DTM – Stars and stories from the race weekend in Zandvoort

• Windsurfing icon Björn Dunkerbeck visits the DTM in Zandvoort.
• Former Dutch international Frank Verlaat honours the winners.
• Tim Heinemann wins beach battle against local favourite Thierry Vermeulen.

The first victory of the weekend goes to Tim Heinemann
DTM newcomer Tim Heinemann from Fichtenberg celebrated his first success before the first race had even started in Zandvoort. In an internal beach battle with local favourite Thierry Vermeulen, he emerged victorious 2:1 after three challenges on Thursday. Heinemann made a virtually perfect recreation of the Circuit Zandvoort layout in the sand, and was also right on target with his frisbee throw through a Pirelli race tyre. However, Vermeulen proved to be the stronger in an event closer to their regular line of business: the Dutchman won a ten-lap race with remote-controlled cars around a triangular track on the Zandvoort beach, finishing well ahead of his rival. That proved to be mere consolation, as Porsche driver Heinemann took overall victory. “That was fun,” said the victor. “But I would still prefer to win on the track.”

Busy schedule for windsurfing icon Björn Dunkerbeck
With 42 World Cup titles to his name, Björn Dunkerbeck is one of the most successful professional athletes in the world. The Danish/Dutch windsurfer has very fond memories of Zandvoort. He won multiple windsurfing competitions here in the nineties, so was delighted to visit the DTM on the North Sea coast. “Velocity and maximum speed have always fascinated me. After my World Cup career, I focussed on breaking the 100 km/h barrier on a surfboard, which I managed last year. As such, I can put myself in the position of the drivers and teams, because I know how important it is to keep improving when you’re pushing yourself to the limit,” said the 53-year-old, who lives on Gran Canaria. The windsurfing champion had a busy schedule in Zandvoort. A garage tour at Team75 Motorsport, chats with the DTM drivers, an interview on the grid with ProSieben, and talks in the Fan Zone – Björn Dunkerbeck was in great demand wherever he was. On Saturday, he got the DTM field rolling with the “Drivers start your engines” sign. After the race, he was on hand to present reigning DTM champion Sheldon van der Linde with the trophy for second place. The windsurfing icon was always happy to chat to fans, answer their questions, sign autographs and pose for selfies. Dunkerbeck was impressed by his trip to see the DTM: “My friends were jealous of me making this visit. There are so many great series in action here, and an awful lot is put on for the spectators away from the track too – there is always something going on. Furthermore, the DTM cars are a little bit similar to cars you would see on the streets, which makes the whole thing even more interesting.”

Former Dutch international enjoys the return of DTM to Zandvoort
He will still be familiar to older football fans – former Dutch international Frank Verlaat. Now 55 years old, he played a total of 185 Bundesliga matches for VfB Stuttgart and SV Werder Bremen at the end of the nineties and the start of 2000. What many don’t know is that the defender’s career started as a youth player at DTY Haarlem. As such, he could not resist travelling to neighbouring Zandvoort to witness for himself the return of the DTM after a five-year absence. Verlaat checked out the pit lane, was shown the DTM cars, signed many an autograph, and took part in the presentation ceremony after the DTM race on Sunday.

Maren Braun lives motorsport with the fans
She was born into motorsport – Maren Braun, who entertained spectators in Zandvoort with interviews, information and stories in the Fan Zone and on Fan TV. The presenter’s father is renowned motorsport journalist Rainer Braun. The amateur racing driver commentated on DTM races on TV in the nineties, as well as writing for popular motorsport magazines and is the author of several books. As such, daughter Maren spent a lot of time at racetracks and has followed in the footsteps of her father. She has been behind the microphone and in front of the cameras for almost 30 years, and again infected fans in Zandvoort with her passion for motorsport.

Legendary goalkeeper Jean-Marie Pfaff honours the winners
For six years, the former Belgian international kept goal at FC Bayern Munich and was regarded as one of the best in the world in his position in the 1980s. His first match in Bayern colours went down in history when he somehow deflected a long throw from Bremen’s Uwe Reinder into his own net. As the DTM returned to Zandvoort, Pfaff enjoyed the atmosphere at the circuit in the dunes, and also presented the trophies on Sunday.

Girl power in the DTM
There was a time when grid girls were virtually the only women at a racetrack – nowadays, women are part and parcel of motorsport and are indispensable in various roles when it comes to running a racing event. However, public opinion is that they are regularly a rather unusual sight in what is presumed to be a male-dominated field. In Zandvoort, the girls met on the start/finish line for a photo shoot, at which they made it clear for all to see how many women are involved on such a popular platform as the DTM, whether as volunteers, employees, behind the scenes or at the wheel of the race cars.

The roar of engines instead of pop beats
Blue sky, summer temperatures, and the North Sea coast – the race weekend in Zandvoort had the unique feel of a beach party at times. It was fitting then that singer Loona (Marie-José van der Kolk) should visit the DTM event in her home town, where she signed plenty of autographs. The Dutch star has enjoyed great success, particularly with atmospheric cover versions. They include the summer hit “Bailando”, which spent several weeks at number one in the German charts in 1998. In 2007, she was a member of the jury on the ProSieben programme “Popstars”.

Entertainment and music on the event stage
The event stage proved to be a real spectator magnet in Zandvoort. Fans were entertained with information on the latest race action and interviews with drivers. The “Meet the Drivers” session, which took place next to the stage, was particularly popular. This gave fans the opportunity to get close to the DTM drivers, request their autographs, and pose for selfies. From time to time, a DJ also provided musical entertainment.