Christian Abt
Encyclopedia
Driving
Driving is the controlled operation and movement of a land vehicle, such as a car, truck or bus.Although direct operation of a bicycle and a mounted animal are commonly referred to as riding, such operators are legally considered drivers and are required to obey the rules of the road...
born in Kempten
Kempten
Kempten can refer to:* Kempten im Allgäu, a town in Bavaria, Germany* Kempten ZH, a district of the town of Wetzikon in the canton of Zurich, Switzerland* Kempton Park, Gauteng, a city in South Africa which was named after Kempten in Bavaria...
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
, into a family of amateur race drivers and car dealers.
His elder brother Hans-Jürgen Abt runs the Abt Sportsline
Abt Sportsline
Abt Sportsline is a motor racing and auto tuning company based in Kempten im Allgäu, Germany. Abt mainly deals with Audi, and the related primary Volkswagen Group brands - Volkswagen, Škoda, and SEAT.-History:...
Audi
Audi
Audi AG is a German automobile manufacturer, from supermini to crossover SUVs in various body styles and price ranges that are marketed under the Audi brand , positioned as the premium brand within the Volkswagen Group....
racing teams as well as their tuning company for Audi and Volkswagen.
Christian Abt started his career in motocross
Motocross
Motocross is a form of motorcycle sport or all-terrain vehicle racing held on enclosed off road circuits. It evolved from trials, and was called scrambles, and later motocross, combining the French moto with cross-country...
and then moved on to German Formula BMW
Formula BMW
Formula BMW is a junior racing formula for single seater cars. It is positioned at the bottom of the motorsport career ladder alongside the longer established Formula Ford category...
. He went on to become the 1991 champion.
In 1992 he won the German Formula Three Championship
German Formula Three Championship
The German Formula Three Championship – currently titled the ATS Formel 3 Cup – is Germany's national Formula Three series. In the hierarchy of motor racing formulae, Formula Three is placed between national Formula Renault and championships such as GP2...
.
Driving a privately entered Audi A4 with the quattro
Quattro
quattro is the name used by Audi AG to indicate that four-wheel drive technologies or systems are used on specific models of the Audi automobiles....
4-Wheel-Drive as this was banned for factory entrants, he won the German Supertouring Championship
Super Tourenwagen Cup
The Super Tourenwagen Cup, or German Supertouring Championship, was a touring car racing series held between 1994 and 1999 in Germany.The championship was established when BMW and Audi both left the Deutsche Tourenwagen Meisterschaft in 1992, after the series had adopted the more expensive Class 1...
(STW) in 1999, the last season of this series, under controversial circumstances, taking the title only after the STW annulled the last lap of the final round of the Nürburgring.
Still considered as privateers, Abt entered the new Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters
Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters
The Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters is a touring car racing series based in Germany, but also with rounds elsewhere in Europe....
with hastily built cars similar to Audi TT
Audi TT
The Audi TT is a two-door sports car manufactured by the German automaker and Volkswagen Group subsidiary Audi since 1998.The Audi TT has been produced in two generations. Both generations have been available in two car body styles; as a 2+2 Coupé, or two-seater Roadster...
. When driving an Audi R8
Audi R8 Race Car
The Audi R8 is a sports-prototype race car introduced in 2000 for sports car racing as a redevelopment of their Audi R8R and Audi R8C used in 1999...
for Joest Racing
Joest Racing
Joest Racing is a racing team that was established in 1978 by former Porsche works racer Reinhold Joest...
at the 24 Hours of Le Mans
24 Hours of Le Mans
The 24 Hours of Le Mans is the world's oldest sports car race in endurance racing, held annually since near the town of Le Mans, France. Commonly known as the Grand Prix of Endurance and Efficiency, race teams have to balance speed against the cars' ability to run for 24 hours without sustaining...
that year, Abt called no other than Roland Asch
Roland Asch
Roland Asch is a race car driver who is strongly associated with his home town Ammerbuch near Stuttgart, speaking the local Swabian dialect in interviews and commercials....
to step in.