In the beginning there was a glowing idea. How about bringing the old German Touring Car Championship and the fascinating super touring cars back onto the track? Not processional races, but real races, just like in the 80s and 90s. Together with exactly the same drivers who drove each other's mirrors off back then. In short: the reactivation of the "Golden Era", the most popular time in German motorsport.
Rising popularity
In its fifth season, the series significantly increased its appeal and popularity despite difficult conditions. This can be seen in the full starting fields with often more than 30 racers. Anyone who watched this year's TWC champions battle it out for the day's victory and listened to legendary announcer Rainer Braun was witness to how idea and reality merged. The golden era is back and fulfills all the fans' longings for real idols and motorsport in its purest form.
As the source of ideas and driving force, organizer Ralph Bahr has ensured that the project has been enthusiastically implemented in the interests of everyone involved since 2015. The Wiesbaden native faces the growing demands realistically: "I can no longer meet my standards and the expectations of a TWC 3.0 on my own - especially not on a part-time basis," says the family man self-critically.
This is how he explains the organizational handover of the series to professional Michael Thier, who has been successfully responsible for the Fahrergemeinschaft Historischer Rennsport (FHR e.V.) for years. The likeable giant from Bonn is now making his expertise available to all participants, including the 29 ex-DTM stars who have competed in the TWC to date. Thier's credo: "By embedding the TWC in the FHR community, we create synergies for all sides," says the head of what is now the largest historic series organization.
In the hands of professionals
For his part, Michael Thier is entrusting the increasingly important area of media marketing to a true professional and is placing the external presentation of the TWC in the hands of Kai Schoke (KS Motorsport Organizations). The creative all-rounder has been delivering captivating moving images for three years, ensuring impressive coverage on all channels. "We now count up to 750,000 viewers per race weekend - in all our social networks - and are thus approaching the level of well-known, modern racing series," says the Würzburg entrepreneur. Schoke's intention: "The TWC closes a circle for me - I grew up with the German Touring Car Championship - now I can contribute to making the spirit of that time come alive again."
The Touring Car Classics - the original - is definitely going to the "next level" with this step.
