Stars and stories from the DTM season-opener in Oschersleben

• Top model Papis Loveday gains his first experience of the DTM in Oschersleben
• Former football internationals discover the circuit near Magdeburg in the track taxi
• Mercedes-AMG teams contest their 50th DTM race on Sunday

Former international footballers in speed mode
Karl-Heinz Riedle spent many years banging in the goals as a striker in the Bundesliga and at top European clubs. Defensive midfielder Torsten Frings laced up his football boots for the likes of Bremen, Dortmund and Bayern Munich. Both enjoyed great success with the German national team at World Cups and European Championships. In Oschersleben, the former players got to know the circuit near Magdeburg on a very special taxi ride. “The DTM is spectacular, but what I experienced in the DTM Taxi, as a fan of speed, was awesome,” said Frings, who sent the DTM field onto the track on Saturday with the “Drivers, start your engines” sign. “Anyone who gets the opportunity to experience that will enjoy it. The braking alone is extreme. You are doing over 200 km/h, but only hit the brakes 80 metres before the corner. Then you have the centrifugal forces in the corners. It was simply incredible,” said World Cup winner “Kalle” Riedle, waxing lyrical after his race taxi ride.

Papis Loveday – Flat-out on the track and with DJ Tomekk
Papis Loveday, the top international model from Senegal, made his DTM debut both on and off the track. The 47-year-old first checked out the paddock, before swapping his shiny silver outfit for a racing overall to take a ride in Schaeffler’s DTM Innovation Taxi. Loveday raved about his experience at the circuit near Magdeburg. “I am a motorsport fan, but this is my first time at the DTM and I am impressed by this mega event. The taxi ride was awesome, my whole body was shaken. I have to say that it is a special talent to be able to drive a car like that.” On Saturday evening, Loveday went full-throttle again – this time with DJ Tomekk: “I have been to watch Formula 1, but what the ADAC has organised here is just mega.”

Esports champion honoured in Oschersleben
Tim Jarschel was crowned champion in the final race of this season’s DTM eSports Championship – powered by RaceRoom. In Oschersleben, ADAC Motorsport Director Thomas Voss presented the new champion with a symbolic cheque for € 5,000 in prize money. Jarschel can redeem the second part of his prize in the cockpit – a GT4 test provided by Dörr Motorsport.

Marco Wittmann immortalised on the “Motorsport Walk of Fame”
Even before he lined up for the first DTM race of 2024, Marco Wittmann (Fürth) reached another milestone. The BMW driver was honoured with a golden plaque on the “Motorsport Walk of Fame” in front of the entrance to Hotel Motorsport Arena Oschersleben. The two-time DTM champion from Schubert Motorsport unveiled the golden stone on Friday. He finds himself in good company, along with the likes of MotoGP star Stefan Bradl and his team-mates René Rast (Bregenz) and Sheldon van der Linde (ZA). Wittmann also receives a lifetime of free admission to Motorsport Arena Oschersleben. “I am familiar with this tradition in Oschersleben. It is a great gesture and very special to read your own name surrounded by prominent stars of motorsport.”

Big milestone – 50th DTM race for Mercedes-AMG teams
Mercedes-AMG Team HRT and Mercedes-AMG Team Winward joined the DTM in 2021, when HRT promptly won the title at the first attempt with Maximilian Götz (Uffenheim). On Sunday, both teams had cause to celebrate in Oschersleben, as they contested their 50th DTM race. Ulrich Fritz, Managing Director of Haupt Racing Team GmbH: “We are still a very young team, so it does not feel as though we have had so many races. The fact that we won the DTM title with Maximilian Götz in our first season shows how incredibly passionate our team is. We are incredibly proud to be racing in our fourth season in the DTM this year.” Christian Hohenadel, Managing Director of Mercedes-AMG Team Winward: “As a new team at the time, joining the DTM was a big step for us, and one we are very proud of. Our ambition has always been to test ourselves at the highest level and to challenge at the front of the field.”

Hip hop beats replace the roar of engines
At 18:00 on Saturday evening, the volume was turned up in front of the Schaeffler Brand Home: DJ Tomekk hosted a hip hop party with spectators. For over an hour, the artist, who has sold more than three million records, fired up the audience. He left after multiple encores, promising: “I’ll be back.”

“PS on Air” makes its DTM debut in the IG Fan Box
On Saturday, YouTube show “PS on Air” provided excellent entertainment after the races at Motorsport Arena Oschersleben. While host Patrick Simon had largely invited ADAC GT Masters drivers for a live chat in the past, he will primarily be interviewing DTM drivers this season. The guests on Saturday included Mirko Bortolotti (I) and Torsten Schubert, who spoke openly about the last-minute retirement of his river Marco Wittmann: “We simply had too little fuel in the tank. We have to be honest and admit that.”

Track cycling world champion takes a stroll in the paddock
Robert Förstemann enjoyed great success as a track cyclist, including being crowned world champion in the team sprint and winning the bronze medal in the same discipline at the 2012 Olympics. In Oschersleben, the man from Thüringen took a stroll round the paddock and checked out the garages of various racing teams. “The people here in Oschersleben had really been looking forward to the season finally getting started, and I am pleased to have been here when it did. I have my fingers crossed for Marco Wittmann, who visited me during the six-day race in Bremen,” revealed Förstemann.

Midfield strategy at the DTM season-opener
The star guests in Oschersleben included Tim Borowski, who was keen to experience the opening round of the DTM. As a midfield tactician, Borowski pulled the strings for SV Werder Bremen and won the German championship. At the circuit near Magdeburg, the former footballer, who also played for Bayern Munich, took a look round the paddock and joined actor Carsten Spengemann among the spectators, where he signed autograph and posed for selfies with the fans.