World Rally Champion Sebastien Ogier will make his debut in the DTM with Mercedes next month.
Ogier, the second most successful WRC driver in history with five titles, will pilot a Mercedes AMG C63 in this year’s penultimate round at the Red Bull Ring.
Ogier is testing the car today and tomorrow (Wednesday) at Vallelunga as he prepares for his first circuit race since his appearance as a guest driver in the Austrian round of the 2014 Porsche Supercup.
“This is a very exciting experience,” said Ogier.
“The DTM is something completely new for me, but I’m trying to learn as much as possible with each lap.
“I see it as an opportunity to broaden my racing horizons and gain more experience.
“Up to now, I haven’t driven much on permanent racetracks – only a couple of times in a GT car. A DTM car is obviously faster. Of course, you can’t expect to be competitive as a guest starter right away.
“I’m expecting a difficult first weekend at Spielberg, where my target will be to keep up with the other drivers as much as is possible.”
Ogier's appearance as a guest will be the third such occurrence in the series this year, after Mattias Ekstrom's appearance with Audi at Hockenheim and Alex Zanardi's planned outing for BMW later this month at Misano.
