Twice on pole position and twice overall winner at the Norisring – Aston Martin celebrates a spectacular DTM weekend with Nicki Thiim (#7, Aston Martin Vantage AMR GT3 Evo, Comtoyou Racing). For the first time, the British sports car manufacturer has won a race in the DTM.

At the start on the tight street circuit with no runoff areas, two hairpin turns, a chicane, and a combination of corners, Nicki Thiim kept his cool and stayed in control on race Saturday. The Dane dominated the field from the front in his Aston Martin Vantage AMR GT3 Evo (#7) and was able to rejoin the track in the lead after his mandatory late pit stop.

Then a dramatic accident occurred between the BMW M4 GT3 Evo (#3, Schubert Motorsport) of Kelvin van der Linde and the Lamborghini Temerario GT3 (#19, TGI Team by GRT) of Maximilian Paul.

The Lamborghini hit the Schubert Motorsport BMW, and the race had to be red-flagged due to repairs needed on the track barriers. Kelvin van der Linde sustained bruises in the crash, while Maximilian Paul suffered a broken lower leg.

Comtoyou Racing celebrates its first DTM victory on race Saturday

Nothing changed at the front after the restart, allowing Nicki Thiim (#7, Comtoyou Racing) to bring home the first DTM win for Aston Martin. Congratulations!

Mirko Bortolotti finished eighth in the Lamborghini Temerario GT3 (#63, TGI Team by GRT), and Thomas Preining came home ninth in the Grello Porsche (#91, Porsche 911 GT3 R, Manthey) to round out the top 10.

Other KW Racing customers were flagged off in positions 12, 13, 14, 15, and 16: Ricardo Feller (#90, Porsche 911 GT3 R, Manthey), Bastian Buus (#29, Porsche 911 GT3 R, Land Motorsport), Luca Engstler (#130, Lamborghini Temerario GT3, Red Bull Team Abt), Nicolas Baert (#8, Aston Martin Vantage AMR GT3 Evo, Comtoyou Racing), and Marco Mapelli (#10, Lamborghini Temerario GT3, Red Bull Team Abt).

On Sunday, Nicki Thiim defended pole position in qualifying in his Vantage GT3 Evo despite an adjusted Balance of Performance with an additional 15 kg of ballast and 20 extra kilograms for his Saturday win. He also made a strong start.

Rain began to fall after just a few laps at the Norisring in Nuremberg. Following a collision between Matteo Cairoli in the Ferrari and Luca Engstler (#130, Lamborghini Temerario GT3, Red Bull Team Abt), the race was red-flagged. Marco Mapelli (#10, Lamborghini Temerario GT3, Red Bull Team Abt) was also involved as he pushed the Ferrari. All teams switched to rain tires for the restart.

Right at the start of the first mandatory pit stop window, the rain stopped and the teams returned to the track on slicks. Nicki Thiim (#7, Comtoyou Racing) in his Aston Martin Vantage AMR GT3 Evo equipped with a KW V6 Racing damper was able to fend off attacks from the chasing pack and extend his lead over second place.

7 Aston Martin also wins on Sunday

After 62 laps, Nicki Thiim crossed the finish line first on Sunday with a razor-thin margin and celebrated the maximum points haul of the DTM weekend.

Porsche drivers Bastian Buus (#29, Land Motorsport) and Thomas Preining (#91, Manthey) finished eighth and ninth.

Marco Wittmann, who retired on Saturday in the Schubert Motorsport BMW M4 GT3 Evo (#11), was classified tenth. His teammate Kelvin van der Linde did not start on Sunday due to bruises from the Saturday crash.

Mirko Bortolotti (#63) in the remaining TGI Team by GRT Lamborghini finished eleventh. Ricardo Feller was flagged off behind him in the Porsche 911 GT3 R (#90, Manthey).

Nicolas Baert (#8, Aston Martin Vantage AMR GT3 Evo, Comtoyou Racing) and Luca Engstler (#130, Lamborghini Temerario GT3, Red Bull Team Abt) finished 15th and 16th.

Marco Mapelli (#10, Lamborghini Temerario GT3, Red Bull Team Abt) retired after lap 30 due to a technical issue.

With his two victories and the pole position, Nicki Thiim (#7, Aston Martin Vantage AMR GT3 Evo, Comtoyou Racing) took the maximum points from Nuremberg and now leads the DTM drivers’ championship with 117 points.

Two double victories for Porsche in the ADAC GT4 Germany at the Norisring

The ADAC GT4 Germany also visited the Norisring as part of the DTM weekend. In this series, we equip the Aston Martin Vantage AMR GT4 Evo, BMW M4 GT4 Evo, Mercedes-AMG GT4, Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 RS CS, and Toyota GR Supra GT4 Evo 2 with our KW Racing suspension systems.

Our customers reached the podium both on Saturday and Sunday, and the Cayman team AVIA W&S Motorsport achieved a double victory twice.

On Saturday, Lachlan Robinson and Denny Berndt crossed the finish line first in car #31, while their teammates Maximilian Schreyer and Alan Gabbay finished second in the #30 Cayman. On Sunday, the results were exactly reversed.

Both days, the Toyota GR Supra GT4 Evo 2 (#87) from CRT Sport with drivers Lucas Cartelle and Hudson Schwartz finished third.