DTM – Stars and Stories from the Sachsenring race weekend

• Dart world championships semi-finalist Gabriel Clemens and cycling world champion Robert
• Förstemann are thrilled by the DTM show
• Football pro Maximilian Arnold visits Liqui Moly Team Engstler
• Milestone 100th DTM race for ran racing

Dart star Clemens and cycling champion Förstemann discover the DTM
Professional darts player Gabriel Clemens is usually to be found on the oche throwing arrows. At the Sachsenring on Saturday, the 40-year-old DTM driver sent the DTM drivers onto the track with the “Drivers start your engines” sign. He was then on hand after the race to present the trophy for third place to Ayhancan Güven. “The German Giant” had previously taken a look round the paddock and pit lane, and was clearly impressed. “It is awesome how huge everything is, and the amount of effort that goes into the DTM. I once went to the 24-hour race at the Nürburgring, but that was more for the party. At the Sachsenring, I really got to know the motorsport, including a tour of the Team75 Motorsport garage with Timo Bernhard, and am impressed,” said the darts star. It was a similar story for cycling champion Robert Förstemann, who travelled the 50 kilometres or so from Greiz to check out the DTM. The world and European champion in the team sprint, and bronze medallist at the 2012 Olympic Games in London, was particularly taken by the DTM cars, which the two-wheel specialist inspected thoroughly. After the Sunday race, Förstemann presented the trophy for second place.

Football international Arnold – first the DTM, then onto the pitch
Wolfsburg player Maximilian Arnold was invited to the Sachsenring by his friend Luca Engstler on Saturday, and confessed to being a big DTM fan. “I grew up 50 minutes from the Sachsenring and came here with my parents. I have been watching the races since Luca started driving in the DTM. Because our Bundesliga matches start at 15:30 on Saturdays, I watch from 13:30 until I have to take to the field,” said Arnold, who has three German caps to his name. The 29-year-old is fascinated by the battle for every hundredth of a second and the high standard in the evenly matched DTM field, and is also full of respect for his friend Luca. “It is unbelievable how the drivers and engineers in the DTM strive to get every last ounce of performance out of the cars. The same goes for Luca. It is crazy when I see his training regime – for example, how he cycles in the sauna.” Former goalkeeper Perry Bräutigam also enjoyed the race weekend at the Sachsenring. The former DDR international made more than 100 Bundesliga appearances for Hansa Rostock and followed the twelfth race of the season live at the circuit.

Big milestone – 100 DTM races for ran racing
TV partner ProSieben celebrated reaching a special milestone with Sunday’s second race at the Sachsenring: ran racing broadcast its 100th DTM race live. The expert ran racing team, led by presenters Andrea Kaiser and Matthias Killing, has covered every race since 2018 from the respective circuit, providing information and entertaining viewers with interviews and background stories. On Saturday, the ADAC invited the crew to an early celebration in the DTM VIP Hospitality, where they attempted a quiz with facts and figures from the 99 races they had covered to that point. For example, ran racing has presented 32 different winners at 17 racetracks in eight countries. The eight co-commentators and experts who have worked for ran racing have a total of 13 DTM championships to their name. Killing demonstrated a particularly in-depth knowledge and won the quiz. The man of the hour, and the only person to have been involved in every broadcast, including the 100th anniversary on Sunday, is Eddie Mielke.

Bullseye, with darts arrows and basketball
Before the return to the Sachsenring, after a 21-year absence, four DTM drivers tried their hand at different sports on Thursday. Ayhancan Güven and Franck Perera were at basketball Bundesliga club NINERS Chemnitz, where they went head to head in a two-against-two match, ably assisted by center Kevin Yebo and German international and club captain Jonas Richter. Perera, a basketball beginner, impressed with his sheer level of commitment. Güven, a passionate basketballer, demonstrated some remarkable skills and won the contest. Meanwhile, Würzburg’s Laurin Heinrich and South African brothers Kelvin and Sheldon van der Linde demonstrated their accuracy with much smaller equipment at the German Darts Open in Jena, which forms part of the European Darts Tour. However, the trio did not have a chance against Gabriel Clemens, who sensationally became the first German to reach the semi-finals of the darts world championship at the start of the year. The darts ace said diplomatically: “Everyone had a lot of fun. However, you only really recognise talent later on.”

Cool Ben Green wins virtual race at the Sachsenring
There was a high-quality showdown in the RaceRoom simulators in the DTM Fan Zone on Friday. DTM racers René Rast, Sheldon van der Linde, Marvin Dienst, Sandro Holzem and Tim Heinemann lined up in their respective cars at the virtual Sachsenring, as did ADAC GT Masters Ben Green and Nico Menzel. The professionals faced two visitors from the IAA, who had qualified for this virtual race at the internationally renowned motor show in Munich. Ben Green ultimately emerged triumphant against strong opposition. “That was a cool competition. However, I still have the most fun on the actual racetrack,” said the winner.

Modular electric bike with patented motor at Project1
David Schoone from the Jade University of Applied Sciences in Wilhelmshaven presented his modular electric bike NTRX in the Green Room of DTM team Project 1 at the Sachsenring. Three solar batteries, which can be upgraded to a total of nine modules, an axial-flux hub motor, which the Bachelor graduate designed himself in his engineering module and has already patented in Germany. The range of the motorcycle is up to 450 kilometres with 60 hp. With add-on kits, the lightweight sport enduro can be transformed into an adventure bike suitable for longer journeys. The 26-year-old aims to start production of customer bikes in the middle of next year, and explains: “As well as the electric powertrain, only organic fibres like flax and hemp are used in the production of the chassis. As such, the bike is made solely from sustainable components.”