#DTM 2022: Laurens Vanthoor and Dennis Olsen to race for Porsche team SSR Performance

SSR Performance already having announced its participation in the 2022 DTM with a pair of Porsche 911 GT3 Rs back in December, the team now also confirms its driver line-up. Porsche works driver Laurens Vanthoor (BEL) with starting number #92 and Porsche contracted driver Dennis Olsen (NOR) are racing for the team from Munich. Both for the drivers and the team, the upcoming season will be the first full one in DTM, SSR Performance already having had a guest participation at Nürburgring in 2021. The new season gets underway at Portimão (POR) from 29 April until 1 May and includes 16 races. In the German-speaking countries, the races, all of them starting at 1.30pm CET/CEST, will be broadcast on ProSieben for the first time.

Stefan Schlund, managing director, SSR Performance: “I am enormously happy with the selection and by Porsche making the drivers available for this project. I am convinced that we have a powerful brigade and can be successful with both the #92 and the #94 car.”

Belgian Laurens Vanthoor, whose brother Dries Vanthoor is also racing GTs, is making his DTM debut. The 30-year-old has numerous achievements as a GT driver, including IMSA GTLM and GTD title wins, a FIA GT World Cup win and victories in the 24-hour races at Le Mans, Spa-Francorchamps, the Nürburgring and Dubai. Dennis Olsen will be driving the second car. The 25-year-old had his biggest success in the Bathurst 12-hour race and the Kyalami 9 Hour. In 2019, Olsen was able to claim victory with a Porsche in both races.

“I am massively looking forward to the season. The team has made a name for itself in the sport within a really short time and I am looking forward to working with them now. The season will certainly not be easy because competition is really strong. Nevertheless, it is our ambition to be successful. For me, being alone in the car is a while ago, motivation is accordingly high. As far as I am concerned, it can start,” Laurens Vanthoor says, emphasising an unique feature in DTM, the one-car-one-driver principle. Teammate Dennis Olsen is full of anticipation, too: “I am very much looking forward to DTM! For me, racing in such a strong field of drivers is a great challenge.”

Following a successful initial cooperation last year, Frederic Elsner, director event & operations of the DTM organisation ITR, is also happy about the full-season involvement and the driver line-up: “The team’s achievements speak for themselves and the past has shown that the team has to be taken into account. SSR Performance is embarking on the season with a driver line-up that is well-known in GT circles. Moreover, we are happy to welcome Dennis Olsen as the first-ever Norwegian in DTM, adding another nation, the 32nd, to this international competition.”