"How do I get out of racing?" Dieter Quester once asked himself in his autobiography. Motorsport journalist Rainer Braun apparently feels the same way. Because he actually didn't want to write any more books after his last volume in the "Hallo Fahrerlager" series, published in 2015. But anyone who has dedicated their life to motor racing just can't get away from it that easily. That's why - and because fans and publishers alike relentlessly asked for more - Rainer Braun sat down at the typewriter once again and wrote another "Hallo Fahrerlager" with the subtitle "Moments & Memories".
Memories of the old DTM
According to the blurb, the work that has now been published is not a "best of", but a completely new volume. As we do not have all the books in the series, we cannot verify this. However, there is at least very little overlap with the "Classic" edition. This is due to the clear chronological separation of the content. While the last book mainly dealt with the sixties and seventies, the focus of the new volume is on what Braun calls "the best touring car racing series ever": the DTM and the ITC from 1984 to 1996.
Braun not only recalls the better-known episodes such as Michael Schumacher's Cecotto crash in 1990, Gerd Rauch's fire-breathing Ford Mustang in the 1994 season or the pile-up on the Avus in 1995. The long-time TV commentator for 3sat also recounts in many short anecdotes how Roland Asch became "Roland Rasch" in 1989, why the brand-new carpeting in the Mercedes-Benz media bus stank so terribly in 1991 or why numerous Opel fans screamed and fainted "like teenagers at a pop concert" in Hockenheim in 1994.
The latter, of course, had to do with an event on the track that Braun considers to be one of the ten best DTM races, to which he has dedicated a separate chapter. Braun also describes in separate segments his relationships with motorsport greats such as Walter Röhrl, Hans-Joachim Stuck and Hannelore Werner, by whom he was all too often "shaved" on the track. In addition to these happy memories, Rainer Braun also recounts the sad moments, such as the fatal accidents involving Pedro Rodriguez or Alfa driver Herbert Schutze, which he witnessed and had to commentate on live as a track announcer.
DRM, Bellof and historic photos
Of course, Rodriguez and Schultze crashed long before the DTM era. But despite his clear focus, Braun does not limit himself exclusively to the touring car battles of the eighties and nineties. Starting with his rally debut as a driver for cameraman Alfred Noell at the 1966 Monte-Carlo Rally and his impetuous years in the Renault 5 Cup, Braun also finds space for the DRM of the seventies, Hubert Hahne's record lap on the Nürburgring and the promising beginnings of Stefan Bellof.
The moments, memories and anecdotes are illustrated exclusively by contemporary photos: Shots of races, award ceremonies and press conferences, but also - almost obligatory given the book's title - spontaneous snapshots from the paddock such as Hannelore Werner in a futuristic, elegant racing suit by fashion designer Heinz Oestergaard or Rainer Braun's breakfast view of the Toleman garage in Monaco. For fans of the exotic: Hidden in one of these pictures is a VW Sciwago by Günter Artz.
Conclusion
"Hallo Fahrerlager - Moments & Memories" is a very personal book. Even though die-hard DTM fans will certainly already be familiar with some of the events, Rainer Braun's perspective is a welcome change from many editorial, factual motorsport chronicles, especially in the emotional moments - whether joyful or sad. At a price of 59 euros, the book is certainly worth considering for fans of German motorsport, especially the wild early years of the DTM.
That leaves the question of the "Schluckspecht" in our headline. The origin of this amusing surname is a simple one: the receptionist at the hotel at the Hockenheimring simply misunderstood that a certain "Hans-Joachim Stuck is speaking" at the other end of the telephone line before the ITC final in 1996.
Bibliographical information
- Title: "Hello paddock - Moments & Memories"
- Author: Rainer Braun
- Language: German
- Publisher: McKlein Publishing
- Edition: 1st edition, December 2022
- Size: 240 pages, 334 photos
- Format: 240 x 280 mm, hardcover; limited edition in slipcase, signed by the author (500 copies)
- Price: EUR 59.00 - Edition 500: EUR 95.00
- ISBN: 978-3-947156-47-4
- Buy/order: Online at amazon.de, online at McKlein Publishing or in relevant bookstores
