Anticipation is half the pleasure, but Steve McQueen once taught us: Racing is life. Anything that happens before or after is just waiting. For GRT, the long wait is finally over this weekend. From May 26 to 28, the Lamborghini Squadra Corse supported Team from Austria will kick off the 2023 DTM season. The races at the Motorsport Arena Oschersleben mark the first of eight stops on this year's calendar of the legendary championship. For Grasser Racing, the season opener does not only mean the next chapter of their DTM journey. The two Austrians Clemens Schmid and Mick Wishofer will also complete the DTM premiere of the new Lamborghini Huracán GT3 EVO2 sporting the colors of GRT.
Last year, GRT made a successful debut in the prestigious racing series. Team principal Gottfried Grasser's squad fought for the title at the first attempt and scored five podiums, one pole position and four fastest laps. For the upcoming DTM season, the outfit has the Lamborghini Huracán GT3 EVO2 at their disposal, a new version of the successful GT3 machine from Lamborghini Squadra Corse. The Italian sports car manufacturer from Sant'Agata Bolognese won a total of 40 international titles with the first two versions of the Lamborghini Huracán GT3 since 2015, including GRT's overall victory in the 2017 Blancpain GT Series and wins at the 24 Hours of Daytona and the 12 Hours of Sebring in 2018 and 2019.
Like its predecessors, the third generation features a naturally aspirated V10 engine with a displacement of 5.2 liters, which produces 640 hp in the Lamborghini Huracán STO supercar for the road. The Lamborghini Huracán GT3 EVO2 meets all the standards of the FIA technical regulations that have been in force for GT3 racing since 2022. Compared with the first EVO version, aerodynamics, electronics, braking system and engine intake have been improved. The hexagonal airbox in combination with the rear fin are inspired by the STO and are also the most striking design features of the racing car. For Clemens Schmid and Mick Wishofer, however, these features mean one thing above all: better performance.
The Austrian driver duo knows the Lamborghini Huracán GT3 inside out. Clemens Schmid has been competing with GRT since 2020 and can look back on extensive experience with the GT3 bull. Last year, the 32-year-old from Tyrol made his DTM debut and is therefore no stranger to the world's most fiercely contested GT3 series. For Mick Wishofer, on the other hand, the DTM is uncharted territory, but the 23-year-old from Vienna is well prepared for his task. Last year, he gained his first experience with the Lamborghini and won a race in the ADAC GT Masters. In April, he made his DTM debut with GRT at the official pre-season test at the Red Bull Ring.
The DTM season starts on a good note for GRT at Oschersleben. In the ADAC GT Masters, the team celebrated a total of two victories, three podiums, one pole position and three fastest race laps at the 3.66 km-long circuit. In the DTM, it will be the team's first appearance in the Magdeburger Börde region after the venue did not feature last year. At the season opener, Clemens Schmid and Mick Wishofer in the two Lamborghini Huracán GT3 EVO2 will face a top-class field with a total of 28 cars from six different manufacturers.
The action starts on Friday with the two 45-minute practice sessions. On Saturday and Sunday, a 20-minute qualifying session and a race over the distance of 60 minutes each are scheduled. On German television, the DTM will again be broadcast by ProSieben in 2023. The station will show all qualifying sessions and races live on TV or via livestream on ran.de. In Austria, ServusTV will once again broadcast the DTM live on TV as well as online via livestream.
Gottfried Grasser, Team Principal of GRT: "The DTM is the big highlight for us and we are really looking forward to finally get going. For us, the season opener week is a big challenge, as we are in action with the team at two circuits. We first complete the official test for the 24-hour race at Spa-Francorchamps in the GT World Challenge Europe Endurance Cup before traveling directly from there to Oschersleben for the DTM. Returning there is quite cool after the circuit wasn't on the calendar last year. We were always competitive there with the Lamborghini and are sure to have a strong package again this time. Pre-season preparation with the Lamborghini Huracán GT3 EVO2 went very well and we're looking forward to the first DTM race with the new car. Clemens and Mick got on well during the tests and both know Oschersleben from the past. Our goal is to see both cars in the points at the start of the season."
