DTM – Stars and Stories from the Hockenheimring race weekend

• Handball legend Oliver Roggisch takes a leading role
• Football world and European champions watch the DTM finale
• BWT Race Lap Award supports important drinking water projects

Handball giant and 2007 world champion in the official DTM Lead Car
Oliver Roggisch is sporting director at Bundesliga handball club and current cup holders Rhein-Neckar Löwen in Mannheim. The defensive giant and 2007 world champion made the short trip to check out the DTM in Hockenheim on Sunday, where he also took on a leading role at the season finale. In the official DTM Lead Car, a 450-hp Cupra Formentor VZ5, the 44-year-old experienced the formation lap at the 4.574-kilometre track from the passenger seat. His summary of the DTM finale: “It was special to be in the Lead Car and experience how closely the guys tailgate here. That and the incredible atmosphere in the stands and the great weather – it is pretty cool. I live very near here and have been to the DTM a few times, but I have seldom seen it as full as it is today. It is nice to see so many young people there. I brought my kids with me and they are having a great time. Compliments to the ADAC.”

Football world and European champions at the Hockenheimring
Raimund Aumann and Stefan Kuntz played in the football Bundesliga in the 1980s and 1990s. While Aumann used to prevent goals as the keeper for FC Bayern Munich, Stefan Kuntz successfully banged in the goals for clubs including VfL Bochum, Bayer Uerdingen and 1. FC Kaiserslautern. Aumann was a member of the German squad that won the World Cup in 1990, while Kuntz was European champion in England in 1996 and twice own the European Championships as coach of the German U21 team. The two footballers had a look round the paddock at the DTM finale, where they checked out the cars and spoke to a few of the drivers. “I have been to various events at the Hockenheimring, but this weekend was my first time at the DTM. I really like how accessible it is for the fans, although it is an outstanding, international racing series. Unlike Formula 1, the cars are more similar to what you might see on the roads. You can imagine driving one sometime. On top of that, you have all the sideshow and great entertainment, which make the DTM a special event,” said Kuntz, who presented the trophy for third place to René Rast after Sunday’s race.

Ice Hockey World Championships runner-up Harold Kreis in the DTM Innovation Taxi
Harold Kreis took over as coach of the German ice hockey team in March 2023 and this year celebrated the biggest German success in world championship history when his troop finished runners-up. As a defender, he played just short of 900 matches for what used to be the Mannheimer ERC and was selected for the national team 180 times – so he knows what he is talking about when it comes to the fastest team sport in the world. However, he experienced a whole new dimension of speed on his ride in the Schaeffler DTM Innovation Taxi. “A ride in a race car like that is so far removed from normal road traffic. The power of the motor and the extreme cornering speeds are unbelievable. It was a great experience,” said the 64-year-old after his trip in the Audi R8 LMS GT2. Kreis was equally impressed by the atmosphere at the DTM finale. “Even just travelling here from Mannheim, the roads were full. Everyone wanted to see the final DTM races. You could feel the excitement and anticipation. You don’t experience something like this very often.”

DTM first for German rally champion Marijan Griebel
He is used to going up against the clock on his own on narrow dirt tracks through fields and forest roads littered with potholes and bumps. His natural track limits are ditches, bushes and trees. As such, it was a totally new experience for German rally champion Marijan Griebel when he took to the track at the DTM finale in Hockenheim to complete a number of demonstration laps at the wheel of his 300-hp Škoda Fabia RS Rally2. “My first outing at the DTM was a rather unusual one. Compared to rallying, I had a huge amount of room to the right and left of me. However, the top speed was lacking a little on the long straights. Driving in front of packed grandstands at such an iconic circuit was a great experience,” said the three-time DRM champion from Hahnweiler. From Hockenheim, Griebel and the Pole Promotion team head to Prague for the start of the Central European Rally, where the Škoda will have a different crew on all four days of the event as it leads out the first WRC competitors as the “0” car.

Extra shift for Marvin
Local favourite Marvin Dienst, who grew up roughly 40 kilometres from the Hockenheimring in Lampertheim, showed off his ball skills on Thursday. Together with fellow DTM drivers Jusuf Owega and Patric Niederhauser, he visited nearby handball Bundesliga outfit the Rhein-Neckar Löwen and showed with some spectacular jump shots that he had lost none of his skills from his time as a pivot player in the Oberliga. German handball internationals Philipp Ahouansou and goalkeeper David Späth, who will make his debut in the German team this week, were also amazed by the agility of the Porsche driver. The 26-year-old also had his hands full away from the track at this home event at the Hockenheimring, where he signed autographs and posed for selfies with fans.

New wells thanks to the BWT Race Lap Award
The BWT Race Lap Award was run in the DTM for the first time this season. Together with partner BWT, the series donated a fixed amount per race lap to the charity b.waterMission. This money is used to support the building of wells and drinking water projects in Africa. This season, the DTM drivers completed 14,854 laps. The amount raised was rounded up to € 70,000. During the presentation ceremony, Anna Grubeck, Head of Sponsorship at BWT, presented a symbolic cheque to new DTM champion Thomas Preining.

Successful season in the Green Room
DTM team Project 1 campaigned for sustainability in the field of mobility in the 2023 season, and presented the mobility and motorsport of the future in the Green Room at each DTM race weekend. At the Hockenheimring, the various different presentations were again represented in text and images. From a race car powered only by solar energy, and sustainable materials like flax, which can replace carbon and plastic, to a modular electric bike – visitors had one more opportunity to find out more about the fascinating projects.

Emil Frey Racing wins the Pit Stop Challenge presented by IG Europe
Ferrari drivers Jack Aitken and Thierry Vermeulen from the Emil Frey Racing team improved as the season progressed. Their mechanics, however, impressed from the word go. The lightning-quick and flawless tyre changes performed by the Emil Frey crew, some of which were under six seconds, were the benchmark this season. At the DTM finale in Hockenheim, the team on the wheel guns and the Pirelli tyres were honoured as winners of the Pit Stop Challenge presented by IG Europe. With 25 points to their name, they ended the season well ahead of Mercedes-AMG Team Winward and SSR Performance.

Matthias Killing likes it “Mini”
The NXT Gen Cup made its debut on the DTM stage at the Nürburgring, where the talented youngsters drove the 230-hp LRT NXT 1, which is based on the roadworthy Mini Cooper SE. ProSieben presenter Matthias Killing is no longer a youngster, but he still managed to take the electric Mini, which was on display in the paddock, for a spin at the Hockenheimring. “It felt great to drive and was really good fun,” said Killing.

Fans queue for DTM tickets
Ready, set, go! Ticket sales for the 2024 DTM season began on Sunday. In Hockenheim, fans queued at the ticket offices to secure the best seats for next year. Tickets are available online at dtm.com, with prices again starting at € 39. Anyone purchasing tickets at dtm.com by 13th November 2023 will benefit from the Fast Lane discount of ten percent. ADAC members also receive a ten-percent members’ discount for the coming season. Admission remains free for under 16s when accompanied by an adult.