Ben Dörr on his DTM breakthrough and advice from bodybuilding legend Markus Rühl

Ben Dörr is enjoying by far his strongest DTM season in his third year – currently fifth in the standings, he has already scored more points than in 2024 and 2025 combined. At the Dekra Lausitzring, Dörr celebrated his first victory and, at the same time, secured McLaren’s first DTM win. Ahead of this coming weekend’s race weekend at the Norisring in Nuremberg (3 to 5 July), the 21-year-old from Dörr Motorsport talks about his development in the DTM, his relationship with team-mate Timo Glock and the special appeal of the Norisring.

Ben, how much are you looking forward to the Norisring?

It’s huge! The Norisring is a very special circuit with its concrete walls and crash barriers. You have to drive with extreme precision – that’s what makes it so special. The track doesn’t necessarily suit our McLaren. Nevertheless, we’ll try everything we can to do well this weekend too. The track is just cool; it’s always fun to go there every year.

Looking back on your first DTM victory a few days on, how do you feel?

We’re all absolutely delighted with our first DTM win, of course. The team in particular were over the moon. Starting from tenth on the grid, we weren’t exactly in the best position. I’m just over the moon that we’ve finally managed to secure our first win. The trophy’s in my living room at home, right next to the one for second place at Zandvoort. Hopefully a few more will be added over the course of the season.

What are the reasons behind your current run of form?

I’m racing in far more events than in previous years, when I competed exclusively in the DTM. This season, for example, I’m also competing in the GT World Challenge and in a few NLS races, so I’ve had significantly more driving practice in the McLaren. That helps a lot. On top of that, I’ve naturally learnt a great deal and gained a lot of experience in the DTM. That’s allowed me to improve from race to race, and I’m now performing at a pretty good level.

This is your third year in the DTM: in which area have you made the most progress?

In the DTM, consistency is very important; speed alone isn’t enough. That’s where I’ve made the most progress, and I hardly make any mistakes anymore. We’re also getting better and better at nailing it in qualifying. What’s more, I understand the McLaren much better than I did at the start and can assess potential problems more accurately.

What advice would you give to DTM rookies – what matters most?

Practice is everything. The standard in the DTM is extremely high. The only way to cope is to get plenty of track time; otherwise, you won’t improve and won’t be able to keep up. It’s also important to sit down with the engineers in the evenings and work out together what can be improved. But you need patience and have to keep at it; then you’ll start seeing good results before long.

Bodybuilding legend Markus Rühl is a big fan of Dörr Motorsport: what fitness tips does he have to offer?

Markus is really close to the team and fits in perfectly with us. Every weekend, he’s always on hand with little tips for me on how to prepare optimally for a race and work on my fitness. Especially given the hot weather conditions at the Lausitzring, he gave me some brilliant advice on when and what an athlete should drink. That was a huge help given the temperatures inside the car.

What role does Timo Glock play in your development?

Timo has helped me immensely right from the start. A lot of things were new to me in the DTM at the beginning, whereas Timo brought a wealth of experience to the table. That’s paid off and helped the whole team. I’m now performing at a very high level and we get on really well as team-mates. We regularly exchange ideas: everyone contributes their own experiences, and it works very well.