MOTORSPORT

Great title celebrations for SSR Performance and Mirko Bortolotti! With a second place in the final race of the season, the Lamborghini works driver crowned himself the new DTM champion at the Hockenheimring. "I am incredibly grateful for this title win. When I saw the cheering people in the grandstands and then arrived at my team, I was full of emotion. I will remember this moment for the rest of my life," explains Bortolotti. The overjoyed team owner Stefan Schlund adds: "It's indescribable! I am extremely proud of what we have achieved as SSR Performance! The whole team never gave up or rested, but kept pushing and working hard. No matter how big a success was or how difficult a setback. We deserve this title, every single member of the team has become DTM champion today. We will all celebrate this together!" 

SSR Performance can look back on a very successful second season with Lamborghini in the DTM: two victories, six podium finishes and 25 qualifying points were enough for the team to celebrate, and a look back shows that the season was very challenging for Bortolotti: the 34-year-old consistently scored points, but a victory was a long time coming. It was not until the penultimate stop of the season at the Red Bull Ring that the knot burst and the Italian celebrated his first victory in the highly competitive GT3 series with SSR Performance. Good placings on the weekends at Zandvoort, the Norisring, the Nürburgring and the Sachsenring catapulted him repeatedly to the highly competitive top of the drivers' standings. At the season finale in Hockenheim, things were particularly close again: an extremely tough duel with an opponent meant only fifth place in Saturday's race. On Sunday, the Lamborghini works driver drove like he was unleashed and set the fastest lap time in qualifying. From pole position, he was able to keep his direct championship rival behind him over the entire race distance, finishing second and deservedly crowning himself DTM Champion 2024. Bortolotti's consistency was extremely impressive last season: the Lamborghini ace scored important points in every race. He also leads the qualifying standings by a large margin. Bortolotti, known for his tough but fair driving style, proved once again with his DTM championship title that he is one of the world's elite GT3 drivers and can now call himself champion of one of the most important racing series in the world, thanks in part to SSR Performance.

Teammate Nicki Thiim (Denmark) delivered a strong performance time and again in his first DTM season: At SSR Performance's home race at the Norisring, he secured the first win of the season for Stefan Schlund's team after narrowly missing out on the podium with fourth place the previous day. At the finale in Hockenheim, Thiim finished tenth in Saturday's race. On Sunday, he set the second-fastest lap time in qualifying, allowing SSR Performance to claim the front row of the grid. At the start of the race, he kept his back to Bortolotti, who drove to his first DTM title. Le Mans winner Thiim finished the race in fifth place after a brief slide into the gravel. "I am over the moon and incredibly proud of Mirko and the entire team. This DTM title win is the well-deserved reward for all the hard work we have put in throughout the season. Mirko has shown an outstanding performance with his record-breaking consistency and tireless commitment. This success also belongs to our fantastic team, who have delivered top performances race after race. We are now looking forward to celebrating this great achievement in style," said a delighted Team Principal Mario Schuhbauer after the award ceremony.