A brave second place that avoided dashing Bortolotti's DTM title hopes

Mirko Borolotti described his determined second place finish in an eventful race in Zandvoort as crucial to his winning 2024 DTM campaign as he defied a delaminating left rear tire.

The SSR Performance Lamborghini driver caught race winner Marco Wittmann's Schubert Motorsport BMW by 7.239s on the flag, keeping an extended line of cars fighting to succeed in the finish line.

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Speaking to Motorsport.com, Bortolotti explained that the race was one in all his standout memories this yr as a result of the tragic consequences of losing several positions in the ultimate stages.

Thomas Preining finished just 2.73 seconds behind Bortolotti, but only scored six points for his tenth place finish, while Bortolotti still had 20 points.

His closest title rival Kelvin van der Linde (Abt Audi) finished third and benefited most from Bortolotti's problems, who eventually won his first DTM championship by 17 points.

“Two or three laps from the end I had a tire failure and had to go home in P2 with probably seven cars on my bumper,” explained the 34-year-old.

Marco Wittmann, Schubert Motorsport BMW M4 GT3, Mirko Bortolotti, SSR Performance Lamborghini Huracán EVO GT3

Photo: Alexander Trienitz

“In this case, the Kelvin was the primary automobile I stood on. It was probably one in all the toughest races, and that was really essential.

“If the tire had burst, it would have been a big defeat for us. The match would probably be over by now.”

Bortolotti battled with Wittmann for the lead before dropping out in the ultimate stages as his Huracan EVO2 “became really difficult to drive”.

“In Zandvoort, everyone is right-handed, so the tires put a lot of pressure on them,” he added. “It was hard to take it home, it was one of the key races.”

Bortolotti and van der Linde were evenly matched for a lot of the yr, scoring points in every race, and yet the Italian was still the leader despite only taking one victory to van der Linde's three.

He believed that achieving a maximum end in races where he had little likelihood of winning was needed for his title hopes, so he selected one other second place, this time behind van der Linde on the Nurburgring, for instance of his consistent approach.

Kelvin van der Linde, ABT Sportsline Audi R8 LMS GT3 team

Photo: Alexander Trienitz

The first race of the yr on Pirelli's latest wet tires was completely dominated by the South African, who won by 15.23 seconds, but Bortolotti secured second place and ensured he kept the damage to a minimum.

“Kelvin was flying and we were nowhere to be found; not only us, but the rest of the pitch also had difficulties,” he said.

“On a day when you don't have a chance, it was very important to limit the damage and finish second.”