Dipl.-Ing. (TUM) Christian Schmidt-Gogler, MSc, BSc discovered his passion for motorsport at the age of 16 and decided back then to become a professional motorsport consultant one day, making enthusiasm to his job. Till now, Christian has gained considerable experience as technical director, chief engineer, race engineer, (aerodynamic) performance engineer, data engineer and support engineer in many different racing series and categories like LMP1 & LMGTE (FIA World Endurance Championship), LMP2 & LMP3 (IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship, European Le Mans Series, Michelin Le Mans Cup, Ultimate Cup Series), GT3 (ADAC GT Masters, GTWC Europe (former Blancpain GT Series), Porsche Carrera Cup Germany), GT4 (ADAC Germany, European Series, DTM Trophy), Formula (FRECA, F3, FR 2.0, F4), Touring car (TCR Germany, International) and Endurance races (Rolex 24 at Daytona, Hankook 24H Dubai, ADAC Total 24H Nuerburgring, Total 24H of Spa, Gulf 12H Abu Dhabi, Hankook 24H Series, NLS (former VLN)) as well as factory race car development for Porsche & McLaren Motorsport as well as prototypes (LMP1). So far, he was able to achieve a total of EIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP TITLES, several overall victories & pole positions in over 150 race weekends and five of the drivers he worked with developed into factory status including the current Porsche Junior 2023. In 10+ years of professional trackside work in various rolls, Christian developed to work to the highest standards and tightest timescales with excellent communication skills and the capability to make time crucial decisions or taking the lead. His experience together with two Master specialisations in two of the most relevant racing fields from two of the world’s top universities do bring an unique mix of practical as well as academic knowledge to customers.

EXPERIENCE

2022: Senior Aerodynamic & Performance Engineer, DragonSpeed Racing, United States of America

LMP2 Aerodynamic & Performance Engineer of DragonSpeed Racing for one Oreca 07 LM P2 race car in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship (IMSA). Responsible for all performance related aspects of the car on-track including aerodynamics, data and performance analysis (chassis, aerodynamics & driver) as well as setup development, best usage of the carbon fibre brakes and fuel management. Drivers: Juan Pablo Montoya (Ex-F1 Driver, NTT IndyCar Series), Sebastian Montoya, Patricio O’Ward (NTT IndyCar Series), Colton Herta (NTT IndyCar Series), Devlin DeFrancesco (NTT IndyCar Series), Henrik Hedman, Erix Lux

2022: Senior Race Engineer, United Autosports, United Kingdom

LMP3 Race Engineer of United Autosports leading one Ligier JS P320 race car in the Michelin Le Mans Cup (MLMC) as well as supporting the European Le Mans Series (ELMS) team at some events. Responsible for all engineering aspects of the car on-track including data and performance analysis (chassis, aerodynamics & driver), setup development, driver coaching as well as radio communication, run planning and strategy being the car controller at race events.

2022: Senior Race Engineer, Audi Team Land-Motorsport, Germany

GT3 Race Engineer of Land-Motorsport leading one Audi R8 LMS GT3 Evo 2 race car in the ADAC GT Masters. Responsible for all engineering aspects of the car on-track including data and performance analysis (chassis, aerodynamics & driver), setup development as well as radio communication, run planning and strategy being the car controller at race events. Drivers: Ricardo Feller (Audi Sport Factory Driver), Dries Vanthoor (Audi Sport Factory Driver), Jusuf Owega

2022: Senior Race Engineer, G4 Racing, Spain

Race Engineer of G4 Racing leading one Formula T318 race car (FIA F3/2019 chassis) in the Formula Regional European Championship by Alpine (FRECA) including the Monaco round as FIA Formula 1 support series. Responsible for all engineering aspects of the car on-track including data and performance analysis (chassis, aerodynamics & driver), setup development, driver coaching as well as radio communication and run planning.

2018-2021: Senior Support & Performance Engineer, Porsche/Manthey, Germany

Support & Performance Engineer assisting different Porsche factory race car development projects on- and off-track. Jointly involved in the data and performance analysis (chassis & driver) as well as baseline setup and reference evaluation, verification and definition amongst others.

2021: Senior Support & Performance Engineer, Porsche Team Project 1, Germany

GTE Support & Performance Engineer of Project 1 for their Porsche 911 RSR-19 race car in the FIA World Endurance Championship (FIA WEC) remotely on demand at the BAPCO 6 Hours & 8 Hours of Bahrain. Tasks depending on trackside requests. Drivers: Matteo Cairoli (Porsche Driver), Egidio Perfetti, Riccardo Pera

2021: Senior Race & Performance Engineer, BHK Motorsport, United Kingdom

LMP2/LMP3 Race & Performance Engineer of BHK Motorsport for one Oreca 07 LM P2 / Ligier JS P320 race car at some events of the European Le Mans Series (ELMS). Responsible for all engineering aspects of the car on-track including data and performance analysis (chassis, aerodynamics & driver), setup development as well as radio communication, run planning and strategy.

2020-2021: Chief Engineer – Head of Engineering, Porsche Team Allied-Racing, Germany

Chief Engineer | Senior Race Engineer of Allied-Racing for a total of 11 race cars (Since 2021: One Porsche 911 GT3R (991.2), Two Porsche 911 GT3 Cup (992). Since 2020: Two Porsche 911 GT3 Cup GEN2 and Six Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 CS MR) in the GT World Challenge Europe Sprint & Endurance including the Spa 24H, Porsche Carrera Cup Germany (PCCD), ADAC GT4 Germany, GT4 European Series and NLS SP10 class including the NBR 24H. Manager of a technical team of nearly 40 people including over 10 engineers. Responsible for all engineering aspects of the cars including development on- and off-track as well as lecturer of the technical modules in the team’s newly founded Junior Academy. Sustainable change of the entire engineering team and its operating processes as well as staff from 2020 onwards for the team to become one of the most successful GT4 teams world-wide straight away winning multiple championships on the basis of which a successful entry and step up to professional GT3 racing using very limited funds as well as a return to the PCCD in 2021 could be achieved.

2019: Senior Race Engineer, Audi Team HCB-Rutronik Racing, Germany

GT3 Race Engineer of HCB-Rutronik Racing leading one Audi R8 LMS GT3 Evo race car in the ADAC GT Masters as well as DMV GTC / Dunlop 60. Responsible for all engineering aspects of car #31 on-track including data and performance analysis (chassis, aerodynamics & driver), setup development as well as radio communication, run planning and strategy being the car contoller at race events. Drivers: Kelvin van der Linde (Audi Sport Factory Driver), Patrick Niederhauser (since 2020 Audi Sport Factory Driver), Dennis Marshall (since 2021 Audi Sport Factory Driver), Carrie Schreiner

2019: Senior Race & Performance Engineer, Porsche Team Allied-Racing, Germany

GT4 Race & Performance Engineer of Allied-Racing leading one Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 CS MR race car in the GT4 European Series as well as at the NBR 24H. Responsible for all engineering aspects of the car on-track including data and performance analysis (chassis & driver), setup development as well as radio communication, run planning and strategy.

2019: Senior Race & Performance Engineer, SFR Team, Spain

LMP3 Race & Performance Engineer of SFR Team for one Ligier JS P3 race car at some events of the Ultimate Cup Series. Mainly responsible for the on-track data and performance analysis (chassis, aerodynamics & driver) including setup development and driver coaching amongst others.

Oct/2018-Feb/2019: Full-time Senior Performance Engineer, McLaren Motorsport, United Kingdom

GT3 Performance Engineer of McLaren Motorsport responsible for the McLaren 720S GT3 race car development and definition on-and off-track including chassis & aerodynamic performance evaluation; Chassis baseline setup definition; Tyre usage analysis as well as development of ABS, TC and Differential settings. Participation at the Gulf 12H Abu Dhabi.

2018: Chief Engineer, Anders Motorsport, Germany

Chief Engineer | Senior Race Engineer of Anders Motorsport leading two FR 2.0 race cars in the Formula Renault NEC/Eurocup. Responsible for all technical aspects on-track including data and performance analysis (chassis, aerodynamics & driver), setup development as well as team management / development.

2018: Senior Race Engineer, Audi Team Aust Motorsport, Germany

GT3 Race Engineer of Aust Motorsport leading one Audi R8 LMS GT3 race car in the ADAC GT Masters. Responsible for all engineering aspects of the car on-track including data and performance analysis (chassis, aerodynamics & driver), setup development as well as radio communication, run planning and strategy. Drivers: Frederic Vervisch (Audi Sport Factory Driver), Nikolaj Rogivue

Sep/2017-Apr/2018: Performance Engineer & Aerodynamicist, ByKolles Racing, Germany

LMP1 Performance Engineer | Aerodynamicist for the team’s own developed LMP1 race car (Enso CLM P1/01 Nismo) at tests for the FIA World Endurance Championship (FIA WEC). Responsible for all engineering aspects of the car on- and off-track including data and performance analysis (chassis, aerodynamics & driver) as well as aerodynamic development / research.

2017: Performance Engineer, Porsche Team 75 Motorsport, Germany

GT3 Performance Engineer of Team 75 Motorsport for two Porsche 991 GT3 R race cars and one Porsche 991 Cup race car in the ADAC GT Masters, VLN and 24H Spa-Francorchamps. Responsible for the on-track data and performance analysis (chassis & driver) including setup development as well as strategy. Drivers: Mathieu Jaminet (since 2020 Porsche Factory Driver), Michael Ammermüller, Kevin Estre (Porsche Factory Driver), Michael Christensen (Porsche Factory Driver), Laurens Vanthoor (Porsche Factory Driver)

2016: Technical Director, Engstler Motorsport, Germany

Technical Director of Engstler Motorsport for three VW Golf GTI TCR race cars and one Seat Leon TCR race car in the ADAC TCR Germany and TCR International (one event). Responsible for all technical aspects on-track including data and performance analysis (chassis & driver), setup as well as team management, organisation and development.

2016: Race Engineer, Attempto-Racing, Germany

GT3 Race Engineer of Attempto-Racing leading one Porsche 991 GT3 R race car as well as Support Engineer for two Lamborghini Huracan GT3 race cars in the Blancpain Series Endurance. Responsible for all engineering aspects on-track including data and performance analysis (chassis & driver), setup development, run planning and strategy.

2015: Race & Data Engineer, Mercedes Team HP Racing International, Austria

GT3 Race & Data Engineer of HP Racing International for one Mercedes SLS AMG GT3 race car in the ADAC GT Masters. Responsible for all engineering aspects of the car on-track including data and performance analysis (chassis & driver), setup development, run planning and strategy. Drivers. Bernd Scheider (5-times DTM Champion, FIA GT World Champion, Ex-F1 Driver), Harald Proczyk

2015: Chief Data & Race Engineer, Swiss Motorsport Group, Switzerland

Chief Data & Race Engineer of the Swiss Motorsport Group (SMG) for three Tatuus F4 race cars in the ADAC Formula 4. Responsible for all engineering aspects on-track including data and performance analysis (chassis & driver), setup development, radio communication and run planning. Drivers: Mattia Drudi (since 2019 Audi Sport Factory Driver), Nikolaj Rogivue, Giorgio Maggi

2014: Performance Engineer & Aerodynamicist, Corvette Team Callaway Competition, Germany

GT3 Performance Engineer | Aerodynamicist of Callaway Competition for two Corvette C6 GT3-R race cars in the ADAC GT Masters. Responsible for the on-track data and performance analysis (chassis, aerodynamics & driver) as well as strategy and aerodynamic research.

2012-2013: Support, Race & Data Engineer, Various teams

Support & Data Engineer for one Dallara Formula race car in the ADAC Formula Masters and one Dallara F311 race car in the ATS Formula 3 Cup (German F3 Cup). Race and Data Engineer for one FR 2.0 race car in the Formula Renault NEC. Responsible for the on-track data and performance analysis (chassis & driver) as well as supporting engineers/mechanics where needed.

VICTORIES AND SUCCESS

  • Winner of the Rolex 24 at Daytona (LMP2 class) 2022
  • Winner of the Hankook 24H Dubai (992-AM class) 2022
  • Champion ADAC GT4 Germany Drivers Championship 2020
  • Champion ADAC GT4 Germany Team Championship 2020
  • Champion GT4 European Series Pro-Am Championship 2020
  • Champion ADAC GT Masters Drivers Championship 2019
  • Champion ADAC GT Masters Team Championship 2019
  • Champion Formula Renault 2.0 NEC/Euro Drivers Championship 2018
  • Champion Formula Renault 2.0 NEC/Euro Team Championship 2018
  • Champion ADAC TCR Germany Rookie Championship 2016
  • Vize-Champion ADAC GT Masters Team Championship 2014
  • 2nd at the ADAC Total 24H Nuerburgring (SP10 class) 2020
  • 3rd GT4 European Series Team Championship 2020
  • 3rd ADAC GT Masters Drivers Championship 2014
  • 3rd at the ADAC Total 24H Nuerburgring (SP10 class) 2021
  • 4th at the Total Spa 24H (Overall) 2017
  • Multiple overall victories in sprint and endurance races with different teams and drivers in various categories
  • Five drivers developed into factory status after working together including the current Porsche Junior 2023
  • Record: Most race victories in one ADAC GT Masters season (Total: 6, Year: 2014)
  • SP10 class Lap Record at the Nuerburgring Nordschleife 2020
  • Sustainable development of a racing team as Chief Engineer into one of the most successful GT4 teams world-wide on basis of which a successful entry and step up to professional GT3 racing could be achieved using very limit funds
  • RPE Founder

EDUCATION

2014-2018: Master of Science (MSc) (Dipl.-Ing. (TUM)) in Aerospace Engineering, Technical University of Munich (TUM), Germany. Specialisation: Aerodynamics

Taught Modules: Race car aerodynamics, Aerodynamics of ground based cars, Bluff body aerodynamics, Boundary layer theory, Turbulent flows, Applied computational fluid dynamics (CFD), Unsteady aerodynamics 1 and 2, Aircraft aerodynamics 1 and 2, Gas dynamics, Aero elasticity, Helicopter aerodynamics, Helicopter physics 1, Construction and design of helicopters 1, Aircraft engines and gas turbines 1, Vehicle concept development and simulation, Structures.

Term Project: Development and verification of a new VABS pre-processor for calculating advanced properties of rotor blades: A MATLAB code allows to translate a CATIA V5 rotor blade model to calculate its structural properties in VABS.

Master thesis (Distinction): “Undertray Aerodynamic Performance Improvement of a LMP1 Type Race Car in Conformity with the FIA Regulations”. Though, the aim was to improve the downforce level and efficiency of its undertray considering floor sealing, diveplane as well as leading edge design in particular within the general thesis topic of vortices. CFD was performed using the Lattice Boltzmann approach.

2016-2017: Master of Science (MSc) (Distinction) in Advanced Motorsport Engineering, Cranfield University, United Kingdom. Specialisation: Vehicle Dynamics & Performance

Taught Modules: Composite structures for motorsport, Computational fluid dynamics for motorsport, Motorsport aerodynamics, Motorsport electronics and data acquisition, Motorsport powertrain design, Motorsport structural analysis, Motorsport vehicle dynamics, The business of motorsport.

Group Design Project: Cranfield Hybrid Hill Climb Car 2017 designing a complete hybrid powered hill climb car including areas such as aerodynamics, structure, suspension and powertrain where the own focus was on suspension design and vehicle as well as tyre performance analysis.

Master thesis (Distinction): “Investigation about the Influence of Corner Inside Kerbs on Vehicle Performance”. The project was in cooperation with Team 75 Motorsport and their GT3 race car including a Simulink Full Car Model and Matlab in-house point-mass laptime simulation taking different spring-damper settings and the normalised tyre force variations (NTF) into account.

2010-2014: Bachelor of Science (BSc) in Aerospace Engineering, University of Stuttgart, Germany

Taught Modules: Advanced mathematics 1 to 3, Engineering mechanics 1 to 3, General physics, General electronics, Aerospace thermodynamics 1 and 2, Fluid dynamics 1 and 2, Theory of design, Material science and lightweight structures, Astronautics 1 and 2, Numerical simulation 1 and 2, Information technology 1 and 2, Systems engineering, Static 1 and 2, Heat radiation and transfer, flight mechanics, Aircraft engines.

Bachelor thesis: “Numerical Optimisation of a flow in a nozzle using genetic algorithms in OpenFOAM”. The project aimed to optimise the flow through a standard diffuser using given parameters with different wing profiles placed inside and try to prevent flow separation while the diffuser opening angle has been set extra high on purpose.

RELEVANT SKILLS

Language: German (native level), English (IELTS C1 level), French (A1 level), Spanish (A1 level)

Computer Software: Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, …), MATLAB / Simulink

Data Analysis Software: PI Research / Cosworth Toolbox, Bosch WinDarab, MoTeC i2, Magneti Marelli WinTAX, AIM Race Studio, VBox & Circuit Tools

Simulation Software: laptime / chassis (ChassisSim), CFD (OpenFOAM, StarCCM+, ANSYS Fluent, ultraFluidX & HyperMesh), CAD & FEM  (CATIA, LS Dyna), IC engine (AVL Boost)

Strategy Software: HH Timing

Systems & Components: Cosworth Systems (PI CalTool), Bosch Motorsport Systems (RaceCon), Dampers (Öhlins, KW), VBox Video System, On Board Electric & Electronics CAN Diagnostics

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

  • Creator & Lecturer: Webinar / Online Course in Basic or Advanced Race Car Data Analysis for Drivers
  • ChassisSim Bootcamp Webinar of Danny Nowlan, 2020
  • Motorsport Performance Engineering Webinar of Jorge Segers, 2020
  • Professional racing experience as Kart driver in sprint (British University Kart Championship) and endurance racing (German Indoor Kart League, German Team Championship, 24H) out & indoor until 2017
  • Member of the CSA Motorsport Club at the Cranfield University 2016/2017
  • Advanced Motorsport Engineering Short Course at Cranfield University, UK, 2016
  • Porsche 991 GT3 R engineer seminar at Weissach, Germany, 2016
  • Technical University of Munich (TUM) Formula Student (TUfast) Team Member as Race Engineer in 2015
  • University of Stuttgart Formula Student Electric (GreenTeam) Team Member as Test Engineer in 2013