GRT goes all out one last time at the DTM finale: Alessio Deledda secures top-ten result at Hockenheimring 10.10.2022: • Alessio Deledda celebrates his first point in the DTM with the Lamborghini Huracán GT3 EVO • Clemens Schmid stopped in his tracks on course for a podium in Sunday's race in Hockenheim • Red flag in qualifying denies Mirk

•    Alessio Deledda celebrates his first point in the DTM with the Lamborghini Huracán GT3 EVO

•    Clemens Schmid stopped in his tracks on course for a podium in Sunday's race in Hockenheim


•    Red flag in qualifying denies Mirko Bortolotti a shot on pole position


•    Team principal Gottfried Grasser: "Alessio did a mega job today. He absolutely deserved his first point and with this success has ensured that Lamborghini has become the best-placed Italian manufacturer in the championship."
 



The Grasser Racing crew experienced a bittersweet finale to a dramatic debut season in the DTM on Sunday. The Austrian Lamborghini outfit threw everything at it once again in the final race of the year at the Hockenheimring. In the end, Alessio Deledda's race provided the highlight on a day when much more was possible.



The Italian clinched his first DTM championship point with tenth place. Clemens Schmid had earlier been stopped by a puncture while driving in third place. Mirko Bortolotti was robbed of his pole chance in the morning qualifying session when a red flag stopped him on course for the fastest laptime. Rolf Ineichen's fourth Lamborghini Huracán GT3 EVO was not on the grid for the 16th and final race of the season after an incident on Saturday.


The last race day of the season already started with a rollercoaster of emotions for GRT. In the second qualifying session at the 4.574 km long Hockenheimring, Clemens Schmid sensationally put his car onto the front row of the grid.



The Austrian was rewarded for his strongest qualifying result in the DTM to date with two more championship points. Alessio Deledda was also pleased with his best qualifying in the prestigious racing series. The 27-year-old put his Lamborghini Huracán GT3 EVO on the seventh row of the grid.



Mirko Bortolotti, on the other hand, once more was out of luck. He was on course for pole with purple sectors when the session was stopped due to an accident. Despite two and a half minutes remaining, race control decided against a restart, which led to the Lamborghini factory driver ending up without a competitive run.



The race over the distance of 55 minutes plus one lap started on a good note for the GRT drivers. Clemens Schmid pulled away from the field on the opening laps as part of the leading trio, while Mirko Bortolotti started his fightback through the pack. Within four laps, the 32-year-old Italian made up six positions until a puncture forced him to retire early. The same fate befell Clemens Schmid on the 16th lap. The 32-year-old was running in third place after his pit stop and put pressure on the leading duo. With an advantage at times as high as seven seconds over the car behind, he had been unchallenged on his way to his first podium in the DTM. After the unscheduled pit stop, he had to park his car for good on lap 23.



As the last of the GRT warriors, Alessio Deledda showed his best race of the season with the second stint. The GT3 rookie had steadily improved over the eight race weekends behind the wheel of the Lamborghini Huracán GT3 EVO and delivered for his team at the crucial moment. In the closing stages, he at times drove the fastest laps in the field, working his way towards the top-ten. At the finish, he was rewarded with the first point in his young DTM career in tenth place.


This strong performance rounded off GRT's team showing in the 2022 DTM championship. Thanks to his success, all four of the team's Lamborghini Huracán GT3 EVOs made it into the points in the racing team's debut season. Mirko Bortolotti finished the championship as the best-placed driver for team principal Gottfried Grasser's squad. With five podiums and one pole position, he finished fourth overall. For his four fastest race laps, he was also awarded the Autohero Fastest Lap Award at the end of the season as the most successful driver in this discipline.





Alessio Deledda (ITA)
#6 Lamborghini Huracán GT3 EVO
Qualifying: P14 - Race: P10



Alessio Deledda: "Finally we made it! It was the best race of the season for me and I'm super happy. A big thank you to the whole team and to Lamborghini, and especially to my race engineer. He gave me the perfect strategy yesterday and we missed our first points due to bad luck.


It feels fantastic to have made it today. The pace was good and the car just perfect. I felt very comfortable and was fully focused on getting this point throughout the whole race. I really wanted it for myself and my crew. We all deserved it for all our hard work this season."






Clemens Schmid (AUT)
#85 Lamborghini Huracán GT3 EVO
Qualifying: P2 - Race: DNF


Clemens Schmid: "In qualifying we had great pace and the right timing. Second place on the grid was a real boost for all of us and we started the race with a good feeling. Things went perfectly in the first stint. I was faster than the two drivers in front of me and we chose to wait for the pit stop. On the second set of tires the pace was also competitive, but right in front of me they kept making contact. I was following closely behind them and couldn't avoid the debris.



The puncture was unavoidable and this outcome is very bitter. On the other hand, I'm incredibly proud of my crew. We worked extremely hard over the year and kept improving. In the second half of the season we were the best-placed Lamborghini in qualifying four times and to fight for the podium in the last race was a great feeling."






Mirko Bortolotti (ITA)
#63 Lamborghini Huracán GT3 EVO
Qualifying: P18 - Race: DNF

Mirko Bortolotti: "We had a lot of bad luck in qualifying today. I was on a really good lap and we had a chance for pole, but then the red flag came out. Unfortunately, race control chose not to restart the session. We couldn't make sense of the decision, but we had to accept it.


In the end this put us in a difficult position for the race and I had to retire after just a few laps with a left rear puncture. We had hoped for a different end to the season, but the disappointment doesn’t take away the positives. I'm proud of my team and of Lamborghini for the performance we showed in our first season in DTM. We managed to give the big players here a hard time and were in contention for the title right to the end."





Gottfried Grasser, Team Principal of GRT: "Alessio did a mega job today. He absolutely deserved his first point and with this success has ensured that Lamborghini has become the best-placed Italian manufacturer in the championship. I feel incredibly sorry for Clemens. He did everything right and the podium was within his grasp. He had the pace and drove a superb race.


Unfortunately, debris on the track punctured his tire. Mirko also deserved more today. He was super focused and was on a mega lap in qualifying. It's a great pity that the two didn't get what they and their crews deserved. All in all, it was still a great first year for us in the DTM. My thanks go to our entire team and the fantastic support from Lamborghini Squadra Corse."
 



Nicole Melleg- photos Gruppe C