Moritz Löhner made his Prototype Cup Germany debut at the finale in Hockenheim. The successful sim racer impressed with fast lap times. Together with Lion Düker, he finished fifth.
Reiter Engineering lined up at the Hockenheimring Baden-Württemberg with a new pairing of Moritz Löhner and Lion Düker at the wheel of its white Ligier for the final round of the Prototype Cup Germany. Particularly noteworthy was the appearance of Löhner, a successful sim racer now making his way in the world of real motor racing. Löhner is a three-time winner of the ADAC GT Masters eSports Championship, making him the most successful driver in this sim racing series.
Löhner made his real motorsport debut in the DTM Trophy at the start of 2021. “I have been sim racing since I was seven years old. Over time, this form of motorsport has grown and grown, and proper championships are now held. In 2020, I won the DTM Esports Championship and was rewarded with a test drive in a real race car from the DTM Trophy.” Löhner immediately fared well in the powerful car, impressing with rapid lap times. “I planned to make one guest appearance at the season-opener in Monza. However, having finished on the podium in one race, my team FK Performance Motorsport invited me to contest the full season with them.” Now 24, Löhner ended his rookie season in eighth place in the Drivers’ Championship. One season later, he was eleventh overall.
Shortly after the finale of the 2022 DTM Trophy, Löhner received a phone call. On the other end of the line was Reiter Engineering. “It was on the Monday before the finale of the Prototype Cup Germany, and they asked me whether I would like to race there.” However, the contact had already been made previously. “Among other things, I work as a driver and head of the Esports team for the SX Group agency, who also have a number of contacts in real motorsport. I met Reiter Engineering during the 24-hour race at the Nürburgring, and later did a short test with them. It then went quiet, until I received the enquiry shortly before the finale.” Löhner did not have much time to prepare, and was unable to select an LMP3 car in his simulator. “I practiced with an LMP2 car, which was at least similar.” He was also unfortunate in the official one-hour test in the run-up to the race weekend, which was plagued by red flags, meaning he only got two fast laps under his belt in this important session. And he also managed fewer laps than he would have hoped for in the subsequent free practice sessions. “Given the preparation, I was happy with seventh place in qualifying.” And Löhner could also live with fifth place in his first race. “In the race, I first had to learn things like how the tyres wear. Generally speaking, an LMP3 car is totally different to a GT4 car, which is just about the only thing I had driven to that point. An LMP car is more direct and has more downforce, which means you can take the corners faster. Plus, there is no ABS. It definitely required a big adjustment.”
The man from Munich showed that he had mastered this adjustment in race two. “Unfortunately, we spun at the start, which meant we could no longer get a good result. However, I did manage to set the second fastest lap of the race. Only Oscar Tunjo was faster than me. And I consistently set fast lap times, which was just as important to me. I was very happy with that, although we only finished ninth.”
The outing in the world of LMP3 was a good experience for Löhner. “I felt very comfortable in the Ligier, as the LMP3 cars are closer to sim racing than GT4 cars. I also found it interesting to contest a race with a driver changeover for the first time.” What comes next for him in motorsport is still unclear. “It is not easy to put together the budget required for another season. However, I am not worrying too much about it. I still find it hard to believe that I have actually taken part in real motorsport. If I really cannot get together the necessary budget, and I hope that is not the case, then I can still look back on two great years.”
