from fourth to second place in the drivers‘ standings. Ahead of the final race weekend of his debut DTM season, the 29-year-old is just seven points behind the championship leader. A total of 56 points are still up for grabs in the two 55-minute races at the Hockenheimring. The final weekend will take place from 3 to 5 October. In the team standings, TGI Team Lamborghini by GRT supported by Automobili Lamborghini Squadra Corse is in fifth place with 218 championship points.

Jordan Pepper (RSA)

#63 TGI Team Lamborghini by GRT

Qualifying 1: P15 – Race 1: P7

Qualifying 2: P14 – Race 2: P6

Jordan Pepper: „Overall, it was a very positive weekend for us in terms of the championship. Qualifying wasn’t easy. On Saturday, I had a minor problem that cost us a top-10 starting position. Then on Sunday, I made a mistake. But to get sixth and seventh place from starting positions 14 and 15 is incredible. The team did a great job again with the pit stops. The fantastic support from the fans at our home race gave us extra motivation. With a seven-point deficit, everything is still possible in the championship. We want to take this momentum with us to Hockenheim.“

Luca Engstler (GER)

#19 TGI Team Lamborghini by GRT

Qualifying 1: P10 – Race 1: P10

Qualifying 2: P16 – Race 2: P10

Luca Engstler: „A weekend of highs and lows has come to an end. It’s great that we’re in second place in the championship with Jordan. The pace was generally good, so I was very happy with the first qualifying session. Unfortunately, we had a bit of bad luck with the pit stop during the race, which meant we couldn’t fully exploit our potential. But that’s part of the game. On Sunday, I moved up from 16th to 10th place. So the race went very well. Overall, we can be satisfied and are now focusing our attention on Valencia and Hockenheim.“

Gottfried Grasser, GRT Team Principal: „It would have been difficult to imagine a more exciting DTM championship ahead of the season. Unfortunately, the qualifying sessions weren’t good this weekend. We struggled with the classification, but also with track limits and our own mistakes. We couldn’t have dreamed that we would move up from fourth to second place in the championship despite these starting positions. Of course, we also had the necessary luck, but you have to put yourself in that position first. Now, with Jordan, we are in a promising position for the season finale, where we will give it our all. Unfortunately, Luca had a bit of bad luck. He had a mega pace and was probably the fastest driver this weekend. Unfortunately, we couldn’t convert that into a top result. Together, we want to end this season on a high note at Hockenheim.“