Why T3 Motorsport wants to continue with the Italian brand in the DTM in 2022 despite the loss of Lamborghini support and what the team’s USA plans look like
The T3 Motorsport team is refraining from switching brands for 2022 after all and wants to continue competing in the DTM with the Lamborghini Huracan GT3 Evo. And this despite the fact that the Italian brand has renounced factory support for the Dresden-based team.
“We have been thinking intensively about a change of brand and have also spoken to several manufacturers,” explains team boss Jens Feucht. “Without manufacturer support, participation in the DTM is almost impossible, unless you have a very, very generous investor in the background, which unfortunately we don’t have. “
The lack of Lamborghini support was “almost a knock-out criterion, but in retrospect also a great incentive to do everything possible for a future DTM participation,” he clarifies that they want to remain on board in the traditional series.
Why T3 will stay with Lamborghini even without support
But why remain loyal to the Italian bolide when other brands would have been an option? “Because we understand the Lamborghini better and better and the race with Mirko Bortolotti showed that as a team we can be capable of winning with the Lamborghini, we decided to continue with Lamborghini,” the team boss points to the Italian’s podium finish at the Assen guest start to explain the decision.
“We want to fight for podiums and not waste another season developing with another manufacturer,” says Feucht. The clear goal for 2022, he says, is to “race for wins in all the series we participate in and win the intra-brand competition”. This is a challenge to the Grasser team, which will enter the DTM this year with four Lamborghini cars supported by the manufacturer.
What alternatives did T3 Motorsport have to the well-known Lamborghini Huracan GT3 Evo? One candidate was Aston Martin, as the British brand was quite interested in a DTM entry of the Vantage GT3 by a customer team. And McLaren was also an option, because now that the JP Motorsport team has turned its focus to the GT World Challenge Europe, it doesn’t currently look like a 720S GT3 in the DTM.
T3 plans second base in the USA
What’s next for the T3 team apart from the 2022 DTM project? The season kicks off for Feucht’s squad at the end of the month with their debut at the 24-hour classic at Daytona, where they will compete with a Lamborghini entered jointly with Southern Motorsport and Frank Perera, Misha Goikhberg and Mateo Llarena.
This is said to be just the prelude to a greater focus on the USA, as they are currently establishing a team base for T3 Motorsport North America. “In the long term, the USA is to become an integral part of T3,” reveals Feucht, who will also compete in the 24-hour classic at Sebring and other races in the IMSA SportsCar Championship. “The plan is to enter one or two GT3s and one GT4 there step by step.”
Apart from that, they also want to enter two Lamborghini cars in the ADAC GT Masters and are flirting with a start at the 24-hour classic at Spa-Francorchamps. In addition, there are also planned GT4 starts in the DTM Trophy and GT4 Germany.
