Press conference at the ADAC Rallye Deutschland: Anticipation is high among WRC stars, young drivers and organisers

• This year’s German FIA WRC event is all geared up
• Rally drivers excited about new stages and challenges
• Spectacular support events, with Revolverheld live in concert on the Panzerplatte and free rally party in Trier

Munich/Trier, 18 August 2015 – Thierry Neuville (BEL) wants to win another podium position in Germany. The Belgian WRC ace said so at the official press conference for the upcoming ADAC Rallye Deutschland. This won’t be an easy task for the 27-year-old. After all, Volkswagen drivers are currently dominating the FIA Rally World Championship. And they are eager to secure the German car manufacturer’s first home victory, as Andreas Mikkelsen (NOR) pointed out to the media: “We are here to win.”

In addition to Thierry Neuville and Andreas Mikkelsen , WRC star Mads Østberg (NOR) and Ott Tänak (EST), as well as ADAC sport foundation grantee Fabian Kreim (GER) and ADAC Opel Rallye Cup driver Yannick Neuville (BEL), brother of 2014 winner Thierry Neuville, answered the questions of the many journalists. Last, but not least, Clerk of the Course Alfred Rommelfanger also attended the press conference in Trier’s Frankenturm.

There was palpable anticipation of the thirteenth edition of the German FIA WRC event among all attendees – especially when Rommelfanger announced numerous innovations: “We have enhanced the ADAC Rallye Deutschland to make the event even more attractive for both fans and drivers. There will be more Special Stages than last year, a longer itinerary and new sections – perfect conditions for more spectacular action. And the support events are also worthy of a World Championship.”

One of the most important innovations for the ADAC Rallye Deutschland concerns the action on the military range Baumholder on Saturday (22 August 2015). There will be a total of five Special Stages at the Arena Panzerplatte there, three of them in the spectacular Sprint format which was successfully introduced last year. Thierry Neuville considers this an absolute highlight: “The atmosphere on the Panzerplatte is unique. It even gets through to us in our WRC cars. I hope to see as many Belgian flags of our fans there this year as in 2014.”

Andreas Mikkelsen is also looking forward to the Panzerplatte: “The triple Sprint is extremely exciting for the spectators. At the same time, the long Stage is a great challenge for us drivers. We must stay fully focused here the entire distance of 45km because of the treacherous Hinkelstein boulders along the track.” A musical highlight awaits the fans between the Panzerplatte Stages: The band Revolverheld will give an exclusive concert for rally fans live on the Volkswagen stage.

An extra motorsport highlight of the ADAC Rallye Deutschland is the comeback of two Special Stages (SS): The Mittelmosel SS takes the teams through the vineyards on Friday (21 August). On Saturday (22 August), they will get down to business at the Bosenberg SS near St. Wendel. Another important innovation concerns the Dhrontal Special Stage, whose second leg will be run as a Power Stage. Here, the teams can once again fight for valuable extra points in the WRC standings on Sunday (23 August). For the fans, this vineyard section with its famous spectator point, Galeria Dhron, also provides a spectacular rally finish.

In any case, most of the participants consider the vineyards the highlight of the ADAC Rallye Deutschland, and so does Mas Østberg: “The ADAC Rallye Deutschland demands flexibility – especially in the vineyards. With the constant changes in speed and direction on a very narrow track, there is no room for mistakes.” Ott Tänak is also in awe of the hairpin turns: “It really is an extreme challenge, because the dirt thrown on the track by cutting the hairpin curves can cause instant changes in grip.”

For young drivers Fabian Kreim and Yannick Neuville, the ADAC Rallye Deutschland is the season’s highlight. 22-year-old Kreim is an ADAC sport foundation grantee who will be driving his ŠKODA Fabia R5 in the WRC 2 classification of the German FIA WRC event. “I look forward to my start. It’s always good to take on the international competition – the ADAC Rallye Deutschland is the ideal platform for me to do so.” The ADAC Opel Rallye Cup line-up includes Yannick Neuville. The biggest single-brand cup in European rally sport will run two races at the ADAC Rallye Deutschland, which Thierry Neuville’s 24-year-old brother is especially looking forward to. “I used to watch the ADAC Rallye Deutschland back when I was a child. My brother and I are from the vicinity of the rally region. Therefore, I look forward to seeing many of our friends who will keep their fingers crossed for us there.”

This year, the ADAC Rallye Deutschland spectators are not just in for more rally action than ever, but also for top-notch support events. The rally will kick off with the Show Start in front of Trier’s illuminated Porta Nigra gate on Thursday night (20 August, from 20:00 hours). Before that, the WRC stars will be signing autographs on the main market square in Trier (19:30 hours). One of the spectacular attractions there will be the performance of Jorge “Viki” Gómez, one of the world’s best professional BMX riders from the Red Bull Team. The hub of the four rally days will be the Service Park on the Trier fairgrounds. This is where teams get their vehicles ready with the fans right there. At the Service Park you will also find the fan shops, the info point, food and refreshments, sanitary facilities, as well as a medical station and other services.

As the highlight of the support events, the band Revolverheld will perform on Saturday (22 August). The four musicians from Hamburg will give an exclusive concert for rally fans on the central Volkswagen stage on the Panzerplatte. The show begins at 14:00 hours. Later that day, there will be a great rally party, which starts at 20:00 hours at the Service Park in Trier. From 22:00 hours, shuttles will take the visitors to the next party location, the Metropolis dance club in Trier. All rally fans will get rally wristbands at the Service Park, entitling them to free entrance. The podium ceremony at the Porta Nigra in Trier at 15:00 hours on Sunday (23 August) will be the crowning culmination of the German event of the FIA WRC. The ADAC Opel Rallye Cup, which will be running a double race at the ADAC Rallye Deutschland, will honour the winners of the first leg already on Friday night (21 August), at the Opel hospitality area in the Service Park Trier.

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

Alfred Rommelfanger (ADAC Rallye Deutschland Clerk of the Course):
“We’re all set to go. After twelve months of preparation, we are happy that the rally is about to kick off and all the pieces will fall into place. The ADAC Rallye Deutschland is an enormous collaborative effort: all 18 ADAC regional clubs are involved and more than 3,000 volunteers from all over Germany contribute to its success. One of the biggest challenges for our organising team is not just the coordination of the event but also its constant further development. Therefore, we will experience some innovations again this year that will make the event even more attractive. Aside from rallying aspects, we also focus on such factors as safety and environmental protection, where the ADAC Rallye Deutschland has always been a trailblazer.”

Thierry Neuville (Hyundai Shell World Rally Team):
“We have high hopes for the ADAC Rallye Deutschland and we will give it our best shot right from the first second. Of course, last year’s victory will be difficult to repeat. Volkswagen will be very strong again and Citroën is also very fast on asphalt. However, what’s so special about the ADAC Rallye Deutschland is that everything is possible – it just takes the right combination of concentration and offensive. We have been quite good at that so far. I look forward to all the Special Stages, especially to the Waxweiler Special Stage on Friday, which will take me to my home region. There are bound to be many of Yannick’s friends and mine. It was a very emotional experience last year, and it will be again this time.”

Andreas Mikkelsen (Volkswagen Motorsport):
“For Volkswagen Motorsport, winning in Germany is a question of honour. As a German manufacturer, you want to win your home rally, of course. But that won’t be easy. The ADAC Rallye Deutschland has its own rules. First, there are the treacherous vineyards with their countless hairpin curves where you can lose a lot of time. And then, of course, there is the Panzerplatte in the Baumholder military range which takes both teams and vehicles to the limits. It puts an extreme strain on the tyres and on your concentration. Even more so this year, because the itinerary is longer and they’ve added another Sprint. As a fan, I would therefore stick to the Panzerplatte, because it offers plenty of rally action in one single place.”

Mads Østberg (Citroën Total Abu Dhabi World Rally Team)
“I really look forward to the ADAC Rallye Deutschland. Citroën has always been very successful here. Also, there will be many fans from France to cheer us on. That’s a great motivation, of course. I also look forward to driving on tarmac again, which is also a challenge in Germany: although we drive on asphalt all the time at the ADAC Rallye Deutschland, it is never the same ground. It always takes some time to adapt.”

Ott Tänak (M-Sport World Rally Team)
"I've not done a proper Tarmac rally with a world rally car since the end of 2012 so it will be interesting to see where our pace will be. I've always enjoyed asphalt rallying and we have done a lot of Tarmac testing with the new car, but with so little experience compared to the others we will need to take the event stage by stage. The conditions differ greatly from one stage to the next and it is so easy to make a mistake on these tricky roads so I think this will be the best strategy. For sure it makes things difficult, but also very appealing. Throw in unsettled weather - like what we had to contend with last year - and anyone may be good for a surprise!"

Fabian Kreim (ŠKODA Auto Deutschland driver and ADAC sport foundation grantee):
“Although this is my third ADAC Rallye Deutschland, it still is something really special to me. I look forward most to the Special Stages in the vineyards and on the Baumholder Panzerplatte – an extremely challenging terrain that demands absolute concentration. Unfortunately, that also means I will miss out on Revolverheld’s concert. The ADAC Rallye Deutschland rally is a good opportunity for me as an ADAC sport foundation grantee to show my mettle in a high-profile international environment.”

Yannick Neuville (ADAC Opel Rallye Cup)
“I already participated in the 2014 ADAC Opel Rallye Cup and finished eighth. Of course, I want to improve on that. And my prospects are good: I have been doing well in the ADAC Opel Rallye Cup and clinched my first victory at the ADAC Hessen Rallye Vogelsberg. I gain experience from one rally to the next – even internationally, because the Cup has become firmly established in European rally sport. The ADAC Rallye Deutschland really suits me. I like its diverse character. Plus, to my brother and me, it’s almost like a home match here.”