Robert Seiwert
Head of Motorsport
Robert was already writing for sports media before his time at MSM. He has been reporting on DTM, Daytona, Le Mans and other events directly from the racetrack since 2011.MORE
Driver change at GRT-Lamborghini shortly before the DTM race weekend at the Norisring: Regular driver Christian Engelhart is out due to knee surgery and will therefore miss the two races on the Nuremberg street circuit. The Austrian racing team led by team boss Gottfried Grasser announced this on Tuesday before the fourth event of the 2024 season.
The replacement for the unavailable Lamborghini factory driver from Starnberg has already been found: Franck Perera is returning to the DTM for a short time and will take over Engelhart’s Lamborghini Huracan GT3 Evo2 with the starting number #63. As usual, DTM race winner Luca Engstler will be in the second Lambo.
DTM overall ranking 2024
Franck Perera: With GRT from Spa to the Norisring
The 40-year-old Frenchman competed for GRT-Lamborghini in the 24 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps just last weekend and, together with his teammates Jordan Pepper and Marco Mapelli, finished fifth overall after starting from pole position.
Perera contested the entire 2023 DTM season for SSR Performance and took the first series win for the Italian car manufacturer at the season opener in Oschersleben. With two more podium finishes, he finished the season in eleventh place overall before being replaced at SSR by Nicki Thiim – newly crowned overall winner of the 24h Spa.
As in 2022: Perera is ready
This is not the first time that Perera has played the role of substitute for the Grasser Racing Team: in 2022, he also stepped in for regular driver Rolf Ineichen at the Norisring and immediately took fourth place on the grid. However, after a racing accident, the Lambo factory driver had to forego the start on Sunday.
Engelhart struggled on the first three DTM race weekends in Oschersleben, at the Lausitzring and most recently in Zandvoort and is still waiting for his first podium finish of the season. With 15 points, he is in 16th place overall. In 2023, the former ADAC GT Masters champion won the opening race in Oschersleben for Toksport-Porsche before leaving the team during the current season and returning to the Grasser squad for the season finale.
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