Phoenix Racing - DTM feels like home

Phoenix Racing, founded in 1999 and owned by Ernst Moser, is a racing team based in Nurburgring, Germany. In just a few years, Phoenix Racing evolved from a promising start-up into one of the most successful racing teams in Germany.

Phoenix Racing is one of the most successful German racing teams

Phoenix Racing is an established player in the world of motorsport

Phoenix Racing can be rightfully considered as one of the most prominent German teams and well recognized at the international stage after its successes in various categories of racing. The list of championships and race series in which Phoenix Racing was already active is just as impressive as those of the car manufacturers with whom the team has already worked – Aston Martin, Audi, Corvette, Opel, Porsche and Volkswagen.

Phoenix Racing’s Audi at Nurburgring

Amazing history with a rough start

In its early days, Phoenix Racing was running mostly Opel cars. Driving Astra V8 Coupe, Manuel Reuter was DTM runner-up in 2000, which remained as the team’s best result during cooperation with Opel, while in 2003 Phoenix Racing’s drivers Reuter, Timo Scheider, Volker Strycek, and Marcel Tiemann won the 24 Hours of Spa, also driving an Opel Astra.

After the start of Opel’s struggling in DTM and after the manufacturer’s withdrawal from the series at the end of the 2005 season, Phoenix Racing had to chose between Audi and Mercedes to stay present in the series. They opted for the Ingolstadte-based manufacturer which proved to be a good decision.

Manuel Reuter in Phoenix Racing’s Opel DTM

Successful decade in DTM

Under the current name, Audi Sport Team Phoenix, and as Audi factory team, Phoenix Racing has been competing in DTM since 2006.

With Mike Rockenfeller and Miguel Molina as drivers of Audi RS5, Phoenix Racing won its only Teams’ championship DTM title in 2013 and were twice third in Teams’ championship (2011, 2014), while in 2012 the team finished in fourth place.

Miguel Molina and Mike Rockenfeller at Spielberg

Tomczyk wins the first DTM Drivers’ title for Audi Sport Team Phoenix

The first Drivers’ championship title for the Phoenix team was won in 2011 by Martin Tomczyk at the penultimate race in Valencia. On the road to the trophy, Tomczyk won three races and had a total of seven podiums. He was the first driver of a year-old car in DTM history to crown himself as a champion, achieving one of the best results in the history of DTM racing. But, in 2012, Tomczyk left the team and joined Team RMG.

Martin Tomczyk and Ernst Moser

The second Drivers’ championship title for the Phoenix team was won two years later by Mike Rockenfeller in 2013. He was in good form throughout the whole season and clinched the title in the penultimate race, having two wins and three-second places at the end of the season.

In the 2015 DTM season, the Phoenix Team, as well as all Audi teams, entered with unchanged drivers line-up with huge ambitions, and with experienced Mike Rockenfeller and Timo Scheider behind the wheels of Audi RS5 DTM. They both scored one win respectively, but the team finished ninth in the overall standings, which was the worst result of all Audi teams that year.

Timo Scheider drives Audi RS5 DTM at Hockenheim

In DTM, Phoenix Racing feels like home

Relying on RAVENOL to keep their Audi R8 LMS ultra in shape, Phoenix Racing contests selected endurance races in parallel to the DTM commitment – VLN, Blancpain Endurance Series and FIA GT3 European Championship. But, DTM was always the core task for the team and, as Ernst Moser said, in DTM, Phoenix Racing feels like at home.

Video : Audi Sport Team Phoenix R8 Ultra LMS at Nurburgring

List of Phoenix Racing’s major successes

1999 – winner of Touring Car GP Macau
2000 – winner 24h of Nurburgring
2003 – winner 24h of Nurburgring
2007 – winner 24h of Spa
2009 – winner FIA GT3 European Championship, winner of Belgian GT3 Championship
2011 – winner DTM Drivers’ Championship
2012 – winner 24h of Nurburgring, winner 24 of Spa, winner 12h of Bathurst
2013 – winner DTM Drivers’ and Teams’ Championship
2014 – winner 24h of Nurburgring

Phoenix Racing at the Asian Le Mans series, 2017

Photos: phoenix-racing.de, wikipedia.org, eurocarnews.com, dtm.com, racecarsdirect.com, blauparts.com, berzerkdesign.de, ravenolamerica.com.