Dion von Moltke (born July 27, 1990, in The Woodlands, Texas) is an American-bornrace car driver who has participated under a South African racing license[1] for the majority of his career. Von Moltke currently competes in the IMSA WeatherTech Championship GTD class with Paul Miller Racing in the #48 Audi R8 LMS with co-driver Christopher Haase.[2] His early career involved an upbringing in karts[3] and the Skip Barber National Championship.[4]
Von Moltke's karting career began in 2004, when he finished second in the EasyKart 100 cc Summer Championship Series. His first victory came at the Cope DeLas America's karting championship in San Carlos, Venezuela. In 2005, von Moltke won the EasyKart 100 cc Winter Championship Series and the WKA Florida State Regional Championship.[3]
Skip Barber
Von Moltke moved to the Skip Barber National Championship in 2007 after completing formula car schooling at the Skip Barber Racing School. He earned several podium finishes over the course of the season, and was named the most improved driver at the school in 2007.[6] In 2008 von Moltke won the inaugural Skip Barber Mazda Speed Challenge at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca.[4]
In 2009, von Moltke remained with APR in the Challenge Series, while also competing in Rolex with MCM Racing Porsche. He earned his first victory in Challenge at Watkins Glen International co-driving with Mike Sweeney, followed by victories at Mid-Ohio and Miller Motorsports Park. In 2010, von Moltke participated in the Daytona Prototype class of the Rolex Series with Doran Racing for the full season and earned the Rookie of the Year title.[9]
For 2012, von Moltke returned to APR Motorsport as the team moved into the Rolex GT category with an Audi R8 LMS, partnered with Jim Norman.[9] A switch to the Alex Job Racing team in the American Le Mans GTC category earned von Moltke a class victory at the 12 Hours of Sebring with co-drivers Townsend Bell and Bill Sweedler.[5]
In 2014, Dion von Moltke signed [13] with the Flying Lizard Motorsports team for the full 2014 TUDOR United SportsCar Championship season behind the wheel of the No. 35 Audi R8 LMS. Although the #35 kicked off the season with three top five finishes, bad luck and Balance of Performance issues plagued the team, finishing 9th in the GTD championship standings.[14]
Dion von Moltke's 2015 Paul Miller Racing Audi R8 LMS
In January 2015, it was announced von Molkte would join Paul Miller Racing for the entirety of the race season, again competing in the TUDOR United SportsCar Championship's GTD class.[2] Von Moltke earned his first career TUDOR United SportsCar Championship pole position at the Detroit Belle Isle Grand Prix, where he and co-driver Christopher Haase finished 3rd in the GTD class.[15] He earned his second pole position three races later at Lime Rock Park. Von Moltke led his entire stint, but the car was later taken out by another competitor, ending their race.[16] The Paul Miller Racing duo finished 3rd in the GTD class championship, with von Moltke earning a total of four pole positions.[17]
Personal life
Von Moltke currently attends Florida International University while participating in motorsport. He is a member of one of the university's fraternities.[1][5] Von Moltke is also involved in a training program for new drivers in motorsport. He is also involved with the Best Buddies International charity.[5] In November 2014, von Moltke spoke at a TEDx Talk night of Fearless Journeys at Florida International University.[18]
