Rowe Racing has signed Sheldon van der Linde to race for the team in its maiden DTM campaign.
The 21-year-old will pilot the team’s lone BMW M6 GT3, remaining with the German marque for the third consecutive season.
Van der Linde debuted in DTM in 2019, taking pole position in only his fourth race. During his second season in 2020, he scored his maiden DTM podium at the Lausitzring before going on to capture his maiden DTM victory at Assen, becoming the first South African race winner in DTM history.
The South African will be racing against his brother Kelvin, who was recently announced as a part of Abt Sportsline’s DTM line-up.
“Firstly, I am delighted still to be racing in the DTM in a BMW,” Van der Linde said. “After two years and many highlights in the series, my goal is now to use the experience I have gained. In doing so, I want to help improve both myself and the team.
“I am very proud to be part of the ROWE RACING project, and would like to thank the team for the trust they have all put in me.”
“On the other side, I am really pleased that Kelvin has also made it into the DTM. We have both always dreamed of driving in the DTM at some point.”
“It is simply unbelievable that, from June, we are actually going to be facing each other in the biggest touring car series in the world.”
Hans-Peter Naundorf, Rowe Racing Team Principal, added: “We are very pleased to line up with Sheldon van der Linde in our first DTM season. We consciously went for him, because, on one hand, he is still a young driver.
“On the other hand, he already has a lot of experience in the DTM and has shown his class there.
“He is a very good fit for our expectations and ideas for the DTM, and will help us to implement our concept and achieve the best possible performance.
“The fact that we will see the first sibling rivalry in DTM in this millenium is a nice spin-off for us. I assume it will be an extra motivation for Sheldon to finish ahead of his big brother.”
