Kelvin van der Linde keeps DTM lead in Sachsenring

SA’s Kelvin van der Linde produced a gutsy drive on Sunday at the Sachsenring to finish in second place and regain the lead in the DTM German Touring Car Masters sports car championship from Italian driver Mirko Bortolotti.

It was a tough start to the weekend for Van der Linde who could only qualify for Saturday’s race in 10th place. However, the 28-year-old made a fast start to the race as he quickly moved up to sixth in his Audi R8 LMS GT3 evo II.

After a strong first lap, the South African began to struggle for pace and was forced to defend very strongly, to secure a top-10 finish, eventually having to settle for eighth place at the chequered flag. That result meant he lost his championship lead to Italy’s Bortolotti (Lamborghini).

Overnight, the ABT Sportsline team were allowed to unload 10kg from the two Audi R8s and Van der Linde took full advantage as he qualified on the front row. Starting from second, it looked as though it could be another tough day for the Audi driver as he dropped back to fourth. However, he fought back and capitalised on mistakes from his rivals to finish behind the Mercedes of Luca Stolz.

In the championship standings, Van der Linde’s second-place finish saw him move seven points clear of Bortolotti at the top of the standings.

In 2011, Van der Linde became the youngest driver to compete in a national SA circuit event at age 14 and also SA's youngest national champion at the age of 16 in 2012. His international racing career began in 2013 and he was promoted to an Audi factory driver two years later.

Younger brother Sheldon van der Linde, the 2022 DTM champion, finished ninth on Saturday and eighth on Sunday in his Schubert BMW M4 GT3. He is sixth in the DTM title chase.

The 2024 DTM season continues on September 28-29 at the Red Bull Ring and concludes on October 19-20 at the Hockenheimring.