Team Abt Sportsline
The company Abt Sportsline based in Kempten (Allgäu) has a long, successful history in automobile sport. Under the name Audi Sport Team Abt Sportsline , it has been competing in the DTM as the Audi Sport works team since 2004 . The DTM team has around 53 members. Team leader is Hans-Jürgen Abt .
From 2014 , the team also competed in the FIA Formula E championship , here too, Hans-Jürgen Abt was team boss. In October 2016, all Formula E activities were outsourced to the newly founded Abt Formula E GmbH , which was a wholly owned subsidiary of Abt Sportsline. This company was completely taken over by Audi in July 2017, but the races will continue to be managed by Abt Sportsline.
With a motorcycle race on the grass track in 1950, Johann Abt started his career and with it the motorsport career of his company. Today Abt Sportsline is one of the most successful German motorsport teams and has won titles in the Super Touring Car Cup (driver title: 1999), in the DTM (driver title: 2002, 2004, 2007, 2008, 2009; team title: 2004, 2007, 2011) and the ADAC GT Masters (driver title: 2009; team title: 2010) three of the most important German racing series of recent years.
The most successful year for Abt Sportsline to date was 2009, when the team competed in three series and each won the title: in the DTM ( Timo Scheider ), in the ADAC GT Masters ( Christian Abt ) and in the ADAC Formula Masters ( Daniel Abt ).
In the 24-hour race at the Nürburgring , Abt Sportsline has not yet clinched an overall victory despite several attempts.
Johann Abbot
At the age of 15, Johann Abt contested his first race on a motorcycle in 1950. Because he was so young, he needed the permission of his mother Rosina and the military government to compete on the grass track. 1952 saw the first of around 200 victories with a motorcycle. He won the “Oberallgäuer Bergfahrt” on a DKW motorcycle (he later became a works pilot for the brand).
In total, Johann Abt won five off-road and motocross titles.
In 1954, Abt took third place in the “ six days drive ”, the most important international competition for nations in enduro sport. In the last hour of the last day Abt was in the lead, but when a DKW teammate broke the rear wheel, Abt stopped and helped. In 1955 he was part of the winning team.
In addition to cross-country race denied Johann Abt both with the bike, but also increasingly by car Hill Climb . For a long time, Abt relied on the DKW brand in both vehicle classes.
In 1966, Johann Abt convinced Fiat tuner Carlo Abarth at a sighting, in which Jochen Rindt also took part, and received a works contract. Abt won 29 out of 30 races in the first Abarth year. A year later he was successful 17 times. The most important title in the Abarth era was the EM-Tröphäe with the Abarth 1000 in the small division in 1970.
In order to be able to take care of the family's own car business and the tuning branch that Johann Abt had added, he terminated the works contract after his European Championship victory. Abt used the 290 hp Abarth 1000 privately until the end of his active career in 1975.
Because of his driving style, Johann Abt was often called "the young wild man from Kempten".
Johann Abbot in 1967
Johann Abbot in the Abarth 1000 in 1970
Super Touring Car Cup (STW)
1996
After engagements in the ADAC GT Cup and Formula 3 , Abt Sportsline started in 1996 in the Super Touring Car Cup (STW), the highest German touring car class at the time. The drivers of the two Abt- Audi A4 Quattro, which corresponded to the technical status of the previous year, were Christian Abt and Kris Nissen , team principal was Hans-Jürgen Abt.
Abt scored points in every race. His best racing results were a second place in the sprint race on the Sachsenring and third places in the main races on the Sachsenring and the Avus .
At the season opener in Zolder, Nissen achieved his best result of the season with third place in the main race.
In the final table, Abt and Nissen took 4th and 13th place. Abt won the private driver ranking and thus 73,000 DM in prize money. In the team ranking, Abt Sportsline took fourth place.
At the end of 1996, the team also started in the four-round Rainbow Cup in South Africa. Abt came second overall. In the last race a naked man ran out onto the track. Leader of the table Abt was so irritated by this that opponent Joachim Winkelhock pulled past him and thus also secured the cup title.
STW driver squad: Christian Abt (4th place, 1st place private driver, "Rookie of the Year"), Kris Nissen (13th place)
Car: Audi A4 Quattro (2-liter four-cylinder, 296 hp, 1,040 kg, all-wheel drive)
Christian and Johann Abt, STW 1996
1997
In 1997, Abt Sportsline started the second STW year with two Audi A4 cars. Christian Abt and Kris Nissen could not build on the successes of the previous year. Main reason: The new tire partner Yokohama could not keep up with the products of other suppliers in the development of its tires for budget reasons.
Driver squad: Christian Abt (13th place), Kris Nissen (9th place)
Car: Audi A4 Quattro (2-liter four-cylinder, 296 hp, 1,040 kg, all-wheel drive)
Kris Nissen and Christian Abt, STW 1997
1998
In 1998 Audi handed over the responsibility for the works operation in the STW to Abt Sportsline under the direction of Hans-Jürgen Abt. The Allgäuer also took over the works drivers Frank Biela and Emanuele Pirro . The third driver was Christian Abt. All three drivers competed with a revised Audi A4 that had no quattro all-wheel drive due to regulations. To make matters worse, in contrast to the competition from Honda , BMW , Alfa Romeo , Nissan , Opel and Peugeot, the A4 engine, which was installed longitudinally, had a negative impact on the center of gravity and was technically outdated. In twelfth overall, Christian Abt was the best Audi driver at the end of the season.
Driver squad: Christian Abt (12th place), Frank Biela (14th place), Emanuele Pirro (16th place)
Car: Audi A4 (2-liter four-cylinder, 310 hp, 975 kg, front-wheel drive)
1999
After Audi had withdrawn completely from the STW because of the beginning of the Le Mans project, Abt Sportsline took over the commitment on its own. Abt upgraded the '98 front-wheel drive Audi to all-wheel drive, which the regulations allowed for private teams again. In the very first race of the season, Christian Abt fought for his first STW pole, his first touring car victory and the first victory of a private team in the STW. In nine out of ten races either Abt or teammate Kris Nissen stood on the podium, or both together.
The season was marked by the duel between Christian Abt and Opel driver Uwe Alzen . Since Abt was pushed off the track by Alzen's brand colleague Roland Asch in the last and decisive race , the decision was made before the sports court. A recording of the controversial situation filmed from the stands finally resulted in the decision in favor of Christian Abt on November 10, 1999, who thus became the last champion of the STW discontinued after the end of the season.
Driver squad: Christian Abt (1st place), Mattias Ekström (23rd place, only available in Oschersleben), Kris Nissen (5th place)
Car: Audi A4 quattro (2-liter four-cylinder, 306 hp, 1,040 / 1,070 kg, all-wheel drive)
Christian Abt, STW 1999
Christian Abt and Kris Nissen with the Abt team, STW 1999
DTM
2000
Abt Sportsline joined the revived DTM in 2000 and competed as a private team against the works teams of Mercedes-Benz and Opel. Team boss Hans-Jürgen Abt only got the approval to take part in the DTM races on January 31, 2000 from the organizer ITR eV
While Opel and Mercedes were already testing the new cars, Abt Sportsline was just beginning to develop the Abt-Audi TT-R . The four emergency vehicles were built by the British company Foss-Tech . The CEO's son, James Thompson , received a cockpit for the season. Christian Abt and Kris Nissen were just as much a part of the driver squad as they did in the STW era. The multiple STW champion Laurent Aïello was hired as a further reinforcement .
The TT-R, which was put on the wheels in just 100 days, lagged behind in the first races. The first points were only achieved on the third last race weekend in Oschersleben . Aiello, Thompson, Abt and Nissen finished in 5th, 9th, 10th and 11th, thanks to the loss of half the field. Points were also awarded at the last two events of the year. Since Christian Abt was unable to take part in the second race weekend in Oschersleben due to an overlap with the 24h race in Le Mans, Hans-Jürgen Abt brought Roland Asch into the team as a reconciling gesture, the same driver who almost claimed his brother the STW title last year would have brought.
Driver squad: Christian Abt (19th place), Laurent Aiello (16th place), Roland Asch (only Oschersleben I, no points), Kris Nissen (no points), James Thompson (18th place)
Car: Abt-Audi TT-R (silhouette coupé, 4-liter V8, 450 PS, 1,100 kg)
2001
Abt Sportsline started its second DTM season with a younger squad of drivers. The then 19-year-old Martin Tomczyk completed his first race in a touring car. The second new addition was the 23-year-old Swede Mattias Ekström, who had already completed an STW race for the Allgäu. They formed the driver quartet with Christian Abt and Laurent Aiello. Kris Nissen and James Thompson were no longer there.
The TT-R has also been significantly modified. The most noticeable change was that the rear was extended by 20 centimeters. The car was easier to control at the limit. In the second race of the year at the Nürburgring, Abt Sportsline won his first DTM victory through Laurent Aiello. When the DTM returned to the Eifel in the summer, the Frenchman won again. In the run after that on the A1-Ring in Austria, he finished second. Aiello and Abt also took two pole positions. Abt also won a qualifying race in Zandvoort . With these successes, the private team outstripped the Opel works team in the tables for drivers and teams.
Driver squad: Christian Abt (10th place), Laurent Aiello (5th place), Mattias Ekström (8th place), Martin Tomczyk (13th place)
Car: Abt-Audi TT-R (silhouette coupé, 4-liter V8, 450 PS, 1,080 kg)
2002
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With five modified 2001 cars (the most striking innovation is a double wing at the rear), Abt Sportsline entered the third DTM year. In addition to Christian Abt, Laurent Aiello, Mattias Ekström and Martin Tomczyk, the former Formula 1 driver Karl Wendlinger from Austria completed the quintet. The season started with a one-two at Hockenheim. This was the first time that Abt Sportsline led the DTM tables. The second run in Zolder also ended with a double success. At least one Abt driver celebrated on the podium in nine of the ten races. With the most wins, the most qualifying race wins, the most pole positions (4 each) and the most fastest race laps (3), Laurent Aiello became champion.
Driver squad: Christian Abt (7th place), Laurent Aiello (1st place), Mattias Ekström (3rd place), Martin Tomczyk (9th place), Karl Wendlinger (13th place)
Car: Abt-Audi TT-R (silhouette coupé, 4-liter V8, 455 hp, 1,080 kg)
2003
The fourth DTM year was the last for Abt Sportsline as a private team. The aim was to defend the title. To this end, the driver line-up has been increased by one more person. Not stars like Eddie Irvine and Ricardo Zonta , who, according to the team, had tried to get a place in the DTM cockpit, were awarded the contract, but an automotive apprentice from Abt: 19-year-old Peter Terting .
In 2003, Abt Sportsline only managed to win one victory despite an expanded driver squad. Laurent Aiello triumphed once more at the Nürburgring. One reason for the mediocre performance was a restriction of the aerodynamics by the regulations. The rear wing of the TT-R had to be lowered by 4 centimeters, the competition from Opel and Mercedes was allowed to extend the tail units. Another weak point was the engine of the TT-R, which had less power than the competing units.
Driver squad: Christian Abt (12th place), Laurent Aiello (6th place), Mattias Ekström (4th place), Peter Terting (15th place), Martin Tomczyk (17th place), Karl Wendlinger (16th place)
Car: Abt-Audi TT-R (silhouette coupé, 4-liter V8, 455 hp, 1,080 kg)
2004
After Audi's entry into the DTM, Abt Sportsline (alongside Joest Racing ) became one of two works teams from the Ingolstadt-based company. Like Opel and Mercedes-Benz, the Audi warehouse switched from the coupé to the sedan. The A4 DTM replaced the TT-R. Abt Sportsline was significantly involved in the development of the new car because of its experience in the DTM. The concept of the A4 was designed for maximum downforce, top speed played a subordinate role.
Mattias Ekström was the only driver to score points in all races, won four times and became champion. Team newcomer Tom Kristensen was fourth overall as the second best Abt driver. The driver pairing Ekström / Tomczyk won the team classification for Abt Sportsline.
Driver squad: Christian Abt (16th place), Mattias Ekström (1st place), Tom Kristensen (4th place), Martin Tomczyk (5th place)
Car: Audi A4 DTM type R11 (silhouette touring car, 4-liter V8, 460 hp, 1,080 kg)
2005
In its second DTM year, the Audi A4 DTM received the single-frame radiator grille that is now typical of the brand , which absorbs all the cooling air for the engine, brakes and driver. The car was very aggressive to drive and only had a very narrow set-up range in which it worked optimally.
Mattias Ekström once again got along best with the package. His duel with Mercedes driver Gary Paffett shaped the season. The championship lead changed seven times this year, and from the third race onwards Ekström and Paffett were never more than three points apart. But in contrast to last year, Paffett won the title this time. Ekström was second ahead of his Abt team-mate Tom Kristensen.
For the first time, Christian Abt was no longer part of his family's team this year. He traded places with Joest driver Allan McNish .
Driver squad: Mattias Ekström (2nd place), Tom Kristensen (3rd place), Allan McNish (10th place), Martin Tomczyk (13th place)
Car: Audi A4 DTM type R12 (silhouette touring car, 4-liter V8, 460 hp, 1,050 kg)
2006
After Opel left the DTM, former Formula 1 vice world champion Heinz-Harald Frentzen switched to the Audi works team Abt Sportsline in 2006. He replaced Allan McNish, but after just a year that ended in dispute, he left the contract early and resigned temporarily.
The cars from Audi and Mercedes were technically frozen and were only officially allowed to be improved in details. But the changes were profound. At Audi, for example, a new V8 was used for the first time after only improvements had been made to the TT-R unit in previous years.
As the best Abt driver, Tom Kristensen finished the season in third. Two victories contrasted with the first technically-related retirement ( Brands Hatch ) of his DTM career. Martin Tomczyk, who celebrated his first DTM victory in Barcelona, was fourth in the table.
Driver squad: Mattias Ekström (8th place), Heinz-Harald Frentzen (7th place), Tom Kristensen (3rd place), Martin Tomczyk (4th place)
Car: Audi A4 DTM type R12 plus (silhouette touring car, 4-liter V8, 460 hp, 1,070 kg)
2007
After a resinous previous year, the Audi Team Abt Sportsline returned in 2007. While Mercedes thoroughly revised the C-Class after a model change in series production, Audi only gave the A4, now called R13, an aerodynamic fine-tuning. The concept, which was previously strictly geared towards downforce, was now also competitive on fast routes. Nevertheless, the technology duel went to Mercedes with seven wins. Audi / Abt were successful three times.
Thanks to a constant scoring, Abt-driver Mattias Ekström one victory was enough to win the title. One of his biggest rivals was long-term team-mate Martin Tomczyk, who finally made his breakthrough in 2007. With two wins, he was third overall and thus had a large share in the Abt Sportsline team title.
Heinz-Harald Frentzen, who had left Audi in a quarrel, was replaced by Timo Scheider in 2007. The climber from a car from the previous year finished in seventh place in the table. Tom Kristensen had to pause until the Norisring race after a serious accident at the start in Hockenheim and didn't really get going after that either. The injured person was represented by Frank Biela (Oschersleben) and Markus Winkelhock ( EuroSpeedway , Brands Hatch).
Driver squad: Frank Biela (only one race, no points), Mattias Ekström (1st place), Tom Kristensen (14th place), Martin Tomczyk (3rd place), Timo Scheider (7th place), Markus Winkelhock (two races, pointless)
Car: Audi A4 DTM type R13 (silhouette touring car, 4-liter V8, 460 hp, 1,070 kg)
2008
In its ninth DTM season, Abt Sportsline received the four completely newly developed A4 DTMs of the type R14. The Team Rosberg and Phoenix had to settle for 2007 and 2006 with cars of vintages. In terms of personnel, everything stayed the same at Abt: Matthias Ekström, Tom Kristensen, Timo Scheider and Martin Tomczyk once again formed the Allgäu drivers' quartet.
Scheider got along very well with the new A4 DTM right from the start and already left the opponents behind in pre-season tests. Like his stable mate Ekström, he achieved three victories in the course of the year - Scheider's first in the DTM - but he was more consistent. He only missed the podium three times, and only once did he miss the podium. He had no failures.
Ekström's only zero point entry in the table was due to an exclusion. In the team ranking, the pairings Scheider / Kristensen and Ekström / Tomczyk took second and third place.
Driver squad: Mattias Ekström (3rd place), Tom Kristensen (8th place), Martin Tomczyk (7th place), Timo Scheider (1st place)
Car: Audi A4 DTM type R14 (silhouette touring car, 4-liter V8, 460 hp, 1,050 kg)
2009
In 2009, Abt Sportsline and Audi achieved the title hat trick with the slightly modified A4 (type R14 plus), something that no team or manufacturer in the DTM has ever achieved before. And Scheider was the first pilot after record champion Bernd Schneider (Mercedes) to defend his title.
After a failed qualifying game and punctured tires in the semifinals in Dijon (F), the Abt driver had to fear for his title until the last lap of the year. But even his fourth win of the season wasn't enough for Gary Paffett (Mercedes) to catch Scheider. The new champion only won twice, but was again very consistent. He owes his only zero to an exclusion in Zandvoort because he was late for the weigh-in.
In the team classification, Abt Sportsline had to admit defeat. As in the previous year, the pairings Scheider / Kristensen and Ekström / Tomczyk took second and third place.
For the first time, Brit Katherine Legge also started a woman for Abt Sportsline in the DTM. She competed under the applicant name Audi Sport Team Abt Lady Power, but remained without points. At the Norisring she took fifth place on the grid, but stalled the engine at the start and fell far behind. However, it marked the fastest race lap.
Driver squad: Mattias Ekström (5th place), Tom Kristensen (8th place), Katherine Legge (18th place), Timo Scheider (1st place), Martin Tomczyk (6th place)
Cars: Audi A4 DTM type R14 plus (silhouette touring car, 4-liter V8, 460 hp, 1,050 kg), Audi A4 type R14 (silhouette touring car, 4-liter V8, 460 hp, 1,025 kg)
2010
After three years with the driver quartet Ekström, Kristensen, Scheider and Tomczyk, the Audi Sport Team Abt Sportsline started in 2010 with new steering wheel staff. The young Briton Oliver Jarvis replaces Tom Kristensen, who had ended his touring car career. The Spaniard Miguel Molina finished fifth instead of Katherine Legge. Unlike his team-mates, the Spaniard drove a 2008 car. The other drivers were occupied by 2009 Audi, 2010 cars were neither from Audi nor Mercedes this year.
Defending champions Timo Scheider and Mattias Ekström each won once, but they had no chance against the strong Mercedes trio Paul Di Resta, Gary Paffett and Bruno Spengler . In the final table, they finished fourth (Ekström) and five (Scheider).
Newcomer Miguel Molina achieved five top eight results and was best newcomer in tenth overall. Oliver Jarvis, the second newcomer to the team, was only three points better than Molina despite the technical advantage of the new car, and like team-mate Tomczyk, did not make it to the podium and finished ninth overall.
Driver squad: Mattias Ekström (5th place), Oliver Jarvis (9th place), Miguel Molina (10th place), Timo Scheider (4th place), Martin Tomczyk (8th place)
Cars: Audi A4 DTM type R14 plus (silhouette touring car, 4-liter V8, 460 hp, 1,050 kg), Audi A4 type R14 (silhouette touring car, 4-liter V8, 460 hp, 1,025 kg)
2011
For the first time since 2001, Abt Sportsline competed in the DTM without Martin Tomczyk. After mixed performances in previous years, the Rosenheimer switched to Team Phoenix and competed there with a 2008 Audi A4. In exchange, Mike Rockenfeller came to Abt. In addition to "Rocky", Mattias Ekström, Oliver Jarvis and Timo Scheider again drove the Ingolstadt touring cars of the last expansion stage from 2009. Miguel Molina also started with a 2008 car for the Allgäu.
Newcomer Rockenfeller settled in well with the new team and celebrated his first DTM victory as an Abt driver in Zandvoort in the second race. Because of an accident at Le Mans he had to take a break at Lausitz (Tom Kristensen replaced him). On his comeback at the Norisring, he remained without points. The highlights of his second half of the season were a third place at the Nürburgring and the pole position at Brands Hatch. In the end he was sixth overall. Timo Scheider ended the year fourth. His season highlight was a second place at the Lausitzring .
Mattias Ekström suffered a hairline crack in his wrist while playing volleyball during the preparation for the season. As a result, the Swede missed important test kilometers with the new standard tires, but the consequences of the injury still hit him in the first races. After the summer break, Ekström scored three wins, a second and a third place. This put him in second place behind the surprise champion, his ex-team-mate Martin Tomczyk.
Ekström and Rockenfeller gave Abt Sportsline the title in the team classification.
Driver squad: Mattias Ekström (2nd place), Oliver Jarvis (10th place), Mike Rockenfeller (6th place), Timo Scheider (4th place), Miguel Molina (11th place)
Car: Audi A4 DTM type R14 plus (silhouette touring car, 4-liter V8, 460 PS, 1,050 kg), Audi A4 type R14 (silhouette touring car, 4-liter V8, 460 PS, 1,025 kg)
2012
Abt Sportsline had a bad start into the new DTM era, which began with the return of BMW and the introduction of new cars (at Audi: A5 DTM ). For the first time since the debut season in 2000, Abt Sportsline remained without a win in the DTM.
The 34-year-old Swede Mattias Ekström achieved three third places (Hockenheim, Zandvoort and Valencia) in his twelfth full season for Abt Sportsline and, as the best driver of the team, was sixth overall. Another podium was contributed by DTM newcomer Adrien Tambay, who finished second in Valencia. The son of the former Formula 1 driver Patrick Tambay collected further points with 5th place in Zandvoort. Team newcomer Rahel Frey achieved the best DTM result of her career with seventh place in Valencia. Timo Scheider achieved his best result with sixth place. His season highlight was the pole position in Zandvoort. In the race, however, he fell back after a false start and later retired after a collision.
Mattias Ekström won the individual competition of the DTM show event in the Munich Olympic Stadium . The pairing Tambay / Scheider took second place in the team relay competition.
Driver squad: Mattias Ekström (6th place), Rahel Frey (19th place), Timo Scheider (14th place), Adrien Tambay (10th place)
Car: Audi A5 DTM type R17 (silhouette coupé, 4-liter V8, 460 hp, 1,100 kilograms)
2013
In the run-up to the 2013 season, Rahel Frey Abt Sportsline and the vacated cockpit was occupied by Jamie Green . The name of the racing car was changed to Audi RS 5 DTM .
In 2013, Abt Sportsline completed another winless season in the DTM. No driver was able to intervene in the battle for the title. Mattias Ekström (2nd in Moscow ), Jamie Green (3rd in Oschersleben) and Timo Scheider (3rd in Zandvoort) each achieved a podium. In the race at the Norisring, Ekström was the first to cross the finish line, but was subsequently disqualified. His father and a mechanic had poured water bottles into his racing suit before the weighing. Thus the total weight of the driver was pushed up, which the racing stewards saw as a violation of the parc fermé rules. Abt then appealed, but failed before the appeal court of the German Motor Sport Association .
Driver squad: Mattias Ekström (7th place), Jamie Green (11th place), Timo Scheider (10th place), Adrien Tambay (14th place)
Car: Audi RS 5 DTM type R17 (silhouette coupé, 4-liter V8, 460 hp, 1,110 kilograms)
DTM record 2000-2013
- 5 driver titles: 2002 (Laurent Aiello), 2004, 2007 (Mattias Ekström), 2008, 2009 (Timo Scheider)
- 3 team titles: 2004, 2007, 2011
- 39 wins, 57 pole positions, 40 fastest race laps, 1,926 points
GT sport
In 1994, Abt Sportsline built a prototype based on the Audi Coupé , with which Hans-Jürgen Abt competed in the ADAC GT Cup . But there were no major successes. His younger brother Christian took over the car in the middle of the season, but he also only managed to make it onto the podium once with a third place in Spa. The division with Hans-Jürgen Abt as team boss and Christian Abt as driver remained in place in the years to come up to the DTM. The C5 used in the ADAC GT Cup is now in the Abt Museum in Kempten.
When Audi built a GT3 racing version of the R8 mid-engined sports car for customer racing in 2008, Abt Sportsline took part in the development work and was one of the first teams to receive a vehicle. In 2009, Abt Sportsline initially fielded one, later in the season two of these Audi R8 LMS vehicles in the ADAC GT Masters . Christian Abt secured the championship title with the support of changing cockpit partners ( Shane Williams , Jan Seyffarth , Christopher Mies ). This means that he has titles in the motorsport classes Formula ( ADAC Formula Junior , 1991), touring cars (STW, 1999) and sports cars (ADAC GT Masters, 2009).
After winning the title, Abt switched from the cockpit to the position of team boss of the GT3 project. The two Audi R8 LMS were driven by Christopher Mies, Luca Ludwig , Jens Klingmann and Kuba Giermaziak in 2010 . They achieved five victories, occupied positions 2, 3, 5 and 8 in the table and secured the team title for Abt Sportsline.
2011 was Abt Sportsline's last year in the ADAC GT Masters for the time being. Team boss Christian Abt repeatedly criticized what he saw as the unjust classification of the Audi R8 through the so-called "Balance of Performance". Nevertheless, once victorious Christopher Mies and Luca Ludwig were involved in the fight for the title for a long time, in the end they finished third and fourth. Christer Jöns and Jens Klingmann finished seventh and eighth. In the team competition, Abt Sportsline took third place.
Formula racing
Junior classes
After Christian Abt graduated from ADAC Formula School in 1990 as the best in his class, he sold his private car to finance his entry into formula racing for the 1991 season. His team in the ADAC Formula Junior, which initially consisted of himself plus a mechanic and his brother Hans-Jürgen as an all-rounder, operated under the family name. Although Christian Abt has so far been more successful in motocross on two wheels in contrast to his karting competition, he won the title in the first year after switching to the car cockpit.
Christian Abt then switched to the German Formula 3 championship with the Abt team . The Formula ADAC car that had become vacant was occupied by Formula newcomer Ralf Schumacher in 1992 .
Christian Abt started with the family team "Abt Motorsport" until 1995 in the German Formula 3 Championship. In 1992 he won the B-rating for drivers who competed in used cars in a Ralt Volkswagen RT35 / 892. From 1993 he drove the latest equipment (Dallara-Opel 393/020) in the German Formula 3 championship and fought for a seventh place overall. An overly aggressive driving style and the associated mistakes prevented a better placement. In 1993, Abt Motorsport named a second car, but it was never used.
In 1994 (with a Dallara-Opel 394/006) and 1995 (with a Dallara-Opel 395/015) he had to compete as a private driver against pilots with factory support and had no chance. After that, Abt and the Abt team concentrated on the Super Touring Car Championship (STW).
In 2008, Abt Sportsline returned to formula racing. The reason was Hans-Jürgen Abt's son Daniel , who switched to automobile racing after initial success in karting. Abt fielded two Dallara Volkswagen cars in the ADAC Formula Masters , one for Daniel Abt, the other car was driven first by Markus Pommer (2008) and then René Binder (2009).
In 2008, Pommer was ranked among the top three five times, once as the winner and fifth overall. Daniel Abt made it onto the podium three times in his first year in formula and finished eighth overall. Two second places were his best results. In 2009, Abt recorded eight wins in 16 races and became champion early. Abt Sportsline secured the team title. Binder contributed three podium places and finished seventh overall.
Daniel Abt switched to Van Amersfoort Racing in the German Formula 3 Cup in 2010 . With this, Abt Sportsline ended the second formula era. The two ADAC Formula Masters racing cars were sold.
FIA Formula E Championship
From 2014/15 , Abt competed in the newly founded FIA Formula E Championship . The team signed Daniel Abt and Lucas di Grassi as drivers . After finishing the first season in third place in the team classification, the team achieved second place in each of the following two years, di Grassi won the drivers' title in 2016/17 . In July 2017, immediately after the end of the third season, Audi took over all shares in the Formula E team. Abt will continue to oversee operations on the racetrack, with Allan McNish becoming the new team boss .
In the fourth season , the team will compete with the same driver pairing under the name Audi Sport ABT Schaeffler .
24-hour race on the Nürburgring
The "Abbots" celebrated their premiere at the 24-hour race on the Nürburgring in 1999 with an Audi A4 Quattro, which with its natural gas drive represented a novelty in motorsport. A rockfall on the turbocharger forced the car into the pits for three and a half hours, but it was still enough for a podium place in the sparse class for alternative drives.
In 2000 the natural gas Audi was in the top group of the overall standings, but transmission problems forced the team to give up.
Between 2003 and 2011, Abt Sportsline was the official Audi works team in the endurance classic on several occasions. Race cars were initially two modified Abt-Audi TT-Rs from the DTM. In 2003, the Coupé finished second as the best, and in 2004 it was fourth overall.
With the Audi R8 LMS, Abt Sportsline achieved a class win in the SP9 class in 2009 with second place overall. In 2010 the two Audi cars used by Abt failed. And 2011 didn't go smoothly for the “abbots” either: The Audi with starting number 16 collided innocently with another car in the battle for victory and couldn't get past fifth place. The sister car fell back to twelfth place due to a loosened relay and an accident. In 2012 and 2013, Abt Sportsline concentrated on the DTM and did not start in the 24-hour race at the Nürburgring.
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Driver + Results 1999:
- Abt-Audi A4 quattro natural gas # 15 Abt: Christian Abt, Jürgen Hohenester , Christian Menzel . Result: 52nd place overall, 3rd place in class for alternative drives
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Driver + Results 2000:
- Abt-Audi A4 quattro natural gas # 22 Abt: Christian Abt, Kris Nissen, Christian Menzel. Result: failure
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Driver + Results 2003:
- Abt-Audi TT-R # 8 Karl Wendlinger, Christian Abt, Kris Nissen, Marco Werner. Result: 2nd place overall, 2nd place class E1
- Abt-Audi TT-R # 7 Karl Wendlinger, Christian Abt, Mattias Ekström, Frank Biela. Result: 28th place overall, 3rd place class E1
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Driver + Results 2004:
- Abt-Audi TT-R # 8 Patrick Huisman , Frank Stippler , Karl Wendlinger, Christian Abt. Result: 4th place overall, 3rd place class E1
- Abt-Audi TT-R # 7 Christian Abt, Mattias Ekström, Fredrik Ekblom , Patrick Huisman. Result: 8th place overall, 4th place class E1
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Driver + Results 2009:
- Audi R8 LMS # 97 Christian Abt, Jean-François Hemroulle , Pierre Kaffer , Lucas Luhr . Result: 2nd place, 1st place class SP9
- Audi R8 LMS # 100 Timo Scheider, Marco Werner, Mattias Ekström, Lucas Luhr. Result: 23rd place, 13th place class SP9
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Driver + Results 2010:
- Audi R8 LMS # 2 Christian Abt, Emmanuel Collard , Lucas Luhr, Christopher Mies. Result: failure
- Audi R8 LMS # 100 Mattias Ekström, Oliver Jarvis, Timo Scheider, Marco Werner . Result: failure
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Driver + Results 2011:
- Audi R8 LMS # 16 Christian Abt, Timo Scheider, Mattias Ekström, Marco Werner Result: 5th place overall, 3rd place class SP9
- Audi R8 LMS # 17 Luca Ludwig, Christer Jöns, Christopher Mies, Christian Abt. Result: 12th place overall, 8th place class SP9
Abt as the team for the Volkswagen brand cups
In 1998, Volkswagen launched a “touring car school” as an entry-level series with the ADAC Touring Junior Cup. In the one-make cup held with VW Lupo, young talents should prove and improve their skills. From the beginning, all cars were prepared and used by Abt Sportsline. The Kempten-based project has been led by the Danish Hans Top since day one. The Lupo was a service car until 2003, followed by the Polo (2004–2009), which was replaced in 2010 by the Scirocco .
Individual evidence
- ↑ ABT Sportsline. (No longer available online.) ITR eV, archived from the original on November 5, 2013 ; Retrieved November 1, 2013 .
- ↑ Timo Pape: "Sole control" - Audi wants to take over Abt Formula E GmbH. e-Formel.de, June 21, 2017, accessed on June 21, 2017 .
- ↑ a b Rainer Braun: "Hello, how are you"
- ↑ a b c d Thomas Voigt, "Touring Car Story 1996"
- ↑ a b c d e f g h i j k l Mark Schneider, "115 Years of Abbot"
- ↑ a b Thomas Voigt, "Touring Car Story 1997"
- ↑ a b Thomas Voigt, "Touring Car Story 1998"
- ↑ a b Thomas Voigt, "Touring Car Story 1999"
- ↑ a b Thomas Voigt, "Touring Car Story 2000"
- ↑ a b Thomas Voigt, "Touring Car Story 2001"
- ↑ a b Thomas Voigt, "Touring Car Story 2002"
- ↑ a b c Andre Dietzel, "Touring Car Story 2003"
- ↑ a b Andre Dietzel, "Touring Car Story 2004"
- ↑ a b c d Thomas Voigt "DTM, the story 1984-2007"
- ↑ a b Helge Gerdes, "Touring Car Story 2005"
- ↑ "Audi separates from Frentzen" , October 30, 2006
- ↑ a b Helge Gerdes, "Touring Car Story 2006"
- ↑ Helge Gerdes, "Touring Car Story 2008"
- ↑ a b c Thomas Voigt, "DTM Yearbook 2009"
- ↑ Helge Gerdes, Torben Schröder, "Touring Car Story 2010"
- ^ "Four weeks of plaster for Mattias Ekström" , auto-motor-und-sport.de, February 18, 2011
- ↑ Alexander von Wegner, Torben Schröder, "Touring Car Story 2011"
- ↑ Torben Schröder, "DTM Yearbook 2012"
- ↑ Volker Paulun, "Touring Car Story 2012"
- ↑ Audi A5 DTM. ITR eV, archived from the original on October 1, 2012 ; Retrieved November 1, 2013 .
- ↑ Audi driver line-up for DTM 2013 complete. (No longer available online.) Audi AG, February 4, 2013, archived from the original on November 4, 2013 ; Retrieved November 1, 2013 .
- ↑ World premiere in Geneva: Audi RS 5 DTM. (No longer available online.) ITR eV, March 5, 2013, archived from the original on November 5, 2013 ; Retrieved November 1, 2013 .
- ↑ Norman Fischer: The Ekström case: No winner at the Norisring! Motorsport-Total.com, July 30, 2013, accessed November 1, 2013 .
- ↑ Ratings. (No longer available online.) ITR eV, archived from the original on October 26, 2013 ; Retrieved November 1, 2013 .
- ↑ Audi RS 5 DTM. (No longer available online.) ITR eV, archived from the original on November 5, 2013 ; Retrieved November 1, 2013 .
- ↑ DTM database - details: Motorsport-Total.com department, accessed on November 2, 2013 .
- ↑ uptrend 01/2009
- ↑ "ABT comes to Assen unbeaten" , adac-gt-masters.de, September 13, 2011
- ↑ http://www.motorsport-total.com/dtm/saison/Christian_Abt.html
- ↑ http://www.formel3guide.de/saison/saison-1992
- ↑ http://www.formel3guide.de/saison/saison-1993
- ↑ http://www.formel3guide.de/saison/saison-1993
- ↑ http://www.formel3guide.de/saison/saison-1994
- ↑ http://www.formel3guide.de/saison/saison-1995
- ↑ a b The Vollgas family has been winning for 60 years , author: Leopold Wieland, motorsport-aktuell.com, January 18, 2011, accessed on October 7, 2013
- ^ "Formula E - Abt Sportsline starts with Abt and di Grassi". Absolute wish pairing. Motorsport-Magazin.com, February 13, 2014, accessed February 13, 2014 .
- ↑ Tobias Bluhm: Factory team official: Audi takes over Abt Formula E & changes name. e-Formel.de, July 7, 2017, accessed on September 27, 2017 .
- ↑ Timo Pape: Audi unveils new Formula E car, Lucas di Grassi & Daniel Abt confirmed. e-Formel.de, September 27, 2017, accessed on September 27, 2017 .
- ^ "Green Hell Nürburgring" ( memento from November 2, 2013 in the Internet Archive ), motorracetime.de, accessed on August 18, 2012
- ↑ 31st Int. ADAC ZURICH 24h race. Modified race result (according to DMSB judgment). (PDF; 1.4 MB) (No longer available online.) ADAC Nordrhein eV, July 3, 2003, archived from the original on June 17, 2012 ; Retrieved November 1, 2013 .
- ↑ 32nd Int. ADAC Zurich 24h race. Result. (PDF; 2.3 MB) (No longer available online.) ADAC Nordrhein eV, June 13, 2004, archived from the original on June 17, 2012 ; Retrieved November 1, 2013 .
- ↑ 37th ADAC Zurich 24h Race. Overall result. (PDF; 189 kB) (No longer available online.) ADAC Nordrhein eV, May 28, 2009, archived from the original on June 5, 2012 ; Retrieved November 1, 2013 .
- ↑ 38th ADAC Zurich 24h Race. Overall result. (PDF; 183 kB) (No longer available online.) ADAC Nordrhein eV, May 18, 2010, archived from the original on March 1, 2015 ; Retrieved November 1, 2013 .
- ↑ 39th ADAC Zurich 24h Race. Official result race. (PDF; 4.2 MB) (No longer available online.) ADAC Nordrhein eV, July 14, 2011, archived from the original on June 17, 2012 ; Retrieved November 1, 2013 .
- ^ “The Scirocco Cup” ( page no longer available , search in web archives ), volkswagen-motorsport.de
Web links
- Official website of Audi Sport Team Abt Sportsline
- Profile of Audi Sport Team Abt Sportsline on the official DTM website
Coordinates: 47 ° 45 ′ 12.8 " N , 10 ° 19 ′ 40.1" E
