Toyota driver Tim Heinemann is a double DTM Trophy champion: This is how the 2022 season finale at Hockenheim came about
Just like in the big DTM, the 2022 championship in the talent factory DTM Trophy was decided at the season finale in Hockenheim. And once again, Tim Heinemann was able to celebrate the title win.
For the 24-year-old, this is already the second championship title in the DTM Trophy. In the inaugural year of the series (2020), he dominated in a Mercedes-AMG GT4 from HP Racing International, this time Heinemann drove a Toyota GR Supra GT4 for Ring-Racing.
The numbers speak for themselves: Heinemann won six of the 14 races, took four poles and set three fastest race laps. The Toyota driver closed the bag already at the penultimate race on Hockenheim Saturday with a sixth place. The race win did nothing to help his only remaining rival, Colin Caresani.
Tim Heinemann with successful run after summer break
“Finally it’s done! With sixth place, of course it’s not ‘in style’ as you would like to do, but it doesn’t matter,” Heinemann cheered with relief after the coronation. “A lot could have happened today, in the end everything went according to plan.” In the final standings, Heinemann has a 47-point lead over Caresani.
The 18-year-old Dutchman competed in the 2022 DTM Trophy in a BMW M4 GT4 from Team Project 1 and was still leading the overall standings by a razor-thin margin over Heinemann after the Norisring weekend. But then Caresani lost touch in the title fight when Heinemann won three of four races at the Nürburgring and Spa.
With that, the Toyota driver brought about the preliminary decision. While Caresani secured the runner-up championship at Hockenheim without any problems, the battle for third place overall became exciting. BMW youngster Theo Oeverhaus, already a guest entrant in the big DTM at the Nürburgring, fought against Audi driver Thiago Vivacqua.
Clear goal: DTM promotion in 2023
Walkenhorst driver Oeverhaus eventually prevailed in this duel with third place in Saturday’s race and second on Sunday. Vivacqua only scored five points at the finale: On Sunday, he started from pole but only finished eleventh after fierce duels including a ride out in the Sachs curve. In race 1, the Brazilian retired.
Tim Heinemann’s goal for 2023 is clear: After winning the second championship title, he finally wants to move up to the DTM.
“If nobody from the 2nd Bundesliga would move up to the 1st Bundesliga, then nobody would play in the 2nd Bundesliga either,” explained Heinemann on the sidelines of the Nürburgring event. But the question of promotion is “always a huge budget issue” in the DTM, Heinemann continued. On the race track, he did everything for his goal.
Congrats to TimHeinemann and the entire ToyotaGAZOORacing Germany powered by Ring Racing team on winning the @DTMTrophy Drivers’ Championship !
The GRSupraGT4 pilot finished in P6 in race 1 and took his 6th win of the year in race 2 at the season finale in Hockenheim. pic.twitter.com/LyvRrQ8AD8
– TOYOTA GAZOO Racing Europe (@TGReurope) October 10, 2022
