Rally Feeling at the Nurburgring

• ADAC Rallye Deutschland Press Conference at the German Touring Car Championship DTM at Nurburgring
• Rally-racing greats to attend German WRC press event

Munich/Trier 18 August 2013 – Sébastien Ogier (FRA) is hot and ready to go. At the upcoming German WRC event (22 to 25 August 2013), the 29-year-old can work the numbers in his favour and secure his first WRC title in advance. Naturally, the media were all eager to quiz Ogier when the contender answered their questions at the ADAC Rallye Deutschland press conference during the DTM event at Nurburgring. On the podium next to Ogier rally-racing legends Juha Kankkunen and Markku Alén (both FIN), Marijan Griebel (GER), a young rally racer on the roster of ADAC Stiftung Sport (ADAC sport foundation), ADAC Motor Sport President Hermann Tomczyk and Clerk of the Course Alfred Rommelfanger answered the journalists’ questions.

The DTM spectators also got an eyeful of rally driver bravado and skill: In his Volkswagen Polo R WRC Sébastien Ogier delivered an impressive driving demonstration on the Nurburgring Grand Prix circuit, rally-style drifts included. Juha Kankkunen and Markku Alén (both FIN) were guest starters in a challenging VW Scirocco R-Cup race held within the DTM event.

Speaking at the press conference about the upcoming ADAC Rallye Deutschland event, ADAC Motor Sport President Hermann Tomczyk said that the preparations for the German WRC event had been completed successfully. “Everything is ready to go. Our preparations are complete and we all look forward to the event. And so can the fans – they are in for an exciting and fascinating ADAC Rallye Deutschland. For this season, we went on in our development of the ADAC Rallye Deutschland, adding a few new things such as the drivers’ presentation in Cologne. We want our rally to remain a highlight on the WRC calendar.”

Sébastien Ogier looks forward to the rally spectacular in Cologne’s old town: “This will be a great experience. It is also a good idea for attracting more people in Germany to rally-racing. For the teams it will be a welcome change and a great motivation to start the rally with such a great many welcoming spectators,” said the 2013 WRC leader.

After the drivers’ presentation at the Cologne cathedral (Thursday, 22 August 2013, 16:00 hours) the competitors are facing the first two and completely new Special Stages: One in the Blankenheim area about an hour outside Cologne and the next at Sauertal near the border with Luxembourg. The heart of the German rally-racing community still beats in Trier and the greater Trier area – with stages in the vineyards along the Mosel, in the Hunsrück hills and in the Saar region. The hub of the rally is the Service Park installed on the Messepark Trier fairgrounds. “With its start in front of the Cologne cathedral and the finish and traditional podium ceremony at the Porta Nigra in Trier, we come full circle and at the heart of it all is an exciting rally competition,” said Clerk of the Course Alfred Rommelfanger.

The German WRC rally has an excellent reputation among rally legends as well. “The ADAC Rallye Deutschland is known around the world for perfect organisation and spectator-friendliness. Many drivers just rave about the great variety of Special Stages. Take for example the notorious Panzerplatte,” said four-time rally World Champion Juha Kankkunen. And Markku Alén concurred: “After my guest start in the VW Scirocco R-Cup and today’s press conference, I’m almost ready to start in the ADAC Rallye Deutschland next week.”

Marijan Griebel is also excited about the ADAC Rallye Deutschland. The 24-year-old is quite successful in the new ADAC OPEL Rallye Cup coming to its fifth rally of the season as an ADAC
Rallye Deutschland supporting event. “It will be great to have the ADAC OPEL Rallye Cup take place as part of the ADAC Rallye Deutschland weekend. Other than being at this great international event and its impressive backdrop, I am excited because for my co-driver Alex Rath and me this is a rally on our doorsteps, so to speak, me coming from Hahnweiler in Rhineland-Palatinate and Alex right from Trier,” said Griebel.

As in previous years, ADAC expects over 200,000 spectators to attend this highlight of the international motor racing calendar. The spectators can look forward to a field of 83 entrants. Other supporting events include top-notch motor racing such as the German rally championship DRM, the ADAC OPEL Rallye Cup, the CITROËN DS3 R1 TROPHY and a historic vehicle rally featuring legendary rally cars.

Here is a selection of the most important comments from the press conference

Hermann Tomczyk (ADAC Motor Sport President) about Cologne, where an ADAC Rallye Deutschland drivers’ presentation will be held for the first time:

“The first-ever start of the ADAC Rallye Deutschland in Cologne this year is another great achievement in the rally which we have so successfully organised for over ten years. By taking the stars of the rallying scene and their high-tech cars to the heart of the big city, we hope to inspire even more people to discover the fascination of rallying. But of course, in terms of rallying, the greater Trier area will remain the heart of the ADAC Rallye Deutschland. With the presentation at the Cologne cathedral and the podium ceremony next to the Porta Nigra in Trier, the rally comes full circle.”

Hermann Tomczyk about Volkswagen joining the WRC and the significance of their works team’s commitment to the ADAC Rallye Deutschland:

“I am particularly happy about Volkswagen joining the WRC on behalf of the German rally fans. A German team racing in our WRC home rally will be something special. All the more so since Sébastien Ogier is also the current leader in the World Championship. I am certain we will experience this ‘home rally’ spirit at the ADAC Rallye Deutschland. But Volkswagen’s decision is also a positive signal to the rally-racing community and to us as organisers. And their success seems to prove Volkswagen right.”

Hermann Tomczyk about his expectations for the ADAC Rallye Deutschland:

“I expect absolutely top-level rallying. The previous years have shown that the ADAC Rallye Deutschland is one of the most challenging rallies on the WRC calendar. The variegated challenges of the Special Stages give the German WRC event its very particular cachet. For the teams who take them on as well as for the fans, the mix of hairpin stages in the Mosel vineyards, the tough tracks on the tank range and fast blacktop roads are almost like three rallies in one. That’s unique.”

Alfred Rommelfanger about his first ADAC Rallye Deutschland as a Clerk of the Course:

“I am very glad that the ADAC Rallye Deutschland is almost about to start. We had to implement a series of innovations for this season: We added a drivers’ presentation at the Cologne cathedral and two new special stages to the German WRC event . This may be my first rally as a Clerk of the Course but my organising team has the experience of many successful ADAC Rallye Deutschland events. We did our homework and the preparations are complete. Let’s have some action now.”

Alfred Rommelfanger on the scale and scope of the organisational effort required by the ADAC Rallye Deutschland:

“It is far more challenging to organise a rally like the ADAC Rallye Deutschland than other motor sport events. For one, there is no permanent track to which you just come and race. Instead we have to set up every single Special Stage practically from scratch. Before we can do that we have to go through the licensing and approval process involving land-owners, town councils and the administration as well as interest groups such as conservancy and environmental organisations. Setting up Special Stages includes the creation of support infrastructures. And when it is all over, everything has to be gone again within the week. I am just so glad I am not a one-man team: In addition to our smooth-running organisation team, I have the support of some 3,000 volunteer helpers from the region and from all over Germany who aim to make the ADAC Rallye Deutschland a smashing success.”

Sébastien Ogier (2013 WRC leader and winner of the 2011 ADAC Rallye Deutschland 2013) about the ADAC Rallye Deutschland:

“The ADAC Rallye Deutschland is one of the most challenging rallies on the WRC calendar. The Special Stages offer a great variety of challenges. Two years ago I won the German WRC event for the first time. Back then, I was the hunter and winning felt just great. This year the tables have turned: Since I am the WRC leader, the others will be gunning for me. But I am very confident and the win in Finland will be wind in my sails at the ADAC Rallye Deutschland. But I have not speculated for a second that I may be able to secure the 2013 title at this rally. So many things can happen at a rally. I will concentrate one by one on the Special Stages. I have always done well by these tactics. Of course I look forward to the ADAC Rallye Deutschland, since it is the ‘home rally’ for my Volkswagen Motorsport team. The Polo R WRC is a great car – the fans love it and I do too.”

Juha Kankkunen (four-time Rally World Champion) about complete racers:

“This has been a much-asked question from my day as a rally driver. Who’s better: a rally driver or a circuit-racing pro? I may have won the Race of Champions twice but still I would not say that, as a rule, rally drivers are the more complete motor sportsmen. The two types of racing are too unlike to compare. Unlike in a rally where you concentrate on the track, circuit racers must also keep an eye on their competitors. A rally is much more intuitive to drive. You can recce the Special Stages once or twice and then it counts: Take it to the limit once against the clock! Something unexpected can always happen to which you must react spontaneously. This defines the special quality of rally racing.”

Markku Alén (rally-racing legend) about his guest start in the VW Scirocco R-Cup and the differences between circuit and rally racing:

“Starting as a guest driver in the Scirocco R-Cup is a welcome change in my routine. The car is fascinating: It is said to be the most eco-friendly racing car in the world, yet it is incredibly fun to drive. The Legends Cup in the Scirocco R-Cup is a great platform for old motor racing veterans like me. Here we can show the young guns that we can still deliver. It is a good thing to give rally drivers like Juha and I a chance at a pot. For me personally it is not that much of an inconvenience to drive at Nurburgring. I have always been a traveller between worlds as far as racing is concerned. In the mid-nineties I used to drive in the DTM.”


Marijan Griebel (ADAC OPEL Rallye Cupally Cup driver and ADAC sport foundation grantee) about the ADAC Rallye Deutschland and young rally-racing talent sponsorship:

“Of course, the ADAC Rallye Deutschland is a highlight of my current season. To be driving with the WRC pros is an honour and very motivating. Like: the greats are there, I wanna be there too! The ADAC OPEL Rallye Cup and the ADAC Stiftung Sport are of great help in achieving my objectives. The new single-brand cup offers young drivers like me the adequate stage and the ADAC sponsorship programme offers valuable and hands-on support.”

The official magazine of the 2013 ADAC Rallye Deutschland:

100 pages full of action bringing to life the German WRC rally – only in the official ADAC Rallye Deutschland magazine. Read it and you are in the know! It gives you all about the drivers, the teams, the itineraries, the spectator hot spots, and the WRC Rules and Regulations. Detailed maps, exciting background stories, exclusive interviews and many fascinating rally topics round off this indispensable companion for fans at the event and at home. The official magazine of the ADAC Rallye Deutschland is now available for €5.00 at well-stocked newsagents or at www.adac.de/motorsport, www.adac-rallye-deutschland.de and www.adrenalin-verlag.com.

Tickets to the ADAC Rallye Deutschland:

The German “flat rate” for rally fans: Five days of unadulterated rallying, including access to each and every spectator area at the Shakedown and every Special Stage. The passes also grant access to the Service Park, where the fans can watch the mechanics at work and meet the rally drivers. They also include a spectator map covering all essential information and showing the best viewing spots, a pass lanyard and an ADAC Rallye Deutschland decal. The passes are available for €69.00 (€64.00 for ADAC members) + shipping and handling through the Ticket Shop at www.adac-rallye-deutschland.de. Call the ticket hotline at: ++49 (0)261-13 03 66. Tickets for one Special Stage or the other only are available starting at €15.00.