Christian Abt

Christian Abt
Christian Abt
	Christian Abt in 2008
Nationality	German
Born	8 May 1967 (age 57); Kempten, West Germany
Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters
Racing licence	FIA Silver
Years active	2000–2007
Former teams	Abt Sportsline; Joest Racing; Phoenix Racing
Starts	102
Wins	1
Podiums	9
Poles	2
Fastest laps	8
Best finish	7th in 2002
24 Hours of Le Mans career
Years	1999–2000
Teams	Audi Sport UK; Audi Sport Team Joest
Best finish	3rd (2000)

Christian Abt (born 8 May 1967 in Kempten, Germany) is a former German racing driver and entrepreneur. Abt undoubtedly belongs to the species of humans with gasoline in their veins. A hereditary passion. His grandfather was already involved with cars. His father, Johann Abt, made waves throughout Europe as the "Young Wild One from the Allgäu" on racetracks and was – like his son Christian – a tinkerer who meticulously optimized technology, thus laying the foundation for ABT Sportsline, global leader in automotive tuning and motorsport. ABT Sportsline was founded in 1991 by Christian and Hans-Juergen Abt.

Christian Abt followed in his father's footsteps. Over his 38-year career as an active racing driver, including 18 years as an Audi factory driver, he collected titles in the three most important circuit racing categories: Formula, touring cars, and sports cars. He stood on the podium seven times at the 24 Hours of Nürburgring and twice at the prestigious endurance race, the 24 Hours of Le Mans. Not only did he impress with his driving talent, but as a trained automotive master mechanic, he also brought significant technical know-how to racetracks around the world. This technical expertise served Christian Abt well during his many years as Technical Director and Managing Director of ABT Sportsline. Abt also played key roles in car development for Audi's GT3 and GT4 programs. Even when he exchanged the cockpit for the command stand as a Team Manager, he successfully applied his knowledge. Five team titles in the ADAC GT Masters underscore that Christian Abt possesses not only outstanding driving skills and technical expertise but also genuine managerial qualities.

While still active as a team manager, Christian Abt founded the restoration workshop Christian Abt Classic in 2018 with a small team. He and his team developed a particular fondness for vehicle manufacturers Porsche and Ferrari, especially their historic racing cars, which, along with their road vehicles, remain legends of their time and continue to increase in value. The first vehicle they restored was a Porsche 911 S 2.2 Coupe in classic Irish green, which immediately received an expert appraisal with a grade of 1 and achieved an excellent selling price. This vehicle is now exhibited at Motorworld Berlin. The team gradually expanded with specialists, and their portfolio now includes prestigious icons from the 1970s to 1990s, such as a DINO 246 GT L-Series, Porsche 993 GT2 Turbo, and several Porsche 911s and Ferrari Testarossa / 512 TR models.

The restoration business currently operates with 10 employees across two locations, encompassing nearly 700 square meters. It includes its own engine construction department, special fabrication division, and an upholstery workshop. In addition to restorations, the company also offers customer services, maintenance, and repairs.

Early Life and Family

Christian Abt was born into a family with a deep passion for motorsports. His grandfather worked with cars, and his father, Johann Abt, was a well-known racing driver who gained prominence on European racetracks. Johann was also an engineer who, together with Christian's brother Hans-Jürgen Abt, laid the foundation for ABT Sportsline, a globally successful vehicle tuning company. This motorsport legacy influenced Christian from an early age, leading him to follow in his father's footsteps.

Christian Abt has been married and has two children - Nina and Emely Abt. In June 2017, Abt ended his three-year career as a city councillor for the Free Voters in Kempten.

Racing Career

Christian Abt's racing career is marked by versatility across different racing disciplines:

Formula Racing

1990 Won the ADAC Formula School title.
1991: Became the Formula BMW Junior Champion, winning by a 29-point margin.
1992: Competed in the German Formula 3 Championship, winning the B-rating category.

Touring Cars

Abt's transition to touring cars marked a significant phase of his career:

1996: Competed in the Super Tourenwagen Cup (STW) with the family-owned ABT Sportsline team.
1999: Won the Super Tourenwagen Cup (STW) Championship in a controversial finale at Nürburgring.

In 1999, Abt became the last champion of the Super Tourenwagen Cup in dramatic fashion after a controversial race at Nürburgring. A post-race decision by the DMSB Sports Court awarded him the championship over rival Uwe Alzen.

Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters (DTM)

2000–2007: Competed in the Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters (DTM) with ABT Sportsline’s private team. His best overall finish was 7th place in 2002.

In 2000, ABT Sportsline entered DTM as a private team with Audi TT-R cars. Despite competing against factory teams like Mercedes and Opel, Christian Abt managed to secure respectable results for the team.

Endurance Racing

Abt also had notable success in endurance racing:

24 Hours of Nürburgring: Achieved five second-place finishes driving cars such as the Porsche 996 GT3 and Audi R8 GT3.

24 Hours of Le Mans: Finished on the podium twice (3rd place) with Audi Sport Team Joest in 2000.

ADAC GT Masters

In 2009, Christian Abt won the ADAC GT Masters Championship driving an Audi R8 GT3

Racing achievements

1990: 1st place, ADAC Racing School
1991: 1st place, ADAC Formula Junior (BMW)
1992: 1st place, Formula 3 B Champion
1996: 1st place, Super-Tourenwagen-STW Champion (Private Drivers)
1999: 1st place, Super-Tourenwagen Championship (STW) Champion
1999: Motorsport Personality of the Year
2001: Involved in the development of the Audi R8 GT3 and secured the first victory at the 24 Hours of Nürburgring
2005: DTM Jahreswagen Champion (Audi)
2009: 1st place, ADAC GT Masters Champion (Audi R8 GT3)
2016: Involved in the development of the Audi R8 GT4 for Audi AG – Achieved 3rd place at the 24 Hours of Nürburgring

5 x 2nd place finishes at the 24 Hours of Nürburgring with Porsche 996 GT3
2 x 3rd place finishes at the 24 Hours of Le Mans with Audi R8 Coupe

Additional Vehicles Driven

Formula ADAC
Formula 3 Ralt (1992)
Formula 3 Dallara (1993–1995)
Audi Abt C5 (1995)
VW Golf Diesel (1996, 24 Hours Nürburgring)
Audi STW A4 (1996–1999)
Audi R8 Coupe Sports Car Le Mans (1999)
Abt Audi Natural Gas STW (1999, Nürburgring 24 Hours)
Abt Audi Natural Gas STW (2000)
Abt Audi TT-R DTM (2000–2003)
Porsche 996 Cup
Audi A4 DTM (2004–2007)
Porsche Carrera Cup (2008)
Audi R8 GT3 (2009–2010, Nürburgring 24 Hours)
Audi R8 GT4 (2016, Nürburgring 24 Hours)

References

External links