The American wrapped up the Junior title in the Prototype Cup Germany with races still to come. Soufi drives a Ligier JS P320 for Konrad Motorsport and holds an unassailable lead in his class going into the finale at the Sachsenring.
Danny Soufi (USA) has been crowned Junior champion of the 2024 Prototype Cup Germany. This competition is reserved for young racing drivers born since 1999. The 21-year-old, who drives a Ligier JS P320 for Konrad Motorsport has claimed four class victories to date and currently holds an unassailable lead of 112.5 points over the second-placed racer. As such, he can no longer be denied the title at the season finale, which takes place at the Sachsenring at the start of September. “This title means an awful lot to me, as there is some really strong opposition in the series,” says Soufi. “It is one of the biggest triumphs of my career so far. However, we are hungry for more and also want to win the Drivers Championship at the Sachsenring.”
Soufi got off to a great start in the 2024 season. Together with team-mate Torsten Kratz (53/Mönchengladbach), he won two of the three races at the Dekra Lausitzring. “The two victories obviously make the Lausitzring the highlight of the season so far. The team worked really hard pre-season to get the car ready,” says the champion, looking back. Further class victories were to follow in race one in Zandvoort and the third race at the Hockenheimring.
Soufi began his motorsport journey at the age of eight. His first race was at the wheel of a Mazda MX-5 in a local championship in Texas. Soufi was just ten years old at the time. Three years later, 13-year-old Soufi lined up in a state-wide series in Texas, which is regarded as being very competitive – and the young rookie won the title at the first attempt. More accolades were to come in the following years. In 2020 and 2021, Soufi switched to drifting, and was again successful. In 2022, the Texan wanted to take his career in a new direction, and decided to try his hand in Europe.
“I got to know team principal Franz Konrad at the Prototype Cup Germany race weekend at the Nürburgring in 2022. He offered me a test the following Thursday – and I was able to impress him. I was driving for Konrad Motorsport in the Prototype Cup Germany as soon as the next race in Hockenheim,” he says, reporting on his first motorsport steps in Europe. Since then, Soufi has become a permanent fixture in the team from Verl, and also started the ADAC 24h Race at the Nürburgring in a Lamborghini Huracán GT3 in 2023 and 2024.
Danny Soufi moved to Europe to help further his career. “I actually live at the team headquarters. They have a small flat there. As such, I live, eat and breathe motorsport around the clock,” he chuckles, considering his unusual living situation. The 21-year-old does not currently see his family very often and has not been home for about eight months. “Fortunately, however, my parents have visited every so often, including for the 24-hour race at the Nürburgring. I was obviously delighted about that, as I miss them a lot.”
Away from motorsport, Soufi programmes apps and websites to earn a little extra money. “However, the focus is definitely on motorsport,” he stresses. “I do a lot of jogging and go to the gym regularly. I have also started cycling this year, and enjoy sim racing.”
Exactly what Danny Soufi will be up to in 2025 is yet to be confirmed. “As I said, we first want to win the Driver title in this year’s Prototype Cup Germany. That would be very important for my career,” he says, knowingly. “Maybe I will spend another year in LMP3 racing in 2025. In the mid-term, I would like to step up to the LMP2 class. The ultimate goal is to be a works driver for a manufacturer, and to win the 24 Hours of Le Mans. That is my lifelong dream.”
