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Aberdein confirmed for WRT Audi, second car proving “difficult”
The WRT team has been able to announce only one driver for its maiden DTM campaign this year with a pair of customer Audis on the launch of its 2019 programmes.
Gary Watkins
Edited: Mar 21, 2019, 11:44 PM
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WRT will run Formula 3 graduate Jonathan Aberdein in one of two new Audi RS5 DTMs, but the stalwart of the German manufacturer's GT3 campaigns is still negotiating with drivers to fill the second seat.
Team boss Vincent Vosse told Motorsport.com: “Putting together this programme has been difficult for various reasons.
“Announcing the second driver is not something we can do now, but we are doing everything we can to have the second car on the grid and I remain very hopeful.”
South African Aberdein is moving to the DTM after a rookie season in European F3 with Motopark in which he claimed three podiums. He also took part in the Audi DTM rookie test at Jerez last December when WRT and Team Rosberg ran the two 2018-spec RS5s.
Vosse explained that he had followed Aberdein's career after racing together with his father Chris as part of Audi's attack on the 1995 Kyalami Super Touring International in South Africa.
“I know Jonathan and what he can do, because I have known his father for years,” said Vosse. We came across each other again when he was racing in ADAC Formula 4 in 2017 because Charles Weerts [the son of WRT co-founder Yves] was doing the same championship.”
WRT's tin-top programme will also include assaults on the World Touring Car Cup and the TCR Europe Series in 2019.
Gordon Shedden and Jean-Karl Vernay will again contest the World Cup in a pair of Audi RS5 LMS TCR cars.
The two entries in Europe — one Audi and one Volkswagen Golf GTi TCR — will be raced respectively by Indy Lights frontrunner Santiago Urrutia and Maxime Potty, who is moving over from the Comtoyou team.
WRT also took the wraps of its Blancpain GT campaign with its fleet of Audi R8 LMS contenders at its 2019 launch at its Badour headquarters in Belgium.
2019 DTM line-up so far:
Team Drivers
Audi
Robin Frijns
Nico Muller
Jamie Green
Rene Rast
Mike Rockenfeller
Loic Duval
WRT (Audi)
Jonathan Aberdein
TBA
BMW
Marco Wittmann
Timo Glock
Bruno Spengler
Joel Eriksson
Philipp Eng
Sheldon van der Linde
R-Motorsport (Aston Martin)
Paul di Resta
Jake Dennis
Dani Juncadella
Ferdinand Habsburg
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