Theo Oeverhaus competes in DTM and DTM Trophy at Nürburgring: what he has to contend with in double-duty and what his goals are
Theo Oeverhaus has saddled himself with a double programme for the DTM event at the Nürburgring: the 17-year-old Walkenhorst BMW junior is also competing in the main series in addition to his regular DTM Trophy series. This means that the youngster has to cope with twice the workload, which does not leave him entirely unscathed.
“It was definitely very exhausting to switch from one car to the other,” he said, even “jumping straight into the GT3 once in the pit lane with his helmet on.” There were only ten minutes between FT2 in the DTM Trophy and the DTM.
“I didn’t have any time to check with my Trophy colleagues how the car was behaving,” Oeverhaus reports. “That is of course a small disadvantage, but I continue to do my best to make the most of it.” On his first day of practice in the big DTM, the Walkenhorst BMW driver did remarkably well.
Although he only finished 26th in the first practice and 28th in the second session. But the gap remained within limits at 1.3 and 1.6 seconds respectively. The relatively small gap “is definitely something to be proud of, considering that I’m racing in two series at the same time,” said Oeverhaus himself, who was optimistic about the situation.
GT3 vs. GT4: Where Theo Oeverhaus still has problems
Despite this, things could have gone a little better, because: “There are definitely still a few corners where I lose too much time. I’ll work on that tomorrow in qualifying to make it better. Then I think it won’t look so bad.” Oeverhaus is hoping for a jump into the top 20 in the best case scenario.
Where do he see the biggest differences between the GT3 car and the GT4 car from the Trophy? “Of course the aerodynamics [of the GT3] and the much more direct response. But you also have to adjust everything on the brakes and the throttle behaviour. In the GT3, you have to apply the brakes much harder. “
“And you also have all the electronic aids like ABS and traction control. They work a whole lot better in the GT3. You have to work with them in a completely different way and that makes the car behave very differently in terms of throttle and brake response. “
DTM Trophy title dream not given up yet
The 17-year-old also still has room for improvement in the DTM Trophy. In the GT4 series of the DTM platform, Oeverhaus finished in twelfth and tenth place on Friday. No need to worry, because: “We always have to drive with the oldest tyres in the practice sessions.” This is not surprising, as the BMW M4 GT4 is considered an absolute tyre eater in the DTM Trophy.
“I’m confident that it will work out well tomorrow,” Oeverhaus remains optimistic. He is also confident about the title fight in his regular series. BMW brand colleague Colin Caresani and Toyota driver Tim Heinemann have already built up a small cushion on Oeverhaus, who is third overall.
But he announces: “I think we can keep up. The championship is still in the bag.” The BMW youngster underlined his ambitions at the last race weekend at the Norisring, where he took his first win of the season on Saturday.
But will he manage to make an impression in both series at the same time? A good performance in the big DTM would “definitely” be good for the public image of the DTM Trophy, Oeverhaus is convinced of that. And it would play right into the hands of the advocates of a fixed promotion of the champion to the main series.
