The WTM Racing driver entered LMP3 racing in 2021 and feels right at home in the class. In 2022, he drove a Duqueine D08 with Leonard Weiss in the Prototype Cup Germany. They claimed two wins at the finale in Hockenheim.
There is no doubt that Torsten Kratz (52/Mönchengladbach) was one of the key figures in the 2022 debut season of the new Prototype Cup Germany. The WTM Racing driver and his team-mate Leonard Weiss (24/Monschau) finished as runners-up and also claimed second place in the Trophy standings – despite being forced to miss the race weekend at the Nürburgring. “Of course, I am very pleased with the season in the Prototype Cup Germany,” says Kratz. “However, it was a shame that there was one event we were unable to take part in. I am sure we would otherwise have had our say in the championship.”
The season started according to plan for Kratz/Weiss, with two podium finishes at the opener in Spa-Francorchamps/Belgium. However, WTM Racing had to skip the second race weekend at the Nürburgring due to illness. That naturally represented quite a setback to any title aspirations. More good points were scored with two fifth-place finishes at the DEKRA Lausitzring. The best results came in the season finale at the Hockenheimring Baden-Württemberg, where the duo claimed two victories. “Hockenheim was definitely the highlight of our season. We had a really strong package,” concludes Kratz. “But Spa was brilliant too. I had a great battle there with Marvin Dienst for a few laps, which was really good fun.”
Torsten Kratz is a relative latecomer to motor racing. He only began to race in karts after turning twenty. He then started out in motor racing on the Nordschleife in 1998 and made his first appearance in the VLN - now known as the Nürburgring Endurance Series - in 2005. He has remained true to the ‘Green Hell’ down the years, while also competing internationally in the Creventic 24H Series from 2015 onwards. In 2019, he made a guest appearance in the ADAC GT4 Germany in a BMW M4 GT4 on the Nürburgring. In addition to GT racing, Kratz has also been driving LMP3s since 2021.
“I had always kept an eye on my colleagues in the LMP3 class. But it was always a long way off for me,” explains Kratz. “I then got a call from WTM Racing in early 2021 to ask whether I could see myself in an LMP3. I didn’t really have any experience of aerodynamics up to that point. But I felt at ease right away in my first test drive on the Nürburgring. There was plenty to learn though. And that was a real challenge again, at long last. Making the move to LMP3 was certainly not easy. However, it really is true that driving LMP3s is just so much fun. The LMP3 is a tool that you can work with.
After first racing in the Michelin Le Mans Cup 2021 with WTM Racing, Kratz expanded his LMP3 involvement in 2022, appearing in the Asian Le Mans Series and the Prototype Cup Germany organised by ADAC and Creventic. “I particularly like the classification of pit stop times for the Prototype Cup Germany. The FIA driver categorisations are taken into account for this. That worked really well and the field normally stayed close together, resulting in some lovely battles,” summarises Kratz. “The on-track interaction between the drivers was also brilliant. I did have a few concerns about this before the season started, as a sprint format with LMP3 cars is a little out of the ordinary. However, everyone got on in a sporting and respectful manner.”
Torsten Kratz is currently involved in planning for the 2023 season. “I will certainly be driving in the NLS again next season - just not for the entire season,” he explains. “I will also be back in the LMP3. But I do not yet know what series that will be in.”
