The fans of the ADAC Rallye Deutschland may look forward to a very interesting and diverse motor sport spectacular

• Interview with Clerk of the Course Alfred Rommelfanger about the status of the preparations for and the highlights of the German round in the FIA World Rally Championship (WRC)

Munich/Trier, 13 July 2016 - The ADAC Rallye Deutschland is fast approaching. In only a few weeks time, the world's best rally drivers will stop in Trier to entertain their fans with their spectacular capabilities. To prepare the perfect showcase for Sébastien Ogier and the other WRC aces, the organising team headed by Clerk of the Course Alfred Rommelfanger is working almost around the clock. The 60-year-old assumes the overall responsibility for this major motor sport event for the fourth time. During his tenure, a different car make drove to the top of the German rally in the FIA World Rally Championship each year. He takes pleasure in this fact. His creed: Variety is the hallmark of the ADAC Rallye Deutschland. In our interview, he talked about the preparations, innovations and highlights of the 2016 ADAC Rallye Deutschland.

Mr Rommelfanger, how are your preparations coming along?
Alfred Rommelfanger: "We are almost done with the most essential preparations. This doesn't mean, however, that we have run out of things to do. Quite the contrary is true. The last few open issues are being clarified. But we are running comfortably to schedule and the fans of the ADAC Rallye Deutschland may look forward to a very interesting and diverse motor sport spectacular."

This is your fourth year as Clerk of the Course for the ADAC Rallye Deutschland. Does this mean that a certain amount of routine is showing in the planning and preparations?
Alfred Rommelfanger: "Certainly, experience brings a certain amount of routine to the business of organising the rally. On the other hand, no rally is the same as the one before. We are always including itinerary changes and new Special Stages and new highlights. These constant changes are a challenge for us every year but then challenges are motivating."

What is your greatest challenge, year after year in planning the ADAC Rallye Deutschland?
Alfred Rommelfanger: "First and foremost security. Working together with the police and the supervising authorities for several years, we have developed a safety concept that has won international recognition. It includes maximum protection for the drivers. We have to cope with the fact that WRC cars are getting faster every year. So in our planning, we have to adapt the itinerary constantly. In the extreme we have to be prepared to scrap a Special Stage altogether if security demands it. The safety of drivers and spectators always takes precedence at the ADAC Rallye Deutschland."

When did you start with your preparations for the ADAC Rallye Deutschland?
Alfred Rommelfanger: "It's hard to put a day and hour on it. Some ideas are born far ahead of the rally. Things we would like to implement some day but which have to wait until the rally after the next or later. The specific planning usually starts directly when the event is over. Four weeks at the most after the podium ceremony and celebrations at the Porta Nigra we are already busy with the next German WRC rally."

What are the most important tasks you and your team still have on your to-do list?
Alfred Rommelfanger: "Now, six weeks ahead of the ADAC Rallye Deutschland, it is mostly fine-tuning. This includes finalising the roster of safety and spectator guidance personnel planning. Again, we have some 3,000 volunteers from all over Germany and the neighbouring countries. It is a huge coordination task."

Variety is the hallmark of the ADAC Rallye Deutschland. Tell us about the most important sporting innovations in 2016.
Alfred Rommelfanger: "We have included some new passages and challenges into the itinerary. The Ollmuth Special Stage is a completely new highlight on early Friday night. A very challenging circuit stage. Here, we are expecting lots of spectators since the Ollmuth loop is close to Trier and offers a very beautiful natural amphitheatre for viewing. On Saturday we are going to have the Freisen-Westrich Special Stage, which we have not had on the itinerary since 2010. This is a very racy low-hill section between the Saarland and the Palatinate just before the Panzerplatte spectacular. On the final day, we will have a new Power Stage in the Sauertal Special Stage near the Luxembourg border. This is where the winner of the 2016 ADAC Rallye Deutschland will be determined."

What's in store for the fans attending the ceremonial start at the Porta Nigra in Trier?
Alfred Rommelfanger: "First of all, I would advise the fans to be early arriving in downtown Trier so they don't miss the autograph signing session with the WRC stars on Hauptmarkt preceding the ceremonial start itself. This will be an occasion to meet World Champion Sébastien Ogier and his fellow drivers up close. Then the evening will continue against the magnificent backdrop of the Porta Nigra. At the ceremonial start, the drivers will drive through the Show Start gate in the reverse order of their current WRC standings. This means, we will see the top stars at the end with the ancient Roman gate resplendent in its full illumination - a view to behold!"

The infamous and popular Panzerplatte stands for great rally-racing spectacle. What are the fans in for at the Baumholder military range in 2016? Have you finalised the support events yet?
Alfred Rommelfanger: "Like last year, the Panzerplatte will feature a sprint test to be run twice in a row before midday. Almost the whole sprint course can be viewed. Start and Finish will be at the main spectator area from where the fans will be able to watch a good part of the long Panzerplatte Special Stage. In addition, visitors may look forward to a very high-powered supporting programme, the details of which we are still finalising."

In 2016 day passes to the ADAC Rallye Deutschland were put into pre-sale for the first time. What would you say is likely to be the most exciting of the rally days?
Alfred Rommelfanger: "The whole event is exciting and full of sporting challenges. Each day has its particular attractions and highlights. The Special Stages in the vineyards and their spectacular hairpin turns no less than the Panzerplatte with its unique arena atmosphere. And on the final, decisive day of the rally, climactic excitement is virtually guaranteed. It is really best to be there on each of the days."

Give the fans your ultimate tip: Which Special Stage (SS) and which spectator area would you recommend to a visitor as the absolute must to capture the special flavour of the ADAC Rallye Deutschland?
Alfred Rommelfanger: "Friday with its challenging vineyard Special Stages and great spectator areas is one such special tip. On Saturday it's the two Special Stages in Saarland and, of course, the Panzerplatte. The final Sunday with two Special Stages promises pure action and, not to forget, the SS Sauertal is the new Power Stage. There will be something for everybody's taste. So I would not want to highlight a certain Special Stage or spectator area in particular."

Safety and environmental protection play an important role at the ADAC Rallye Deutschland. What would you advise fans to bear in mind most of all when coming to a Special Stage?
Alfred Rommelfanger: "As I have said, safety is our top priority at the ADAC Rallye Deutschland. The fans must keep to signposted access and communicating routes and the designated spectator areas. Also, they must strictly obey instructions given them by the Marshals. Speaking of this, please let me impress on the fans that spectators are an important part of the rally and have their share of responsibility for its success. The same shared responsibility is the key to our environmental protection concept. From the beginning, our planning is supervised by three environment officers who contribute their advice during the preparatory stages and their active support during the ADAC Rallye Deutschland."

In each year since you took over as the ADAC Rallye Deutschland's Clerk of the Course, another car make won the rally. Citroën in 2013, Hyundai in 2014 and Volkswagen in 2015. What is your tip for who might climb to the top of the podium this year?
Alfred Rommelfanger: "Maybe the UEFA Euro is not the only event with surprises. Who knows, maybe this year's podium at the ADAC Rallye Deutschland will be a surprising mix. Variety is always good. Personally, I wish for a most exciting rally that perhaps will be settled in the Power Stage."

Honestly: What is more pleasing - the anticipation of the rally or the satisfaction of a successful event?
Alfred Rommelfanger: "For me as the Clerk of the Course it must always be the satisfaction of an exciting, well-attended and hopefully accident-free rally."

Get your rally and day passes in pre-sale now!

Just like the planning process, the pre-sale of passes to the ADAC Rallye Deutschland is in full swing. In addition to the four-day rally passes, fans can now also buy day passes for Friday, Saturday or Sunday in pre-sale. On the day printed on the pass, passholders get access to all spectator areas along each Special Stage and the Trier Service Park. Day passes to the 2016 ADAC Rallye Deutschland at EUR35 are available only in pre-sale. Rally and day passes are now available at http://shop.rallye-deutschland.de.

Attractive packages available in pre-sale

In pre-sale, rally passes for the 2016 ADAC Rallye Deutschland come at a discount and in attractive packages, for the first time including the official rally programme brochure (in German only, with directions, safety instructions etc. in English and French). In pre-sale, a four-day rally pass costs EUR70 (EUR65 for ADAC members). The package including the programme brochure is more attractively priced than in past years. Pre-ordered rally passes are also a better bargain than those bought at the on-site ticket offices, where the regular four-day pass will be EUR80 (no programme brochure and no discount for ADAC members). The rally passes cover:

• Access to all Special Stages on all days
• Access to the Service Park on all days
• Access to the Shakedown on Thursday
• A spectator map providing all the essential information about the rally
• ADAC Rallye Deutschland lanyard
• ADAC Rallye Deutschland sticker
• ADAC Rallye Deutschland programme brochure

ADAC Rallye Deutschland information:

The ADAC Rallye Deutschland has a unique world-wide reputation. Its mix of hairpin stages in the Mosel vineyards, tough tracks on the Baumholder tank range and fast asphalt roads presents extreme challenges for both teams and drivers. This mix requires excellent driving skills and versatility. Diversity, high-class action and closeness to the fans are the ingredients that make the ADAC Rallye Deutschland such an attractive package for spectators as well. Year after year, this major event draws enthusiastic crowds from all over Europe, giving it a special, international atmosphere.