Christian Abt (born 8 May 1967) is a
race car
Auto racing (also known as car racing, motor racing, or automobile racing) is a motorsport involving the racing of automobiles for competition.
Auto racing has existed since the invention of the automobile. Races of various sorts were organi ...
driver born in
Kempten
Kempten (, (Swabian German: )) is the largest Town#Germany, town of Allgäu, in Swabia (Bavaria), Swabia, Bavaria, Germany. The population was about 68,000 in 2016. The area was possibly settled originally by Celts, but was later taken over by th ...
,
Germany
Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...
, into a family of amateur race drivers and car dealers.
His elder brother Hans-Jürgen Abt runs the
Abt Sportsline Audi
Audi AG () is a German automotive manufacturer of luxury vehicles headquartered in Ingolstadt, Bavaria, Germany. As a subsidiary of its parent company, the Volkswagen Group, Audi produces vehicles in nine production facilities worldwide.
Th ...
racing teams as well as their tuning company for Audi and Volkswagen.
Christian Abt started his career in
motocross
Motocross is a form of off-road motorcycle racing held on enclosed off-road circuits. The sport evolved from motorcycle trials competitions held in the United Kingdom.
History
Motocross first evolved in Britain from motorcycle trials competi ...
and then moved on to German
Formula BMW
Formula BMW was a junior racing formula for single seater cars. It was positioned at the bottom of the motorsport career ladder alongside the longer established Formula Ford category. Like Formula Ford, it was intended to function as the young ...
. He went on to become the 1991 champion.
In 1992 he won the
German Formula Three Championship
The German Formula Three Championship was the national Formula Three championship of Germany, and the former West Germany, from 1950 to 2002, then as Formel 3 until 2014. In 2003, the series had merged with the French Formula Three Championship to ...
B-Cup.
Driving a privately entered Audi A4 with the
quattro 4-Wheel-Drive as this was banned for factory entrants, he won the
German Supertouring Championship
The Super Tourenwagen Cup, or German Supertouring Championship, was a touring car racing series held between 1994 and 1999 in Germany.
The championship was established when BMW and Audi both left the Deutsche Tourenwagen Meisterschaft (DTM) in 199 ...
(STW) in 1999, the last season of this series, under controversial circumstances, taking the title only after the STW annulled the last lap of the final round of the Nürburgring.
Still considered as privateers, Abt entered the new
Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters
The Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters (DTM, German Touring Car Masters) is a grand touring car series sanctioned by ITR e.V. who have been affiliated to the DMSB-FIA since 1984. The series is based in Germany, with rounds elsewhere in Europe. The ser ...
with hastily built cars similar to
Audi TT. When driving an
Audi R8
The Audi R8 is a mid-engine, 2-seater sports car, which uses Audi's trademark quattro permanent all-wheel drive system. It was introduced by the German car manufacturer Audi AG in 2006.
The car is exclusively designed, developed, and manufactu ...
for
Joest Racing
Joest Racing is a sports car racing team that was established in 1978 by former Porsche works racer Reinhold Joest. Their headquarters are in Wald-Michelbach, Germany.
Early years
As a combined driver/team owner, Reinhold Joest first began to ...
at the
24 Hours of Le Mans
The 24 Hours of Le Mans (french: link=no, 24 Heures du Mans) is an endurance-focused Sports car racing, sports car race held annually near the town of Le Mans, France. It is the world's oldest active Endurance racing (motorsport), endurance r ...
that year, Abt called no other than
Roland Asch
Roland Asch (born 12 October 1950 in Altingen, West Germany) is a race car driver from Ammerbuch, near Stuttgart. Asch was a distinctive figure on the German motor racing scene in the 1990s.
Racing career
Asch's career started in 1973 with s ...
to step in.
Racing record
Complete 24 Hours of Le Mans results
Complete Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters results
(
key
Key or The Key may refer to:
Common meanings
* Key (cryptography), a piece of information that controls the operation of a cryptography algorithm
* Key (lock), device used to control access to places or facilities restricted by a lock
* Key (map ...
) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in ''italics'' indicate fastest lap)
1 - Shanghai was a non-championship round.
*† — Retired, but was classified as he completed 90% of the winner's race distance.
External links
Christian AbtAbt Sportsline company
{{DEFAULTSORT:Abt, Christian
1967 births
24 Hours of Le Mans drivers
Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters drivers
German racing drivers
Living people
People from Kempten im Allgäu
Sportspeople from Swabia (Bavaria)
Racing drivers from Bavaria
Swedish Touring Car Championship drivers
ADAC GT Masters drivers
Audi Sport drivers
Abt Sportsline drivers
Team Joest drivers
Phoenix Racing drivers
Nürburgring 24 Hours drivers