Nicki Thiim has responded to winning the GTE Pro driver’s world championship in Saturday’s 8 Hours of Bahrain, saying it’s like ‘living a dream’.
Thiim and co-driver Marco Sorensen finished fifth in GTE Pro in Bahrain on Saturday, but with title rival Maxime Martin only one place ahead in fourth, it was enough for the Danish duo to pick up their second championship, after winning the first one in 2016.
After the race, Thiim explained how significant the title win is for him personally following a rollercoaster 2020.
“Sounds good, doesn’t it? It’s magic, I don’t know where to start,” he said. “Not only on the pitch, but also off the pitch as well. With this thing going on in the whole world, it’s crazy, but standing here, becoming dad for the first time in 2020 and now here, world champion again.”
“So happy for the team, the 95 crew, the whole crew basically winning Le Mans, taking it all in. I’m just so happy right now, emotions are all over the place right now.
“It’s what you dream about as young kid, and now I stand here as the world champion. We all deserve it and I’m just happy and proud being part of this story.”
Sorensen and Thiim were the pairing to beat throughout the season, taking more race wins than any other pairing in GTE Pro. The duo took their first win of the season at Fuji in October 2019, followed by wins in Bahrain and Austin.
Additionally, podiums in the Six Hours of Spa-Franchorchamps and 24 Hours of Le Mans were enough to give them a crucial advantage heading into the final round in Bahrain.
“What can I say? It’s magic, you’re standing here with your best buddy as world champion, it’s just living a dream,” Thiim continued. “What can I say? We’ve just been so consistent this year and putting it on point.”
“You’re competing against the best in the business, proud to be competing against brands like Porsche and Ferrari and again, standing here with my best buddy celebrating the world championship is something you will sit down and laugh about when you are 80 years old.”
