START OF SIM-RACING
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In 2008, at the age of 4, I first sat behind the wheel – virtually. GTR2 and later rFactor were my first race simulators. Not just games, but realistic from the start: no assists, no arcade feel – just me, the car, the track. Later I switched to Assetto Corsa, and eventually to iRacing – for me, the most realistic and toughest SIM-racing platform.
My first laps: race driver on a pcToday, many professional drivers also train there. F1 World Champion Max Verstappen is just the most well-known example – and he even races GT3 and LMDh/GTP events in iRacing the night before his real F1 races. One of my closest SIM-racing friends is Frederik Vesti, 2023 Formula 2 vice-champion. Knowing me as a racing driver, he firmly believes in my talent – and I wear his original F2 gloves in every of my real-world races.
My first laps: race driver on a pcToday, many professional drivers also train there. F1 World Champion Max Verstappen is just the most well-known example – and he even races GT3 and LMDh/GTP events in iRacing the night before his real F1 races. One of my closest SIM-racing friends is Frederik Vesti, 2023 Formula 2 vice-champion. Knowing me as a racing driver, he firmly believes in my talent – and I wear his original F2 gloves in every of my real-world races.
That early discipline in the race simulator shaped me. It sharpened my feel for the car, formed my racecraft – and laid the foundation for everything that followed in motorsport.
PERFORMANCE TENNIS START
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My first life as a competitive athleteIn 2009, at age 6, I was discovered as an exceptional talent in tennis. From the age of 7, I regularly competed in national tournaments, trained with top coaches, and chased my dream of becoming a professional tennis player. At 15, I was accepted into the state elite squad by Dirk Hordorff, former top coach and vice president of the German Tennis Federation. In his words, I was “the only one left with real potential.” Then came C-pandemic – and my entire tennis environment started falling apart.
My tennis record so far is as follows:
- Competitive tennis since the age of 6
- District performance squad player in TBF
- State performance squad player in HTV
- Top 100 junior in Germany for many years
- Top 10 junior in Hessen for many years
- On DTB men's ranking list since the age of 16
- Tournament player (highest ranking in 02/2025 - DTB 281/ LK 1.5)
- Hessen League player
- DTB-B certified performance coach
My tennis record so far is as follows:
- Competitive tennis since the age of 6
- District performance squad player in TBF
- State performance squad player in HTV
- Top 100 junior in Germany for many years
- Top 10 junior in Hessen for many years
- On DTB men's ranking list since the age of 16
- Tournament player (highest ranking in 02/2025 - DTB 281/ LK 1.5)
- Hessen League player
- DTB-B certified performance coach
Many years of intense competition and over 500 tournament matches have conditioned me mentally. I learned to stay cool under pressure, read the game, be patient, face challenges head-on, believe in myself, and make split-second decisions – all crucial skills also in motorsport today.
RACE KART EXPERIENCE
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The first real gripBetween 2011 and 2013, when I was 7-8 years old, I trained intensely in kart racing – on tracks like Wittgenborn, Oppenrod, Hahn, and Schaafheim – completing thousands of laps that deeply shaped me and laid a solid foundation for my real-life motorsport experience. Although I was always running on used equipment, I steadily developed strong pace throughout the first season - reaching lap times usually reserved for drivers with top-level gear.
EARLY signs of A REMARKABLE Talent
These were already strong indicators of my remarkable motorsport talent. But a typical karting race season – which would have required brand-new equipment – was only realistic if I had quit performance tennis. And that was not an option at the time.
EARLY signs of A REMARKABLE Talent
These were already strong indicators of my remarkable motorsport talent. But a typical karting race season – which would have required brand-new equipment – was only realistic if I had quit performance tennis. And that was not an option at the time.
Even with used racing equipment (kart and tires), I was consistently very fast. In 2012, I got within one second of the Bambini lap record at Wittgenborn. What might have been possible with top-level equipment and a professional team?
VIDEO: SHORT IMPRESSION - DENIS KART 2011
As a 7-year-old kart driver and only 2 months into Bambini karting, I achieved my personal record in July 2011 on the kart racing track in Oppenrod: 47 fast, consistent and error-free laps in a row (until the fuel tank was as good as empty).
In 2017, at age 13, I got into a Maranello Rotax Max Junior kart. More power, more speed – and immediately the same old feeling: I can do this. I hadn’t lost a thing. And that’s still true today – virtually and in real life.
However, tennis once again had the upper hand in the battle of the talents and so I was still unable to pursue motorsport properly.
However, tennis once again had the upper hand in the battle of the talents and so I was still unable to pursue motorsport properly.
F-4 ON THE NÜRBURGRING
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FiRST TIME IN A REAL RACE CARLate summer 2022, Nürburgring GP circuit. My first day in a real formula car as an 18-year old – and it instantly felt like I had done it my whole life. By the end of the two-day course at the Nürburgring Driving Academy, I was by far the fastest. The head instructor, a former race and factory driver, said in front of the group about me:
"A natural-born race driver,
Someone like him comes around very rarely. A true joy to watch him and his immense skill.” He added, though: “Talent alone, no matter how great, is no longer enough today. Without serious money, even the best don’t make it.”
"A natural-born race driver,
Someone like him comes around very rarely. A true joy to watch him and his immense skill.” He added, though: “Talent alone, no matter how great, is no longer enough today. Without serious money, even the best don’t make it.”
Maybe he’s right. Maybe real motorsport today is just for the rich. But I believe this: if you’re good enough – and I am – there’s always a way. I’ll do everything it takes.
SIM-RACING
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Auf höchstem LEVEL unterwegs THE FIRST PROOF OF MY CLASS
2023 - Straight to three consecutive Overall CHAMPION titles in the top split of the LMDh/GTP class – on the world’s toughest SIM racing platform (iRacing). That success at the top level of SIM-racing was the foundation – and the spark – for everything that followed successfully in real-world racing in 2024.
2023 - Straight to three consecutive Overall CHAMPION titles in the top split of the LMDh/GTP class – on the world’s toughest SIM racing platform (iRacing). That success at the top level of SIM-racing was the foundation – and the spark – for everything that followed successfully in real-world racing in 2024.
MY RACE DEBUT
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Nürburgring NORDSCHLEIFE
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R C N - my entry into the "Green Hell"In 2025, I prove myself in the RCN (Rundstrecken Challenge Nürburgring) on one of the world’s toughest circuits – with real pace and the clear goal of learning to master this motorsport legend as a real racing driver.
N L S - "GREEN HELL", ONE STEP HIGHERIn 2025, I stepped up to the legendary NLS (Nürburgring Endurance Series) and got to drive a GT4 race car for the first time. My RCN experience helped me to focus entirely on my most powerful race car to date – and to push myself to its limits after just a few laps and achieve impressive lap times on the Nordschleife.