Griebel, Kreim and von Thurn und Taxis compete at home at the ADAC Rallye Deutschland

• Marijan Griebel starts in the top class in a Citroën DS3 WRC
• WRC debut for Albert von Thurn und Taxis
• German rally champion Fabian Kreim challenges the WRC 2 elite

Munich. Between 16 and 19 August 2018, the best drivers from all over the world will compete in the ADAC Rallye Deutschland, making it an action-packed event. The WRC stage is a big opportunity also for the German rally elite to hog the limelight. The German participants are two-time Junior European Rally Champion Marijan Griebel, incumbent German rally champion Fabian Kreim and Albert von Thurn und Taxis who, after a successful circuit racing career, has developed a passion for rally sport.

There is no doubt that the strongest “local” rally ace is Marijan Griebel. At this year’s ADAC Rallye Deutschland, the 29-year-old driver will be behind the wheel of a top-class world rally car for the first time: the Citroën DS3 WRC rally legend Sébastien Loeb used to drive in the past. Griebel wants to top off his WRC debut by finishing in the top ten: “Starting here is a dream come true for me. It is my goal to score my first points in the World Rally Championship here in Germany”, said the incumbent U28 European Champion, who hails from Hahnweiler in Rhineland-Palatinate which is very close to the Freisen Special Stage. For his co-driver Alexander Rath from Trier, the ADAC Rallye Deutschland is a home game, too. The 2018 event is Griebel’s eighth ADAC Rallye Deutschland.

Fabian Kreim is another old hand at competing in the German WRC rally. At only 25, the rally ace from the Odenwald region is a participant in the ADAC Rallye Deutschland for the sixth time. Supported by his co-driver Frank Christian, Kreim will compete against the world’s best WRC 2 rally crews in a Škoda Fabia R5 this year. “Starting in the European Rally Championship, we are even better prepared this time for the tough international competition, and we want to show that we can keep up with the elite. A top-five result in the WRC 2 would be fantastic,” the two-time German rally champion explained. Kreim, like Griebel, is a former ADAC sport foundation grantee and participates in the current European Rally Championship (ERC) season where he is in the lead of the U28 standings.

For his WRC debut, Albert von Thurn und Taxis will also get behind the wheel of a Škoda Fabia R5. Having discovered his passion for rally racing, the former ADAC GT Masters champion has started into his first FIA ERC season this year. “Once you've done a rally, you are hooked,” von Thurn und Taxis raved about his new passion. “This is only my second season of full rally action, and I’m still learning. For me, the most important thing is to get experience. At the ADAC Rallye Deutschland, Klaus Wicha will be my co-driver for the first time. I look forward to a top-notch event like the ADAC Rallye Deutschland, but our focus is not on maximum performance, rather we want to take it easy and make some progress in our development.”

Some 16 years separate von Thurn und Taxis and Roman Schwedt who, at 19, is the youngest German in the line-up. This driver from the Saarland is one of the biggest talents in the German rally scene who gained first experience at last year’s ADAC Rallye Deutschland. This year, Schwedt and his co-driver Christoph Gerlich will participate in the Peugeot 208 R5. “Starting in the German WRC rally – and this in a R5 vehicle – is a great honour for me. I’m so much looking forward to it, as everybody can imagine.”