The Norisring on the Reichstag grounds in Nuremberg has always been known for its exciting races. But the motorsport weekend on July 1 and 2, 2017 was not just good, it was downright sensational.
Not only the second start of the Touring Car Classics offered great racing, no, today's often boring DTM also showed a race that could not have represented motorsport better. That's exactly how we want to see the sport. Fierce battles from front to back, door-to-door duels right up to the chequered flag. It clearly showed that races can still be a thriller without the complete dependence on today's exaggerated aerodynamics.
Bad luck for the Alfa Romeo
But now back to the Touring Car Classic. What was still a demonstration race three years ago became a real race this year. Stephan Rupp secured pole position in Giancarlo Fisichella's ex-car, the Alfa Romeo 155 TI V6 ITC from 1996, with a time of 53.195 seconds. In comparison, Tom Blomqvist in the current DTM BMW M4 took first place on the grid on Sunday with a time of 47.252 seconds and an average speed of 175.230 km/h.
As at the Nürburgring, the Alfa unfortunately had to contend with technical problems again. After a small fire in practice, the engine was changed during the night. But even this effort was not rewarded and the crowd favorite had to end the race prematurely due to overheating and heavy smoke. The disqualification for disregarding the black flag therefore no longer applied.
An accident repeats itself
Luck was not kind to Nürburgring winner Jörg Hatscher in Jan Magnussen's C-Class Mercedes either.
He had to park his car after hitting a wall. Magnussen, who had already placed this Mercedes in the barrier in a similar way 21 years ago, so that it was stuck up to the roof frame under the tire stacks, had already had a seat test in the car and said: "I would like to drive my ex-car again - just not at the Norisring, this track was not good to me!"
But another Mercedes
Thorsten Stadler took his first victory of the day in the Touring Car Classics. The technology expert from Hannoversch-Münden near Kassel drives the Mercedes-Benz C-Class driven by Ellen Lohr in the 1994 DTM.
Behind Stadler was the first BMW with DTM legend Altfrid Heger (59) at the wheel. His son Robert Heger (23) had set off that very night to get an ECU 4, i.e. a new engine control unit, in Passau. The 1991 E30 then ran perfectly. "Of course, I noticed that the steering forces are very high and the ABS brake has to be pressed hard, but I'm still active in sports, go Nordic walking with the dog every day and feel fit!" says former BMW works driver Altfrid Heger.
Third place went to Richard Weber in a BMW M3 E30 2.5 Sport Evolution from Günter Murmann's MM-Diebels team. Although Weber stayed ahead of Altfrid Heger for a long time, he was ultimately unable to fend off the veteran's attacks.
The crowd favorite Strycek
The fourth in the classification was also the winner of hearts: crowd favorite Volker Strycek kept the promise he made at the Essen Motor Show and brought his red Opel Omega 24V to the season highlight in Nuremberg after 20 years on the road. It was the 1991 test vehicle in the legendary "Fritten design" repainted in 1995.
Strycek, who had been the first title winner in the German Production Car Championship in 1984, finished fifth on the Alemannenring in Singen/Hohentwiel in 1991 in exactly this three-liter four-door car - one of the best results for the Opel Omega 24V. As is well known, it was followed by the Opel Calibra V6 Allrad in 1993, which reached top form in 1996.
Volker Strycek had traveled to the event with his whole family. He was as wired as ever, finishing fourth, one of the three organizers of the Touring Car Classics behind him.
DTM history also shone through in sixth place: Sebastian 'Baschdi' Asch, winner of the ADAC GT Masters two years ago and son of 66-year-old DTM legend Roland Asch, drove the Ford Sierra Cosworth last driven by Marc Hessel.
Goosebump moments
The classic race at the Norisring was commented on live by the 77-year-old legendary presenter Rainer Braun in the Sport1 television studio. On Saturday, Braun also acted as track commentator for the race spectators in the old stone grandstand during the two practice sessions. The 'voice of the old DTM' electrified with goosebump moments in a row.
Incidentally, the event program continues on the second weekend in August at the AvD Oldtimer Grand Prix at the Nürburgring and further new additions to the already extremely strong field of participants have been announced.
Why not later
For many spectators, the allocated start time for the Touring Car Classic seemed less than ideal. It would certainly have been the dot on the "i" if the historic cars could have started shortly before the current DTM instead of having to/being allowed to enjoy them for breakfast, so to speak.
