Factory Aston Martin driver Nicki Thiim completed a ‘20-year-old dream’ after joining his father and 1986 champion Kurt in the list of DTM race winners at the Norisring on Sunday.
Driving a Lamborghini Huracan GT3 Evo 2 for SSR Performance, polesitter Thiim survived a late safety car appearance to clinch his maiden race victory in the DTM on his 12th attempt.
The Danish driver was visibly emotional when he crossed the chequered flag at the end of lap 69 and broke into tears when he appeared for post-race interviews.
The DTM has always occupied a special place in the heart for Thiim because of the long and successful tenure his father enjoyed in the series during the late '80s and early '90s. Apart from winning the title on his first attempt in ‘86 in a Rover Vitesse, the older Thiim won a total of 20 races with three different brands, including BMW and Mercedes.
Asked about the significance of his victory at the fabled Norisring street circuit, where his father won twice in the DTM, the 35-year-old said: “My father was a great hero [for me], and now [winning] here at the Norisring means a lot to me.
"I don't even know where to start. It's unbelievable. This has been my dream for over 20 years.
"I saw my father racing on the race track in the 90s. Ever since I was a big boy, I've dreamed of being like these guys here. I've travelled around the world and mainly driven endurance races, won last week in Spa [at the 24-hour race] and now here. I don't know what to say."
Thiim got a chance to race in the DTM for the first time in 2022 when he signed a deal with T3 Motorsport, but he split with the team just three rounds into the year. The privateer Lamborghini squad subsequently pulled out of the championship without a single points finish to its name.
After a short gap, Thiim returned to the DTM this year with Aston Martin’s blessing, joining Lamborghini's factory-supported SSR Performance squad alongside multiple race winner Mirko Bortolotti.
But much like his truncated 2022 campaign, the start of the season was nothing short of a nightmare, as he retired from three out of the first races across Oschersleben and the Lausitzring - mostly due to mechanical problems.
However, after scoring an outright victory at the Spa 24 Hours just the previous weekend in a Comtoyou Racing-entered Aston Vantage GT3 with team-mates Mattia Drudi and Marco Sorensen, he was also able to turn around his DTM campaign with a pole position and a win on Sunday.
“To be honest, it was the hardest six months I've experienced in my entire career,” he admitted.
"Nothing worked, no matter what, but with hard work and dedication you can really achieve something. I just always believed in myself and of course, the team never let me down either.
"So it's about winning and losing together, and I'm obviously very proud to be standing here now and celebrating a DTM victory. That shows me once again that I'm not too old for something like this."
