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Category: Endurance Racing
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Arjun Maini forced out after a stellar start: DTM series
Zolder (Belgium), 9 August 2021: Mercedes-AMG DTM driver Arjun Maini had to end his weekend at the Zolder race circuit prematurely after suffering a damaged chassis through no fault of his own.
Maini, who is backed by Omega Seiki and J.K.Tyre, made a stellar start during the first race of the weekend in Belgium. The 23-year-old overtook four cars, moving up to 11th before ultimately becoming a victim of circumstance as the pack made their way into Turn 5.
The DTM rookie, who at the time was locked in a battle with title protagonist Liam Lawson, as well as experienced campaigner Daniel Juncadella, was battling for 10th place before Juncadella made an uncharacteristic error, missing his braking point and hitting Arjun from the rear .The cascading result meant that both Maini and Lawson were taken out too, with ensuing carnage forcing all three drivers to retire before they could complete a single lap.
To rub salt into Maini’s wounds the damage sustained to his chassis was deemed so severe that the Indian had to miss the second race of the weekend entirely. Despite Juncadella’s public apology, the Mercedes-AMG driver was left bitterly disappointed after suffering yet another DNF.
“I’m obviously very disappointed by the end result as it means my weekend ended before even it started,” a palpably upset Maini stated.
“I made a great start and was able to make my way up to 11th, if it wasn’t for the incident, I’m sure I could have scored my first points of the season as I clearly had momentum on my side.
“Fair play to Daniel Juncadella for apologizing both privately and publicly. We all make errors at some point and it was unfortunate that I was caught up in an incident that had very little to do with me.
“There really isn’t much else to say and I’m looking forward to racing at the Nürburgring.”
Maini’s debut in DTM has proved to be anything but smooth. The Indian driver has shown flashes of pace but has simultaneously had a large helping of bad luck thrown his way during the races so far.
The latest incident has to hurt the most as the Mercedes-AMG driver will leave Belgium without even having completed a lap of racing. However, with more than half a season of racing to go, Maini is more than capable of securing a few strong results to round out his championship.
The next race of the 2021 season is scheduled to take place at the legendary Nürburgring circuit in Germany on August 20-22.
Note: Updated 14 Aug 2021
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Arjun Maini shows speed but forced to retire in Race 1: DTM
Lausitz (Germany), 25 July 2021: Mercedes-AMG racing star Arjun Maini made significant progress during the second weekend of the 2021 DTM season with the Indian topping Free Practice 1 and qualifying sixth for the first race before ultimately retiring due to damage sustained from a racing incident.
The Omega Seiki Mobility and J.K.Tyre backed driver made the most of his knowledge of the Lausitzring circuit, placing his Mercedes AMG GT3 race car in first and fourth during the two practice sessions on Friday before qualifying sixth for Race 1. While this represented a marked improvement from his weekend at Monza, the Bangalore-based driver had to take his place at the rolling start on the outside, meaning he had faced a distinct disadvantage heading into Turn 1.
The competitive nature of the DTM championship meant there was an intense battle for position at the start with Maini sandwiched between two drivers with his Mercedes being forced off the race circuit going into Turn 3. The Indian and his GetSpeed racing team had a mountain to climb and while their efforts did yield some success, Maini’s race was once again curtailed with the team having to retire him with ten minutes to go as they were worried about damage sustained to his brakes and potential engine issues after the incident on the first lap.
Sunday was just as eventful, with the Mercedes-AMG driver showing his speed once again. The Indian missed out on a potential front-row start after a mistake in sector three lost him valuable time, meaning he had to contend with a ninth place on the starting grid for Race 2. The former Le Mans’ driver spent a large chunk of the race battling Red Bull F1 reserve driver Alex Albon, with their intense squabble hampering both drivers and costing Maini his shot at scoring his first points in the series.
Speaking about the weekend Maini stated, “Despite the final result, I’m reasonably happy with how the weekend progressed. I think it’s important to remember that there are some very experienced drivers on this grid and racing wheel to wheel with them is both challenging and exciting.
“While we ultimately failed to score our first points of the season, I definitely feel like this weekend was a huge step-forward over Monza. My objective is to keep improving and hopefully, both the team and I can get our first points at next round in Zolder.”
With the likes of Timo Glock, Marco Wittmann, and Mike Rockenfeller now racing bumper to bumper with Maini, the Indian certainly has his work cut out for him. However, based on current pace and growing experience with just 4 races under his belt it is safe to say that a good result is just around the corner for the Mercedes-AMG man.
The third round of the 2021 DTM championship will take place on the weekend between August 6-8th at the Zolderrace circuit in Belgium.
Note: Updated on 26th July 2021 at 8pm
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Arjun Maini hoping to build on his experience before DTM Round 2
Lausitz (Germany), 23 July 2021: Mercedes AMG racing driver Arjun Maini is looking to secure his first points of the season as the DTM visits the popular Lausitzring track for the second round of the 2021 championship.
The Omega Seiki Mobility and J.K.Tyre backed driver had a baptism of fire, having had limited testing in the lead up to the first race of the season and a DNF ultimately ending his weekend prematurely. Nevertheless, Maini gained valuable experience over the course of the race weekend, and with his GT debut now firmly in the rearview mirror, the Indian will be looking to build on his experience as looks to secure his first points of the season.
Speaking about this weekend’s event Maini stated, “I’m looking forward to this race. The track is going to be interesting because going into Turn 1 we will be using the oval banking while the rest of the track remains the standard GP layout.
“The set-up will be key as everyone will have to compromise somewhere, though I am confident the boys at GetSpeed will be able to work around any constraints. Obviously pre-season testing here went well for me, however, with the new layout, which is challenging for everyone, it will be interesting to see how the weekend progresses.
“As always I’d like to thank my partners OSM, J.K.Tyre and Mercedes AMG who are all playing a crucial role in helping me build my experience in the DTM, as the days progress I am feeling more confident in the Mercedes AMG GT3 race car and I am confident that a strong result is right around the corner.”
As touched on by Maini, the Lausitzring track is famous for its banked turn 1, which is reminiscent of the final turn at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. The weekend is set to get underway this Friday, July 23, with the qualifying and races themselves taking place on Saturday, July 24, and Sunday, July 25.
The sessions will be broadcasted live in India on https://www.youtube.com/user/autocarindia1.Saturday
Qualifying1: 14:00
Race 1: 17:00
Sunday
Qualifying 2: 13:40
Race 2: 17:00 -
Arjun Maini becomes first Indian to race in DTM GT3
Monza, 20 June 2021: Mercedes-AMG driver Arjun Maini had a baptism of fire during the first round of the DTM championship held at the Monza race track in Italy this weekend. Maini became the first Indian to race in the DTM championship.
Omega Seiki Mobility (OSM) and J.K.Tyre Motorsport backed racing driver Arjun Maini had a difficult start to his DTM campaign as the rookie faced a stern challenge against the championship’s more experienced campaigners.
The Indian had to deal with the added burden of having to adjust his driving style to suit the requirements of a GT3 racecar with very limited testing, after spending the last few seasons in Endurance Racing competing in the LMP2 class. Further Maini only had two practice sessions of 45 minutes each to acclimatize to both the circuit and racecar.
Racing for the GetSpeed team, Maini made steady progress over the course of the weekend with the Indian feeling more comfortable in his Mercedes AMG GT3 car as the sessions progressed.
The highpoint of Maini’s weekend came in Race 2 when he was locked in a battle with Mercedes stablemate Vincent Abril (who finished second in Race 1) before a mechanical failure ended his weekend prematurely.
“Today [Sunday] we were fighting for points before we had to retire with an ABS issue,” Maini explained.
“We had a Good start and we were Three Cars Side by side between Turn 1 and 2 . I held on to my Position but a small contact at that point caused the final failure later on in the race.”
“We had good pace in the second race and there was definitely significant progress made over the course of the weekend.”
“Becoming the first Indian to race in the DTM for me personally was a very special moment. While the final result may not have been what we wanted, I am proud of the progress we made as a team and we will regroup and come back stronger for the next round.”
Considering Maini has essentially missed an entire year’s worth of racing in Europe due to the ongoing pandemic, and the fact that there is a learning curve for even the most experienced of drivers given the shift to GT3 specification, Maini’s weekend could be classified as a success.
The second round of the DTM Championship will take place at the Lausitzring in Germany on 23rd and 24th of July. The Mercedes-AMG driver has previously tested on this circuit meaning he should be in contention to score his first points in the series. -
Akhil hopes to cash in on Circuit Zandvoort experience in the third round
Bengaluru, 18 June 2021: Akhil Rabindra the only Indian driver in the European GT4 Championship is back on the grid with a power paced round three race weekend at the Circuit Zandvoort in Netherland. Akhil, alongside his 19-Year-Old French teammate, Hugo Conde, will aim for a better finish this time given his previous experience on the track in 2019. The Europeans GT4 Championship’s third round will be held from June 18th-20th, 2021 and the race can be watched LIVE on the GT4 World YouTube Page. The 24-year-old Bengaluru born Akhil Rabindra also has enjoyed the rare distinction of not only being the only Indian on the European GT4 Championship Grid but he has also bagged a spot for the third straight year with the Aston Martin Racing (AMR) Driver Academy, inching closer towards realizing his dream of landing the coveted Academy Driver’s contract at the Aston Martin Racing Academy. Akhil also is the only Asian to have made it to the AMR Driver Academy since 2019.
Akhil will be racing for the second time at the Circuit Zandvoort. Earlier Akhil with his team mate David Griessner raced for PROSport Performance at the ADAC GT4 CHAMPIONSHIP in 2019. The duo finished at P4 in race one and were aiming for a P5 finish but due to a technical problem they finished at P21.
“We have raced at Circuit Zandvoort , but we had to face a technical glitch in our last outing at the circuit. We really want to make sure that we go a step better than the last time and again claim a better position. We will give our best, with competition getting higher a lot would be depending upon our driving. I am really looking forward to getting back on the racetrack with AGS Events Racing,” stated Akhil ahead of Round three of the European GT4 Championship.
Akhil finished at P13 and P14 in the Silver Category in round one (Monza) and two (Circuit Paul Ricard) respectively after retiring in race one of both the races due to technical glitch.
Circuit Zandvoort which is a 4.2252km long track consisting of 19 turning points and is a motorsport race track which has hosted a number of major races. Circuit Park Zandvoort played host to the first race in the 2006/07 of A1 Grand Prix. The circuit is known for its fast and sweeping corners. Akhil is currently supported by ASM Technologies, SmartFix and RV Forms and Gears.
For the complete schedule of the 2021 European GT4 Championship please visit: GT4 European Series | GT4 European Series (gt4series.com)
LIVE Streaming Time –
19th June 2021: GT4 European (Qualifying Race) – 21:35 Hrs (IST) Onwards
20th June 2021: GT4 European (Race 1) – 13:50 Hrs (IST) Onwards
20th June 2021: GT4 European (Race 2) – 20:35 Hrs (IST) Onwards
About European GT4 Championship:
The GT4 European Series is a sports car championship created and organised by SRO Motorsports Group. It is a pro/am championship which followed a formula similar to the FIA GT3 European Championship, which was itself derived from the FIA GT Championship which utilized the GT1 and GT2 classes.
GT4 class cars are mostly what can be referred to as track day cars, which are factory-built race cars available to the public. However, custom-built cars based on production models can also be built by teams. All cars are test driven by the FIA and then modified so that they all have near identical performance levels. Once a car has been approved by the FIA, it cannot be modified by the teams, eliminating continual development costs for constructors. All cars run on regulated Pirelli tires to further equalize performance.
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Ace Indian driver Arjun Maini confident of good show: DTM series
Monza (Italy), 16 June 2021: Mercedes-AMG driver Arjun Maini is confident of a good season ahead of the opening round of the revamped 2021 DTM series, scheduled to take place at the Monza race circuit in Italy between June 18-20. When quizzed at a press conference today about the probable contenders for the championship, the 23-year-old Indian driver backed himself to be the surprise performance of the season.
The Bangalore-based racer, who is supported by JK Racing, has recorded a series of firsts for Indians racing abroad, and with his foray into DTM is set to become the first Indian to compete full-time in the series. His debut DTM season with Mercedes-AMG backed GetSpeed racing team will mark a new challenge in Maini’s career after his previous expeditions in the FIA Formula 2 championship and the 24 Hours of Le Mans in the LMP2 category.
Speaking about his upcoming debut Maini commented, “I’m delighted to be back racing full-time after the lockdowns affected my 2020 season. I have been wanting to race in DTM since 2015, when I was still in Formula 3, so it feels a bit surreal to finally be able to make my debut. Competing in the series certainly won’t be easy but it’s the challenge that makes this experience so exciting for me.”
Talking about the season opener, Maini, highlighted the importance of tire management at Monza. “I personally love Monza as a circuit, and I think it’s always great for racing. However, the higher temperatures this weekend will result in tire degradation. So, it won’t be a flat-out sprint race, as tire management will be more important.”
Maini also extended thanks to his partners for their support, “As always I’d like to thank my partners for helping me tick another milestone off my bucket list. I wouldn’t have gotten here without the help of my longtime supporter J.K.Tyre who have been with me since my Formula 4 days. I would also like to welcome my latest partner Mumbai Falcons who I’m honored to say have supported my vision of becoming the first Indian to stand on a DTM podium.”
“Finally, I’d like to thank Mercedes-AMG and GetSpeed for giving me the opportunity to race one of these beasts. The Mercedes AMG GT3 race car is enthralling to drive, and I can’t wait to see what happens once the lights turn green on race day.”
DTM is Germany’s premier racing series, with pre-covid track attendance figures topping over 60 thousand on race day. An added dynamic to look out for this year is the championship’s technical overhaul, which now sees the introduction of the powerful and exciting GT3 class of racing cars.
This means that while the series will continue featuring the German triumvirate of Mercedes, BMW, and Audi, this year’s championship will now also welcome Italian stallions Ferrari and Lamborghini along with British stalwarts McLaren.
The 2021 DTM series will be broadcasted live in India at Autocar India’s YouTube channel – https://www.youtube.com/autocarindia1
Race Schedule – Autodromo Nazionale di Monza, June 19-20.Saturday
Qualifying: 14:00
Race 1: 17:00
Sunday
Qualifying: 13:40
Race 2: 17:00
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Technical glitches play spoilsport for Akhil Rabindra: Euro GT4
Le Castellet, 30 May 2021: CMR took a commanding one-two victory in the second European GT4 Series race on Sunday afternoon. The #8 Toyota of Antoine Potty and Stephane Lémeret won the race, with the #30 Alpine of Loris Cabirou and Vincent Beltoise taking second place.
Indian racer Akhil Rabindra of Silver Aston Martin Vantage AMR GT4 team, along with teammate H Conde, had a bad day and could finish only 29th among 41 cars. Earlier too, the duo failed to finish Race 1 and were not classified. On Saturday, they qualified P14.
Technical Glitches
Akhil Rabindra’s second round performance was marred by technical glitches at the Circuit Paul Ricard. The 24 year old Bengaluru born driver who also is the only Indian at the European GT4 Championships this season finished at P16 in the silver category. Akhil driving an Aston Martin Vantage GT4 for the AGS Events Racing team took to the drivers seat in Race 2 after he and his teammate Hugo Conde had to retire after 16 laps in Race 1 due to engine issues. Akhil is also the only Asian to have made it to the coveted Aston Martin Racing drivers academy in 2021, a feat that he has achieved for the third straight year in a row.
Retire from Race 1 due to Faulty Engine
Akhil & Hugo earlier had to retire due to a faulty engine in Race 1 after having qualified at P14 in the qualifying race. Race 1 saw them completing 16-laps in 38:29.167 minutes. Post this Akhil took the steering in Race 2 scripting an impressive run to finish P15 in the Silver category. Akhil completed Race 2 in 1:01:40.275 minutes on Sunday evening (30th May,2021) at Circuit Paul Ricard to finish at an overall 29th place from a grid of 41 cars.
Rabindra commented, “There’re plenty of opportunities for us to improve and we’ll be working on it. I, personally, have grasped a lot and can’t wait to work on my shortcomings to better my performances for the upcoming races now.”
Stunning start for Jim Pla
Jim Pla in the #87 AKKA ASP Mercedes-AMG took control of the race right at the start from third on the grid, leaving front row starters Gregory Guilvert in the #42 Audi, Antoine Potty in the #8 Toyota and Charlie Fagg in the #23 McLaren behind.
The two Pro-Am drivers were separated by just a couple of seconds and maintained their one-two overall for half of the race, but on lap 14 Antoine Potty managed to put his CMR Toyota in between the Mercedes and the Audi.
Potty maintained a healthy lead over Charlie Fagg and Thijmen Nabuurs in the battle for Silver Cup honours and when the front runners dived into the pits, the gap between the class leader and his pursuers was over seven seconds.
After all teams had completed their mandatory stops the #87 Mercedes-AMG was still leading, but Stephane Lémeret in the #8 Toyota lapped quicker than Beaubelique and the Belgian driver made a comfortable pass on lap 18.
Two laps later Fabien Michal in the #42 Audi also jumped Beaubelique to take the Pro-Am lead. In the meantime Vincent Beltoise in the #30 CMR Alpine passed Jop Rappange in the V8 Racing Chevrolet to take second in Silver. On the penultimate lap Beltoise overtook Michal, but time had run out for Beltoise to try and catch his team mate and challenge him for the race win.
Stephane Lémeret crossed the line 2.682s clear of Vincent Beltoise, ensuring a CMR one-two on home soil and the second outright victory of the Toyota GR Supra GT4 in the GT4 European Series. The #17 V8 Racing Camaro of Thijmen Nabuurs and Jop Rappange completed the Silver Cup podium finishing fourth on the road.
Saintéloc Racing claimed its second Pro-Am victory at Circuit Paul Ricard with Fabien Michal and Gregory Guilvert ultimately finishing third overall in the #42 Audi. The #87 AKKA ASP Mercedes-AMG of Jim Pla and Jean-Luc Beaubelique ended the race second in class, finishing fifth overall, while the #5 Team Speedcar Audi of Hodier and Courroye took the final Pro-Am podium spot.
Hodier finished just 0.293s clear of the #34 Selleslagh Racing Team Mercedes-AMG of Bosco and Muth, with the #718 Centri Porsche Ticino car of Jacoma and Busnelli completing the Pro-Am top five.
The battle for Am honours went down to the wire. Christophe Hamon and Michael Blanchemain won the race after Hamon took the lead from the #3 CMR Toyota of Benezet and Cazalbon just four minutes from the end. The #89 AGS Events Aston Martin of Gomar and Herr finished in third place, with Gomar passing the #50 W&D Racing Team BMW of Meloni and Tresoldi right at the end of the race.
The next round of the GT4 European Series will be held at Zandvoort on June 18-20. The series will support the Fanatec GT World Challenge Europe Powered by AWS Sprint Cup in the Netherlands. The two one-hour races at Zandvoort will be held on Sunday.Note: The article was updated on May 31.
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Akhil hopes for a podium at the familiar Paul Ricard track
Bengaluru, 28 May 2021 :The only Indian driver in the 44-car grid for the European GT4 Championship, Akhil Rabindra is hoping for a podium finish at the Circuit Paul Ricard–Le Castellet in France, this weekend from May 28 to 30. The 24-year Indian has bagged a spot at the Aston Martin Racing (AMR) Driver Academy for the third time in a row this year.
Akhil will be driving an Aston Martin Racing V8 Vantage GT4 with his 19-Year-Old French teammate, Hugo Conde for the AGS Events Racing Team.
This will be the third time that Akhil will be racing at the Circuit Paul Ricard. Prior to this race, he has raced at the French FFSA GT Championship in there previous season where in he along with his teammate Vannelet made a strong comeback finishing P6 in the Pro-Am category and an overall P10 position in Race 2 while finishing P9 in their respective category in Race 1.
However, the 5.8km Circuit Paul Ricard might be familiar for most teams, but the difference from the final race of the 2020 GT4 European Series six months ago could not be bigger. The championship has seen an incredible increase in entries, with 44 cars set to contest the two races on Sunday compared with 18 last November.
In the 2019 European GT4 Championship Akhil alongside his teammate, Florian Thoma managed to finish at P4 but a late penalty put them at overall P15. Later, the duo clocked an impressive time and managed to finish at P5 in the qualifying and P7 in the second race.
“The track has an interesting mix of fast and slow speed corners. The competition will definitely be higher and a lot would depend upon our driving.I am really looking forward to getting back on the racetrack with AGS Events Racing,” stated Akhil post the race weekend.
The season got underway at Monza with a double win for the #23 United Autosports entry of Charlie Fagg and Bailey Voisin and the pair will now try to take McLaren’s first outright win at Circuit Paul Ricard to increase their championship lead. United Autosports will also enter the sister #32 machine for Dean Macdonald and Gus Bowers, currently third in the Silver Cup standings.
Qualifying on Saturday, as well as the two races on Sunday, will be shown live and free of charge on the GT4 European Series website and SRO Motorsport Group’s GT World YouTube channels.
LIVE Streaming Time – (gt4series.com)
29th May 2021:
GT4 European (Qualifying Race) – 15:25 Hrs (IST) Onwards
30th May 2021:
GT4 European (Race 1) – 13:20 Hrs (IST) Onwards
30th May 2021:
GT4 European (Race 2) – 21:05 Hrs (IST) Onward
About European GT4 Championship:
The GT4 European Series is a sports car championship created and organised by SRO Motorsports Group. It is a pro/am championship which followed a formula similar to the FIA GT3 European Championship, which was itself derived from the FIA GT Championship which utilized the GT1 and GT2 classes.
GT4 class cars are mostly what can be referred to as track day cars, which are factory-built race cars available to the public. However, custom-built cars based on production models can also be built by teams. All cars are test driven by the FIA and then modified so that they all have near identical performance levels. Once a car has been approved by the FIA, it cannot be modified by the teams, eliminating continual development costs for constructors. All cars run on regulated Pirelli tires to further equalize performance.
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Akhil Rabindra makes it to Aston Martin Academy again
Bangalore,19 May 2021: Bengaluru based 24-year-old GT4 racer Akhil Rabindra, today made it to the coveted list of the Aston Martin Racing Driver Academy third time in a row for the 2021 class. Akhil who is currently competing for AGS Events Racing team at the European GT4 Championships, is the only Asian to have made it to the prestigious AMR driving academy along with 14 others from across the world. The British luxury sportscar manufacturer made this important announcement today. Aston Martin through their driver academy aim to search for the next generation of GT4 endurance superstars and the 2021 class has only 15 elite drivers ( all between 17-26 years) from around the world competing with the hope to land up with an Aston Martin Junior drivers contract a year later. Akhil currently drives an Aston Martin Vantage GT4 for AGS Events Racing team.
Akhil will be racing the second round of the 2021 season at the European GT4 Championships from 28th-30th May,2021. The race would be hosted at the Paul Ricard circuit.
A thrilled and excited Akhil reacted after the announcement saying, “I am extremely excited and delighted to be on the AMR Driver Academy again this season. This year I have all the experience gathered from the past two years and no excuses to perform to the best to my ability to prove to myself and AMR. I would like to thank my sponsors, AGS Events Racing Team for their continued support and faith in my dream.”
The selection criteria to this elite program are based on a wide range of criteria including pace, consistency and technical feedback. The judging panel included AMR President David King, Managing Director John Gaw, two-time 24 Hours of Le Mans winner Jonny Adam (GB), works star Ross Gunn (GB), and Hasse-Clot. The judging panel also evaluate each drivers’ ability to manage the strategic,teamwork, commercial and public relations aspects of their role.
Rabindra is the only Asian to have made it to the highly respected AMR Driver Academy for consecutive years in 2019-20 & 2020-2021. The 24 year old racer will also the only Indian driver in the European GT4 Championship this season.
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Looking Forward to driving the Mercedes AMG GT3 in DTM, says Arjun Maini
Bengaluru/Virtual, 6 April 2021: Arjun Maini, who is set to become the first Indian to compete in DTM full-time, expressed his excitement about racing for the Mercedes-AMG Performance Team GetSpeed in the upcoming 2021 DTM season at the wheel of the Mercedes-AMG GT3 during a virtual media conference on Tuesday. The 23-year-old former Haas F1 Team Development Driver will be competing in eight rounds (16 races) in the series, which will be held across Europe from June 2021 to October 2021.
“Everyone knows how big the DTM championship is and I followed it a lot while growing up as well. And now to be a part of DTM as the Mercedes-AMG driver with the GetSpeed team is an absolute honour and pleasure for me. I just can’t wait to continue testing and I am really excited for what’s coming,” said Maini.
The racer further expressed that he is looking forward to being alone in a car once again, “I will be racing in a GT car for the first time. In a way, it’s going back to being alone in a car. I have been sharing a car in the last two years because I have been in Endurance Racing . So, it’s good to be on my own again and pushing for myself. But the competition is going to be really high and I am ready for it. I have to be on top of my game throughout the season, so I have to make sure that I am consistently performing at the highest level that I can deliver, and I think we should be alright.”
Stefan Wendl, Head of Mercedes-AMG Customer Racing, expressed that Arjun is exactly the type of driver the team was looking for, “We had been in discussion with all potential DTM drivers and then we came across a young Indian driver and we thought it would be interesting for him to join us. Then we put all our heads together along with the GetSpeed team and we made it work. He (Arjun) fits exactly the type of drivers we try to attract for this program. Now, among our seven contracted drivers, we will have a good mix of well experienced drivers and few very young, but talented drivers. We need to keep steeping up to be successful in the season.”
Steve Buschmann Team Manager, Getspeed Performance said that the team could see how motivated Arjun is to race in the DTM series from the moment they contacted him for the first time, “The DTM is a new start for every team in 2021 and it is giving new opportunities to drivers like Arjun. The DTM series will not have cockpit sharing and I think this was one of the reasons that Arjun was interested in joining DTM because there won’t be another person, who shares the cockpit with him. We got in contact with him, and his management and we could see how motivated he was to join the DTM and to join us. The more the discussions went on, the more we were convinced that this is the right man. Arjun is very motivated and very professional. We have enjoyed the partnership with him from the first minute we met him. We are absolutely looking forward to race with him this year.”
GT3 cars will feature in the DTM series for the first time in 2021. A race weekend will consist of two free practice sessions on Friday and then a qualifying and a one-hour race including a pit stop on both Saturday and Sunday.
The opening round of the season is set to take place from June 18 2021 – June 20 2021 in Monza, Italy. Thereafter, the series will be held at the Norisring from July 2 to 4, Lausitzring from July 23 to 25, Zolder from August 6 to 8, Nürburgring on August 20 to 22, Red Bull Ring from September 3 to 5, and Assen from September 17 to 19, before the Hockenheimring conducts the grand finale on October 1 2021 to October 3 2021.
