First title since 2011

GT champion Auer: “We were bulletproof on the road”

Lucas Auer and Maro Engel: Great jubilation in "Team Mamba"

(Bild: Mercedes-Benz Group AG)

A "brutal year" is coming to an end for Lucas Auer. The crowning glory came last weekend in Barcelona. Why there wasn't even time for a vacation this year and where he wants to win in the future.

The sun shone brightly over Barcelona with Lucas Auer on Sunday. In the legendary yellow-green "Mamba" from Mercedes, the Tyrolean racing driver and his German buddy Maro Engel had clinched overall victory in the Sprint Cup of the unofficial GT World Championship, leaving 36 driver duos behind them in the overall standings.

The "runner-up" became a champion
"It takes a lot to become champion. That's why I'm incredibly happy," explained Auer, whose only title to date dates back to 2011 (then in the Asian Formula BMW). Since then, he has been runner-up in German Formula 3 and the DTM, but never champion.

"It makes me proud that it worked out in our very first year in this championship. We were bulletproof on the road!" The jubilation after crossing the finish line was correspondingly great: "My cell phone used up a lot of battery that day. Afterwards, we went to celebrate with the team and I couldn't be reached by anyone." Barcelona should not be the worst place for title parties.

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Four races left this year
Uncle Gerhard Berger only congratulated him on Tuesday. By then, his nephew was already tackling the next tasks: the DTM finale is scheduled for this weekend in Hockenheim, and the season will come to an end in November with a six-hour race in Saudi Arabia. "There will probably also be two guest starts in other series this year," says Auer.

At the end of the season, there will be 24 race weekends and countless test drives. There was hardly any time for a vacation: "I spent two nights on Mallorca for my birthday (September 11)," he admits. "The year was brutal. That makes it all the more important to recharge the batteries in winter. Even if I'm perhaps not the ultimate vacation person." Where the batteries will be recharged is still open.

These legendary races are very important to me, I want to win them.

Lucas Auer über 24-Stunden-Klassiker

The classics in my heart
Auer has also really tasted blood on the long distance this year. In July, he was in the lead at the 24-hour race in Spa, but had to retire after suffering a puncture and being shot down by an opponent. He also failed to see the chequered flag in his debut at the classic race on the Nürburgring-Nordschleife.

"These legendary races are very important to me, I want to win them," says Auer, who would also like to compete at Le Mans. Mercedes, where the Tyrolean has been a works driver for five years, is not currently competing there. "But who knows what the future holds!"