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 organise ...

driver born in

Kempten Kempten (, (Swabian German: )) is the largest town of Allgäu, in 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 the Romans, who called the town ' ...

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 betwee ...

, 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. ...

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 competiti ...

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 ...

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 (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 s ...

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 manufac ...

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 t ...

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 race held annually near the town of Le Mans, France. It is the world's oldest active endurance racing event. Unlike fixed-distance races whose ...

that year, Abt called no other than Roland Asch to step in.

Racing record

Complete 24 Hours of Le Mans results

Complete Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters results

( key) (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