DTM – Stars and Stories from the Nürburgring race weekend

• Comedian Pierre M. Krause takes on the DTM challenge at the Ring
• Tour de France cyclist Nils Politt swaps bike for Race Taxi
• Ralf Schumacher enjoys successful comeback with son David

Lucas Auer puts comedian Pierre M. Krause to the test
TV presenter and comedian Pierre M. Krause experienced the DTM up close and personal during his visit to the Nürburgring. He took to the iconic track alongside Mercedes-AMG driver Lucas Auer in the Winward Racing Race Taxi, and had a special task to perform. Exactly what that was, and whether Krause was successful, will be revealed by ProSieben over the course of the year. “I cannot say much, but I was set a real challenge. I can say that it had to do with speed in the DTM. I can reveal that I wore fireproof underwear for the first time, and have realised that they are not waterproof,” said Krause, summing up his visit to the DTM.

Professional cyclist Politt swaps saddle for Race Taxi
Professional cyclist Nils Politt swapped his bike saddle for a seat in the Schaeffler DTM Innovation Taxi at the Nürburgring. The 30-year-old is a multiple German champion and formed part of the UAE Team Emirates squad that included race winner Tadej Pogačar at this year’s Tour de France. He hit the headlines at the Olympic Games in Paris when, on the final lap, he visited the world-famous “Café des 2 moulins” from the film “Amélie” to go to the toilet. During his visit to the DTM in the Eifel, Politt was impressed by his lap in the 600-hp Audi R8 LMS GT2. “It is very different to being on the bike, and not just with regard to the speed. How late they brake before the corners here is far more impressive. You can only really believe it when you are there yourself. It was an amazing experience and I will definitely be back,” he said. Politt then got the DTM field moving ahead of Saturday’s race with the “Drivers start your engines” sign, before presenting Maro Engel with the trophy for third place after the race.

Former professional footballer Norbert Nachtweih at the Ring
The DTM received a visit from a former Bundesliga footballer, in the form of Norbert Nachtweih. The ex-pro began his career in the GDR at Chemie Halle, before plying his trade for Eintracht Frankfurt, FC Bayern Munich and Waldhof Mannheim. The guest of Audi team Abt Sportsline and four-time German champion enjoyed a taxi ride and signed autographs for fans at the Nürburgring.

Successful comeback: Schumacher family rocks the Prototype Cup Germany
Ralf Schumacher has still got it. The former Formula 1 driver made his motorsport comeback at the Nürburgring, after twelve years away from the driver’s seat, and immediately got up to speed in the Prototype Cup Germany. He was sharing the cockpit of the 455-hp Ligier LMP3 prototype with son David, and the Schumacher duo dominated qualifying and the two races with top performances. “It was very nice to take to the track together with David. I don’t know when I last sat in a race car in the rain. The car was top and it was a lot of fun, especially as we were so successful,” said Ralf Schumacher. Son David agreed, with one exception: “I more or less destroyed a set of tyres. Dad was not happy,” he said with a wink.

World rally champion Sébastien Ogier sends the DTM field onto the track
Multiple world rally champion Sébastien Ogier was not only visiting the DTM at the weekend, but also his wife Andrea Kaiser. The ProSieben presenter has been married to the Frenchman since 2014 and, as usual, entertained TV viewers with interviews at the iconic circuit. Ogier also had a job to do: on Sunday, the Frenchman sent the DTM drivers into race ten of the season with the sign “Drivers start your engines”.

A Bavarian at the Nürburgring
Among the crowds visiting the DTM at the Nürburgring was Django Asül, who had been invited to the event by Abt Sportsline. The cabaret artist from Lower Bavaria checked out the DTM Fan Zone and the paddock, marvelled at the DTM cars, and naturally enjoyed the racing. “The DTM is huge, and motorsport is great anyway. I also took a ride in the Schaeffler Race Taxi and gave Markus Winkelhock a few tips – he was driving too defensively and braking much too early. However, he is still young, and I am here to offer advice,” joked Asül. “Next time I will drive myself, so people can see how it should really be done.”

Maximilian Paul wins the DTM Kart Grand Prix
The first race of the DTM event at the Nürburgring took place on Friday evening. However, the venue was not the legendary Eifel circuit, but the kart track at the Ring. The twelve-man field featured DTM stars Ben Dörr, Ricardo Feller and Maximilian Paul, as well as 2013 DTM champion Mike Rockenfeller, junior karting aces, and representatives of the media. Paul took the chequered flag after 30 laps of racing. Second place went to Elia Weiss from Motorsport Team Germany, who leads the X30 Senior class in the German Kart Championship. Dörr came home third. “Racing against a DTM legend like Mike Rockenfeller was great fun. And it is even nicer when you win the race too,” said Paul. The fastest media representative in fourth place was Michael Bräutigam (Motorsport Aktuell), who finished ahead of Rockenfeller and Feller.

“DTM Trucker of the Year” decided at the Nürburgring
On Saturday evening, it was not the DTM cars, but the team’s trucks that played the main role. At stake was the title “DTM Trucker of the Year” in the “DTM Trucks Go & Stop” competition. The trucks had to accelerate on the start/finish straight, before braking as precisely as possible at the end of the main grandstand. Only the first of three strategically-positioned cones could be knocked over. Many fans watched the spectacle and witnessed a narrow victory for Mercedes-AMG Team HRT, ahead of Schubert Motorsport and SSR Performance. “That was a great event. Even despite the rain, there were plenty of people in the stands and the fans really embraced it. Hopefully we will do it again next year. If so, we want to win,” said Stefan Schlund, team principal at SSR Performance.