Lamborghini claimed its first DTM victory of the season courtesy of Grasser Racing Team’s Jordan Pepper in race one on the streets of the Norisring. The Lamborghini Factory Driver, at the wheel of his #63 Huracán GT3 EVO2 led from start to finish to vault himself firmly into title contention.
Pepper’s success, which comes just one week after the South African triumphed in the Spa 24 Hours alongside fellow factory drivers Mirko Bortolotti and Luca Engstler, marks Lamborghini’s 10th victory in the DTM and second in as many years on the streets of Nuremberg. It is also Lamborghini’s 32nd podium finish since joining the championship in 2021.
The 2.300km, four-turn Norisring circuit has long been a happy hunting ground for the Lamborghini Huracán GT3 EVO2 over the years. Bortolotti finished in 2022 while Nicki Thiim claimed his maiden DTM victory 12 months ago. Factory Drivers Franck Perera (second in race one), Luca Engstler (third in race one) and Bortoloti (third in race two) also stood on the podium in the 2024 edition.
Continuing his strong practice form where he was second quickest in FP1 and fastest in FP2, Pepper then topped his qualifying group – the field split into two sessions due to the short nature of the circuit – to take pole for Saturday’s opening 55-minute encounter. The South African got a strong start and held onto his lead into the first corner as the #2 Abt Sportsline Lamborghini Huracán GT3 EVO2 of Nicki Thiim dropped to fourth. Thiim was then turned around by the #2 Mercedes at the final corner, sending the Danish driver to the rear of the field.
From there, Pepper was comfortable out front and began to open a healthy 1.5-second advantage over the #69 Ferrari during the opening stint, which he extended to over two seconds by the time he made his mandatory pit-stop. Despite a slower than planned stop, Pepper had built enough of a gap at the front of the field to come back out in the lead heading into the second half of the race.
The pace of the Huracán GT3 EVO2 was evident as the race wore on and Pepper was able to withstand the challenge of the #91 Porsche as he came home to record his maiden DTM victory – and Lamborghini’s first of the 2025 season – by just over three seconds.
With an additional 20kg of success ballast onboard thanks to his victory, Pepper started ninth on the grid for Sunday’s second race of the weekend. A multi-car incident at the exit of turn one – which forced both Thiim and Bortolotti out – caused an early red flag. After dropping a couple of places at the restart, Pepper emerged from the two mandatory pit-stops in ninth place, consolidating his starting position.
It means that Pepper heads into the second half of the DTM season sitting joint second in the drivers’ standings, just seven points behind championship leader Lucas Auer. The season reconvenes at the Nürburgring on the weekend of 9-10 August.
The latest victory for the Lamborghini Huracán GT3 EVO2 is the 192nd success for the car since its debut season in 2015. The Huracán’s successor, the Temerario GT3 will be officially unveiled at the Goodwood Festival of Speed on Friday 11th July.
QUOTES
Jordan Pepper: “It’s been a perfect two weeks and a great way to bounce back after the last three weeks. I am really proud of what we have achieved as a group, it’s the same group of guys and the emotions are certainly running high. To finally get that first DTM win, after a difficult Zandvoort, is amazing and I am really thankful for the team’s effort, so much goes into it. Coming off a very difficult Spa in terms of physical and mental effort has been great. Coming into the weekend we knew that we had a good package and, historically this track has been very kind to the Lamborghini, so building the confidence and making minor changes was the key.”
