Sebastian Asch and Luca Ludwig to test the Mercedes C63 DTM
Mercedes AMG Customer Programme drivers Sebastian Asch and Luca Ludwig will test a 2015 specification Mercedes AMG C63 DTM at Jerez de la Frontera on Monday.
Both drivers are, respectively, sons of Mercedes DTM legends Roland Asch and Klaus Ludwig, who raced for the Stuttgart manufacturer back in the 90’s. Ludwig was the series’ champion in 1991 and 1994.
Sebastian Asch and Luca Ludwig jointly won the ADAC GT Masters at the wheel of a Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG GT3 this year, with this being the second consecutive title for Asch.
The DTM test is a reward for their triumphs in 2015, and the pair follows on the steps of Maximilian Götz, who had a similar test back in 2013, and who completed his first DTM season this year.
Sebastian Asch is thrilled with the opportunity: “I’m really pleased to be testing another Mercedes-Benz championship winner, the Mercedes-AMG C 63 DTM. November 30th can’t come soon enough!”
Luca Ludwig, a frequent visitor at DTM races, sees an added significance to the test, carrying on a family tradition: “We’ve had a great season in the ADAC GT Masters and this test definitely puts the icing on the cake. Many thanks to Mercedes AMG for placing their trust in me and making it possible to test a DTM car. This is a very emotional moment for me, since I can remember my childhood and teenage years, growing up as a son and fan of the Mercedes-Benz family and following all the races. To see the Ludwig name associated with a Mercedes-Benz DTM car once again after a gap of over 15 years makes me feel tremendously proud.”
The DTM manufacturers start their on-track preseason with a young driver test. For Ulrich Fritz, Head of DTM for Mercedes AMG, this is a perfect opportunity to continue to evaluate and reward Stuttgart’s young drivers: “Promoting young talent has a long tradition at Mercedes-Benz. The Mercedes AMG DTM Team produced the youngest champion in the history of the series this season with Pascal Wehrlein. We will continue to go down this route in the future. We’ve made it possible previously in the past for drivers from the AMG Customer Sports Programme to test one of our DTM cars. I am in no doubt that Sebastian Asch and Luca Ludwig have got the talent needed to really impress in their DTM test.”
Mercedes AMG’s Pascal Wehrlein became this year the youngest ever DTM drivers champion, clinching the title just one day before his 21st birthday, and could move towards Formula 1 next year as part of Mercedes’ development programme.
