DTM – Stars and Stories from the race weekend at the Red Bull Ring

• Ski icon and seven-time world champion Marcel Hirscher visits the DTM
• Ex-Formula 1 drivers Karl Wendlinger and Nick Heidfeld enjoy a taste of the DTM
• Fans go on a Track Safari with DTM champion Bruno Spengler

Ski star visits the Red Bull Ring
With two Olympic gold medals and seven world championship titles to his name, Marcel Hirscher is one of the most successful Austrian skiers ever. The man from Salzburg was a slalom and giant slalom specialist, but also shone in the super-G and super combined events. Hirscher visited the race weekend in Spielberg, where he showed at the wheel of the Schaeffler DTM Innovation Taxi that he is not only fast on skis, but also on four wheels. The 34-year-old was at the wheel of the 640-hp Audi R8 LMS GT2 at the Alpine circuit, where he demonstrated his outstanding cornering technique. “It is great to get a chance like this to drive a race car around this circuit. I got my taxi passengers back in one piece, which is the most important thing. As much as I really enjoy driving cars, I am a much better skier,” said Hirscher.

“Gercollector” has itchy fingers
Michael Spegel is one of the best-known German car collectors and has over 1.3 million followers on his Instagram profile @gercollector, although he is only ever seen there with a helmet on. The influencer used to drive karts and ride motorcycles as a child. The DTM weekend in the Styria region was the perfect event for the fan of powerful cars. “When I see these cars, I get itchy fingers and want to get behind the wheel myself. I have had a few offers, but unfortunately not yet in the DTM. Maybe the opportunity will arise sometime,” said the “Gercollector”.

Freestyle footballer invites racers to dance
Patrick Bäurer from Blumberg-Hondingen is one of the best football freestylers and has ‘danced’ with global stars like Neymar and Kylian Mbappé. In Spielberg, the ball acrobat (9.9 million likes on his TikTok profile @patrickbfree) gave a number of DTM drivers a taste of what he was capable of, and invited them to a short training session. The thoughts of the world championship runner-up and world record holder: “Laurin Heinrich and Ayhancan Güven showed plenty of promise. There is potential there.”

Former Formula 1 drivers at the Ring
Karl Wendlinger was a member of the legendary Mercedes Junior Team with Michael Schumacher and Heinz-Harald Frentzen at the start of the 90s. He spent five seasons in Formula 1, contesting 41 races in the pinnacle of motorsport. He also lined up in a DTM car for Abt Sportsline in 2002 and 2003. At the Red Bull Ring, Wendlinger was given another taste of the DTM and enjoyed the atmosphere at the idyllic circuit in the Styria region of Austria. Also in Spielberg was Nick Heidfeld. “Quick Nick” raced in Formula 1 for eleven years and ended the 2007 season in fifth place in the world championship.

From the national ski squad to the DTM
Katharina Liensberger, who was born in Feldkirch, has been part of the Austrian national ski squad since 2018. She won a gold medal in the Team Parallel and silver in the slalom at the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing. At the Red Bull Ring, she experienced race speed for herself, when she went for a spin on the 4.318-kilometre track in the Schaeffler DTM Innovation Taxi. “It was mega. That was my first taxi ride and I am overwhelmed by the unbelievable speed and feel in the corners. This is my first DTM weekend and a super experience,” said Liensberger, who presented the trophy to the third-placed driver after Sunday’s race.

Season finale for the Track Safari with DTM champion Bruno Spengler
Spielberg offered fans the final opportunity this year to enjoy the Track Safari. After the premiere at the Nürburgring and the successful second outing at the DEKRA Lausitzring, participants in Spielberg experienced another special on-track expedition. In a special session on Friday, they took to the Alpine track in a bus while the DTM cars raced past them at great speed. 2012 DTM champion Bruno Spengler slipped into the role of Track Safari guide in the bus and was impressed by what he saw: “I experienced the Track Safari from a driver’s viewpoint in Japan. The perspective from the bus was new to me and very impressive. The fans get a good feel for how fast the race cars really are on the straights and in the corners. That is definitely something they should continue next season.”

Former ski ace Hans Knauß enjoys the “appeal of motorsport”
Hans Knauß loves speed. For years, the Austrian was one of the best skiers in the world in the giant slalom, super-G and downhill, winning silver at the 1998 Olympic Games among other accolades. He then switched to motorsport, driving a Lamborghini in the FIA GT European Championship and at the 24 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps. Knauß is now a television presenter on ORF and a regular guest at the Red Bull Ring. “I love motorsport and know how it feels to be in the cockpit of a race car. Unfortunately, I never made it into the DTM, but the appeal is still there and I really like the scene here,” admitted Knauß, who presented runner-up Laurin Heinrich with his trophy on Saturday.

Colourful grandstands
Since the start of the season, BWT and DTM have been in the fast lane when it comes to the issue of sustainability. The globally-renowned water treatment company from Austria invited roughly 2,000 guests to the Red Bull Ring, transforming the grandstand in the final corner into a pink sea of celebration. The BWT visitors were keeping a special eye out for the Mercedes-AMG GT3 of Jusuf Owega. This season, the GT3 car starts in the striking pink of the DTM partner.

Young Austrians present an innovative, wooden e-kart
Visitors to the Red Bull Ring could check out two innovative and sustainable motorsport projects in the Green Room of Project 1. The alternative E2MILY-G kart has been developed by school pupils, students and diploma students at Technical College Weiz. The young designers did not use a steel chassis, as is the norm, but instead opted for the sustainable material wood for their kart, which is powered solely by electricity. The necessary steel elements, such as the pedals, axles, brakes and connecting parts, complement the wood perfectly. The kart is equipped with an electric battery from BMW, achieves a top speed of 40 km/h and has a range of 15 kilometres. The DTM team also presented the “inclusive eKart”, which features the SpaceDrive II system and control elements from Paravan. The driving and steering commands are transferred electrically via a two or four-way joystick. This gives people who are unable to operate conventional steering systems the opportunity to take part in eKart racing.