TGI Team Lamborghini by GRT supported by Automobili Lamborghini Squadra Corse competed in the second round of the 2025 DTM season last weekend from 23rd to 25th May. Having arrived to the Lausitzring as championship leaders, the Austrian outfit this time experienced two races under difficult circumstances. Drivers and crew got the maximum out of the Lamborghini Huracán GT3 EVO2 under the given conditions. Jordan Pepper’s tireless fighting spirit was rewarded with eleventh and fourth place. Luca Engstler retired in both races after having been involved in collisions.

 

In qualifying on Saturday, Luca Engstler qualified the #19 entry as the best-placed of the five Lamborghini Huracán GT3 EVO2s in the field in 13th place, just three and a half tenths off of pole position. However, the race was over for the 25-year-old Lamborghini Factory Driver after lap one. He was hit by another driver on the opening lap and had to retire due to the sustained damage. Jordan Pepper was also affected by the rough antics of the competition, but was able to continue his race. Despite the damage to his car, the 28-year-old South African ultimately scored five championship points for eleventh place.

 

On Sunday, the starting positions were similar for Luca Engstler and Jordan Pepper with eleventh and twelfth on the grid respectively. Over the distance of 55 minutes plus one lap, two mandatory pit stops were scheduled in the second race in accordance with the 2025 regulations. Pepper made up six positions on the opening lap and then held his own in the pack behind the leaders. By the time of his first pit stop on lap 19, he had worked his way up to fourth place. In the hunt for the podium, he was thwarted by a safety car period in the second stint. After the short neutralisation and the second pit stop window, he confidently crossed the finish line in fourth place. For Luca Engstler, race two also ended prematurely after an incident through no fault of his own. He had already worked his way up to seventh position when a rival made contact with him on lap seven.

 

Jordan Pepper collected a further 18 points for the drivers‘ championship in the Lausitz and is in third place with a total of 55 points. The Lamborghini Factory Driver currently sits 14 points behind the leader. Luca Engstler is in 13th place. In the team standings, TGI Team Lamborghini by GRT is in fifth place with 66 points. The next round of the DTM will be held in Zandvoort in the Netherlands from 6 to 8 June.

 

Jordan Pepper (RSA)

#63 TGI Team Lamborghini by GRT

Qualifying 1: P15 – Race 1: P11

Qualifying 2: P12 – Race 2: P4

 

Jordan Pepper: „It was even tougher than we had expected. I’m really proud of how we made it to the finish in race one. Scoring points after so many incidents can make all the difference at the end of the year. We worked hard after the small BoP adjustment for Sunday, which was reflected in the starting positions for race two. I took maximum risk on the first lap and that paid off. After that, we lacked a bit of pace for the podium. The safety car period got in our way as well. We lost our advantage on track as a result and after the second pit stop we were on an old set of tyres due to the strategy, which is why it was very tricky against the competition with fresher tyres. We can be very satisfied with fourth place. A big thank you to the whole team for their fantastic work. We scored important points and want to build on our momentum in Zandvoort.“

 

Luca Engstler (GER)

#19 TGI Team Lamborghini by GRT

Qualifying 1: P13 – Race 1: DNF

Qualifying 2: P11 – Race 2: DNF

 

Luca Engstler: „After such a disappointing weekend, all we can do is look ahead. The team did a mega job and I would have liked to reward the efforts of our crew with two good results, but some of my rivals had something against it. It’s always frustrating when you’re taken out of the race by a competitor, and when that happens twice, it’s quite a pathetic display. But things can only get better in Zandvoort and, with our package and a strong team behind me, I have every reason to look forward to the next race weekend.“

 

Gottfried Grasser, Team Principal GRT: „We already knew before the weekend that it would be quite a challenge for us with the balance of performance. This was confirmed in qualifying, especially as it was highly competitive at the Lausitzring with the entire field within a second of each other. We got the maximum out of it, which was underlinded by Luca as the best-placed Lamborghini driver on Saturday. I’m very sorry about how the weekend went for him. He was involved in incidents in both races by drivers who repeatedly attracted negative attention. That’s very frustrating for him and for the team. Jordan saved the weekend for us with his results. He showed on both days that he is a racer through and through. To score points with the damage on Saturday was really strong, and the second race was really a first-class showing. To almost finish on the podium with this starting position is testament to a fantastic driver‘s performance. We are still well positioned in the championship and are optimistic about Zandvoort, where we recently achieved success in the GT World Challenge Europe. Given the right circumstances, we will be right up there again in the DTM.“