Sami-Matti Trogen to compete in the ADAC GT4 Germany – the hybrid racing driver ready for new real world and digital challenges
Sami-Matti Trogen, 20, a GT car specialist, will participate in the German GT4 series in the upcoming 2023 season. The Finnish driver has been racing on German tracks since 2020 and will now enter his fourth season with Walkenhorst Motorsport team. To date, Trogen has driven mainly on the long Nordschleife track of the Nürburgring. Now is the right time to progress to the next stage of his career by getting a feel for new tracks and sprint endurance races.
"It's really cool to start a new season where I will experience slightly different races than before. As part of a multi-year plan made with my new management team, we decided to compete in the GT4 series. It was also important to have a proper program – both in simulator and real car racing," says Trogen.
Alongside GT-series Trogen continues to compete in the Williams Esports team where he has been a front row driver since 2020. He is a hybrid racer, a driver of the new age that professionally races in real life world and digital environments.
Preparations continue apace with next weekend’s race
This season, Trogen will increase his racing kilometre tally through different Walkenhorst Motorsport missions. He already drove extensive tire tests for Yokohama in Italy this February, and the 21-22nd of this month will see Trogen measure his testing progress when he participates in the two-day qualifying race of the Nürburgring 24-hour race in a BMW M4 GT3 car.
"I have clocked more than 10,000 kilometers on the long track of the Nürburgring in recent years. I particularly want to be successful on that track, and the kilometers I will also cover in the GT3 car will take me forward.”
“I’m also excited by the new challenges that will come with driving GP tracks in GT4 this year. The sprint-style, hour-long races are much shorter, which I'm used to. It will be much more intense than before, and this season will develop my racing skills in the right direction," says Trogen.
“Samppa” completes a super strong package
The German GT4 series is run on the same weekends as the German Tourenwagen Masters, DTM. The pinnacle of German motorsport, DTM is fondly remembered for the Helsinki street circuit races held in Finland in the 90s.
Trogen is an avid fan: "DTM is one of the toughest series in motorsport. It's really great to drive in these spectacular events.”
For Walkenhorst Motorsport team manager Niclas Königbauer, Sami-Matti is "Samppa".
”I’ve been a big fan of Samppa since I saw him on the track for the first time. Therefore, I’m really proud and happy that our journey continues together. GT4 Germany is a new championship for us, but we want to win it. This is why we need to have a super strong package to be successful. With Samppa, who is well respected within our team, we all trust each other to make it happen,” Königbauer explains.
New BMW M4 GT4 for racing use for the first time
Trogen’s race car is a 550 horsepower BMW M4 GT4. BMW has invested significantly in this new GT4 model, which will be used in competition this season.
"The car has felt good since the first tests. It's very similar in character to the GT3 car I've driven. The biggest differences are in aerodynamics and brakes. In particular, the driver's ergonomics and electronics have been invested in with the latest technology," says Trogen.
As many as 40 teams will participate in the GT4 series.
"There aren't many series with this many cars in the grid. Sprint races are run with two drivers. This highly competitive series will provide many meaningful opportunities to learn," says Trogen.
Walkenhorst Motorsport runs two similar cars in the series. The drivers of the second car are Germany’s Nico Hantke and the Dutch driver, Mex Jansen. The team will announce Trogen's team mate soon.
The German GT4 series is run on six different tracks – five in Germany, and one in Zandvoort, Netherlands. The series starts on the 3.7 kilometer long Oschersleben track from 26th-28th May.