All clear to start ADAC Rallye Deutschland

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

Munich/Trier, 17 August 2015 – We are now counting down the days to the start of the 2015 ADAC Rallye Deutschland. When the FIA WRC comes back to Germany between 20 and 23 August 2015, Trier will again be the navel of the rally-racing world. Before World Champion Sébastien Ogier, the 2014 rally winner Thierry Neuville and the other WRC aces find the perfect stage they have come to expect for their spectacular sport, Clerk of the Course Alfred Rommelfanger and his team face numerous planning and organisation challenges. The 59-year-old assumes the overall responsibility for this major motor sport event for the third time. In our interview he spoke about the status of preparations and gave us a glimpse of this year’s rally highlights.

The countdown is ticking, where are you with the preparations for the ADAC Rallye Deutschland?
Our preparations for the ADAC Rallye Deutschland are almost complete; we are in the starting blocks. I look forward to the event, which promises again to be a great festival for motor sport fans all over.

The ADAC Rallye Deutschland is known to present both the teams and the fans with changes. What are the most important innovations this year in terms of rally-racing?
The first new element will come into play on Friday in the Sauertal Special Stage (SS), which will be run in the opposite direction this time and which will be even more selective. In addition, we have included the 14 km Mittelmosel SS on the itinerary, with a somewhat changed route. On Saturday, the teams will face the Bosenberg SS, which we last had on the itinerary in 2011. Later we will have the Sprint format on Arena Panzerplatte introduced in 2014 in triplicate. In the morning, the teams will take two consecutive runs at the Sprint test (SS11 and SS12). On Sunday, the Dhrontal SS with its special atmosphere will be held as a Power Stage finishing at the Mosel.

What will the traditional Show Start against the historic backdrop of the Porta Nigra in Trier offer the fans this year?
On Thursday, an autograph signing session with the WRC stars will be held on the main square in Trier from 19:30 to 20:00 hours – the best opportunity for the fans to meet World Champion Sébastien Ogier and the others up close. We will also have a spectacular BMX show featuring the Red Bull BMX pro Jorge „Viki" Gómez. After that the emotional Show Start and presentation of the participants – in the reverse starting order – is next. As athe evening’s highlight, the top drivers will present themselves to the public against the illuminated Porta Nigra.

The infamous and popular Panzerplatte stands for a great rally-racing spectacles. What are the fans in for at the Baumholder military range in 2015?
The Special Stages on the Panzerplatte promise even more action this year. The spectators will have an almost complete view of the three Sprints. The Start and Finish are situated directly in the main spectator area. This feature is unique in the world and we are quite proud of it. But the fans will also be quite close to the Panzerplatte Long SS. It will be run twice and for a stretch, it passes along the Sprint section.

Thanks to some high-calibre supporting acts, the Panzerplatte will offer attractions even between the Special Stages. What can the fans look forward to?
For the first time, the fans will be entertained between the morning and afternoon test and stages – not with more motor sport but with a unique musical highlight: The German top band Revolverheld will play an exclusive concert at the rally. Admission to this entertaining act is included in the Rally Pass. So waiting for the return of the WRC aces for their afternoon stint on the Panzerplatte will be worthwhile. And the party will go on in the evening: Later that day, there will be a great rally party at the Service Park in Trier, which will start at 20:00 hours. From 22:00 hours, shuttles will take the visitors to the next party location, the Metropolis dance club in Trier.

Which Special Stage would you especially recommend to fans who want to experience all the fascination of rally-racing up close and personal?
The ADAC Rallye Deutschland is known for variety: there are Special Stages in the bent and narrow of the Mosel vineyards, tough pistes on the Baumholder military range and fast asphalt sections. Everywhere the fans will watch spectacular rally-racing. There is something for everybody’s taste. So I could not highlight a certain Special Stage in particular.

Safety is very important at the ADAC Rallye Deutschland. In the preparations for this year’s edition what measures did you implement so the spectators and teams can have fun safely at the 2015 rally? What is the one thing fans should always mind when they come to a Special Stage?
Safety is a top priority at the ADAC Rallye Deutschland. Our safety concept including thoroughly inspected spectator areas has proven effective over the years. It is important for us to make spectators aware of the importance of safety and of correct behaviour at Special Stages. Our safety video featuring last year’s winner, Thierry Neuville explaining correct behaviour on site, plays a decisive part in this effort. Spectators, each and every one of them, are responsible for their own safety and that of others. I would therefore call on spectators again: Please remain in the designated spectator areas lest you put yourself and others at risk.

What is your personal highlight at the 2015 ADAC Rallye Deutschland?
The ADAC Rallye Deutschland offers numerous highlights, each one of them worthwhile a visit. Personally, I find the podium ceremony concluding the rally a very special and emotional moment. When the teams are honoured on the podium and footage of the competition days is shown, you can review the essence of the WRC rally. This is a moment when I am very proud to be part of such a great event.

This is your third time as the ADAC Rallye Deutschland’s Clerk of the Course. With your experience, are you still nervous when preparations are heading to a close?
Nervous is not what I would say: my team and I are always highly concentrated and filled with a positive tension when we take on the ADAC Rallye Deutschland. Each edition of the German round in the FIA Rally World Championship offers new experiences which will be helpful to us in the next seasons.

Last year, after a very long series of Citroën victories, Hyundai man Thierry Neuville was the first driver from another team to win the ADAC Rallye Deutschland. Do you have any idea who might climb to the top of the podium this year?
I would not want to pronounce myself... I would just wish this year’s event to be another exciting rally. Last year, the rally was open to the end. Actually it was decided in the last Special Stage. And the outcome was surprising. And who knows, maybe we are in for one of those surprises again, this year.