Hailing from a family with deep roots in German automotive businesses, Steffen Rilli started his automotive career at the age of 16 as an automotive-mechatronic apprentice. His career officially started at the height of the touring car racing class, becoming a technician at the Young Driver Aston Martin Racing Team, competing in the GT1 World Championship. Within 6 months, having demonstrated outstanding mechanical and strategic ability, Steffen was promoted to Chief Mechanic of the #7 Aston Martin DBR9 making him the youngest Chief Mechanic in the entire field.

He was subsequently given the responsibility of preparing the #13 and #14 Ford GT40 GT3 competing in the European Championship.

Overall, his 20+ years of hands-on automotive experience with top teams, brands, and racing classes have inspired Steffen to venture to the business side of automotive sports. Having served as a consultant to several European brands, he now helms Rilli Racing and continues to grow his involvement with the sport through business ventures.