Indian racer Arjun Maini has turn out to be the primary Indian to safe a full-time racing deal within the Germany-based DTM touring automotive championship.
Maini, who had switched to sports activities automotive racing in 2019, will race for the Mercedes-AMG Efficiency Crew GetSpeed within the 2021 DTM season comprising eight rounds with 16 races throughout Germany and Europe.
“I’m completely delighted to be driving for Mercedes-AMG with Getspeed in DTM. My first actual expertise of the championship got here in 2015 after I was competing in Components 3 and we drove on the identical weekend as DTM,” Maini, a former Haas F1 workforce improvement driver, stated on Thursday.
“The environment was one thing I had by no means skilled earlier than. I really feel privileged to lastly reside out one in every of my goals. The sequence enjoys a superb fame all over the world and is the right alternative for me to check myself towards speedy GT3 drivers,” he added.
I’m very blissful to announce that I might be in DTM this season as a @MercedesAMG Driver with workforce @Getspeed2. An honour to be the primary ever Indian driver within the historical past of @DTM and I’m wanting ahead to this huge alternative in my profession. That is the weapon 🇮🇳. Carry it on 🚀 pic.twitter.com/FPQCGertrU
— Arjun Maini (@ArjunMaini) March 25, 2021
Martin Schwenk, Managing Director and CEO of Mercedes-Benz India, stated: “He would be the first Indian to compete within the DTM and it’s extremely satisfying to see Indian racers making their spectacular mark by competing towards the easiest of motorsports abilities the world over.
“On the highest ranges of internationally acclaimed motorsports occasions just like the DTM, this accomplishment by Arjun is certainly inspiring for aspiring and budding motorsports abilities within the nation.”
GetSpeed Efficiency operates from the enterprise park on the Nurburgring.
Maini began his racing profession with karting in 2006. He gained the Indian junior championship in 2011 and took half within the “One from a Billion Hunt”, which was run by former Components 1 workforce Pressure India.
Because the winner, he was given the chance to race karts in Europe. In 2013, he switched to single-seater racing, during which he loved success within the F4 British Championship.
Maini’s profession took him, through the Components 3 European Championship and the GP3 Collection, into the FIA Components 2 Championship, during which he drove in 2018 and 2019 however with out a lot luck and success.
In 2019-2020, he raced within the European Le Mans Collection and within the iconic 24 Hours of Le Mans.
The DTM will characteristic GT3 automobiles for the primary time in 2021. A race weekend contains two free apply classes on Friday, adopted by a qualifying and a one-hour race — together with a pit cease — on each Saturday and Sunday.
The opening spherical of the season takes place from 18-20 June in Monza, Italy.
