T3 Motorsport to run two Audis in the #DTM Trophy

T3 Motorsport will be participating in the DTM Trophy with two Audi R8 LMSs in the 2022 season. Thus, the team from Dresden is further expanding its involvement on the DTM platform. 20-year-old American John Paul Southern Jr. has already been confirmed as the first driver. The talent pool DTM Trophy, run with production-based GT sports cars, is getting its new season of seven race weekends underway at DEKRA Lausitzring Turn 1 from 20-22 May.

With Belgian Esteban Muth and British female racer Esmee Hawkey, T3 Motorsport made its DTM début in 2021. During a guest start by Lamborghini works driver Mirko Bortolotti (ITA) at Assen (NLD), the team achieved a podium finish. T3 gathered initial experience in the DTM Trophy during a guest start by German Formula 2 driver Lirim Zendeli at the Nürburgring in August.

“The DTM Trophy is the ideal series for the development towards GT3 racing as drivers and team personnel are working in the environment of their own goal, DTM. In the process, they are learning to deal with the requirements for a professional and get a better understanding of many procedures,” T3 team principal Jens Feucht is convinced. Additionally, he underlines the synergy effects on the DTM platform: “When we are at a race track from Tuesday or Wednesday till Sunday anyway, it is possible to participate in the DTM Trophy as well with little additional effort in terms of staff and logistics. As a result, we are using our team’s resources in a more efficient way, something which is also reflected in the costs.”

John Paul Southern Jr. from Bradenton in the state of Florida already raced the T3 Motorsport Audi in 2021 and ended up tenth overall in the ADAC GT4 Germany where he also scored one pole position. Moreover, the 20-year-old, who started in karting in 2014, is also involved in the programme by T3 Motorsport North America. “I am really happy to be returning to T3 Motorsport for a season in the DTM Trophy. As a team, we are doing great things together and the journey so far has been great fun. I can hardly wait for the new season to start,” Southern Junior says. “This season, we are putting in many resources to extract the best performance from the Audi R8 LMS. Our goal is to win the championship and I believe we can achieve that.” Jens Feucht adds: “In the past two seasons, we have proven with pole positions and podium results that we are very successful with the production-based Audi R8 LMS. We are confident that we will be able to show this in the DTM Trophy as well.”

DTM Trophy series’ manager Martin Tomczyk: “It is very pleasant that T3 Motorsport is recognising and using the additional value and the synergies of the DTM platform, opting for our talent pool for its young driver support. With a young American driver and with Audi, T3 is bringing even more variety into the DTM Trophy and is making it even more international.”