Emely Abt kicks off the third generation of the motorsport dynasty

That surname carries weight: Emely Jolie Abt, a name that carries great prestige, is set to enrich the starting grid of the 2026 ADAC Touring Car Junior Cup. Following in the footsteps of Johann and Christian Abt, she represents the third generation of one of the most famous names in German motorsport.

The 17-year-old from Kempten had huge shoes to fill at the start of the 2026 season. As the daughter of former DTM driver Christian, granddaughter of Johann and niece of Hans-Jürgen Abt, she took on the challenge without any prior motorsport experience. And it has paid off: over the five race weekends so far, she has shown impressive progress, culminating in a fifth-place finish at the Motorsport Arena Oschersleben – a provisional highlight in her still very young career.

The fact that her car in the ADAC Young Drivers’ Cup is a VW up! GTI powered by eFuel Racing 98 fits perfectly into the picture: the long-established family-run company ABT Sportsline has been known for decades as the world’s largest tuner of Volkswagen Group vehicles.

Rasant unterwegs: Emely Abt im ADAC Tourenwagen Junior Cup

Foto: ADAC Tourenwagen Junior Cup

Emely Abt is therefore taking her first steps in motor racing on an ideal platform. “The series is a perfect fit for me. We race on renowned and exciting circuits, and the whole series environment is ideal for my debut,” explains the Allgäu native, who only began her active motorsport career this year.

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Guided by the advice of her father, Christian, she lives out her racing motto on the track: “Born to race”. The young driver consciously looks to strong female role models in international motorsport. She cites former F1 Academy driver Bianca Bustamante, who is competing in Eurocup 3 this year, and Susie Wolff, a former racing driver and managing director of the F1 Academy, as her sporting inspirations.

Despite her high-profile background, the young woman from the Allgäu region – who describes herself as a versatile ‘thinker’ and a total team player – remains down-to-earth and focused. When asked about her greatest successes to date, she replied confidently before the season: “Those are still to come this year.” And her words were quickly backed up by action.

She has already achieved the goal she set herself for her debut season in 2026: to regularly finish in the points. Whilst the first two weekends were all about settling in at lightning speed, she scored her first points on the third weekend at the Red Bull Ring. Ochersleben was then the first circuit she was already familiar with, thanks to the pre-season test sessions. She promptly delivered her best performance.

The Salzburgring took her into uncharted territory once more, but she’ll have another chance to shine at the season finale on her favourite circuit: the Nürburgring. The Eifel circuit holds a very special fascination for Abt, and because there has already been one race on the Grand Prix circuit this season, she can really let rip in the Eifel once more.

The newcomer aptly describes the ADAC Touring Car Junior Cup with three words: “young, dynamic, action-packed” – attributes that also fit perfectly with her own five-year plan. In this plan, enjoying the sport, continuous learning and the goal of winning a championship are right at the top of the list.

In the long term, Emely Abt knows exactly where her path is set to lead her. Her ultimate goal is to move up into professional GT racing, and ideally to reach the very place where her father Christian once set milestones: the DTM. With a cool head, family support and remarkably rapid progress, the foundations have been laid for the next successful chapter for the Abt name in German motorsport.