DTM racing cars from four decades and the heroes of yesteryear: That is the DTM Classic at the Norisring. In the DTM’s anniversary year, two races with historic DTM racing cars will be held at the season highlight at the Norisring in Nürburgring to mark the 40th anniversary of the racing series. Visitors can look forward to spectacular cars such as the Audi V8 and former DTM stars, including Hans-Joachim Stuck, Harald Grohs and Altfrid Heger.
And commentator legend Rainer Braun will make his one-off comeback and accompany the action on the track on the microphone. The two DTM Classic races can be seen live on Saturday and Sunday on the DTM YouTube channel at youtube.com/DTM and on ran.de. In addition, many racing legends will be coming to the Norisring for the DTM birthday party. There will be panel discussions with the DTM legends in the DTM Fan Zone on Saturday and Sunday.
Hans-Joachim Stuck with Audi V8 at DTM Classic
Hans-Joachim Stuck became DTM champion in 1990 with an Audi V8, but also celebrated two victories at the 24 Hours of Le Mans and was active in Formula 1 for several years, where he finished third twice as a highlight. In the DTM, Stuck was one of the crowd favorites in the early 1990s and won the title in his first season. He will compete at the Norisring with one of his original vehicles from the early 1990s.
Harald Grohs and Altfrid Heger, two former DTM participants, both from Essen, are coming to the Norisring. In 1986, Heger switched permanently from formula racing to touring car racing. And in 1987 it became clear that this was a good choice, as he was able to celebrate the runner-up title in the European Touring Car Championship. At the Norisring, Heger will drive an Audi V8 and is hoping for exciting duels with Hans-Joachim Stuck, who will also be driving an Audi V8.
Harald Grohs forms a driver duo with Yannik Dinger
Grohs was already active in the German racing championship and started competing in the then newly established DTM in 1984. The driver from Essen won the inaugural race of the DTM in Zolder, Belgium; he finished the first year in third place in the drivers’ championship. He was able to repeat this placing in 1985.
“Driving the old racing cars is much more strenuous than driving modern vehicles, but it is also more fun to push them to the limit. And on the Norisring it is even more strenuous, because this track demands everything from the material and the driver due to the constant heavy braking and acceleration. In addition to a good car, being in top condition was always important if you wanted to be successful in Nuremberg. And apart from that, the atmosphere at the Norisring is always very special. I am already looking forward to the weekend when I will be sharing a BMW E36 with Yannik Dinger according to Class 2 regulations.”
Mücke Motorsport with father Peter and son Stefan at the start
Peter Mücke, a Berliner, has a very different career path. He was GDR champion eleven times, four of them on the circuit and seven times in autocross. He also won the European Autocross Championship three times. He later founded the Mücke Motorsport racing team, which not only competed in junior racing, but also in the DTM. Peter’s son Stefan also took part in the DTM. The father-son team is currently involved in historic motorsport and uses a number of vehicles at the Norisring. Peter and Stefan Mücke drive a Mercedes-Benz C-Class DTM together, Bernd Schneider’s original car from 2005.
In any case, there will be some original racing cars on display at the Norisring, including Gerd Ruch’s original racer from the 1994 DTM. The Berliner was not guaranteed to get a top placing with his Ford Mustang at the time, but the audience loved him nonetheless because of the striking vehicle. Ruch’s Mustang is now driven by Guido Momm. René Ruch will drive an original BMW M3 from the 1989 DTM in Nuremberg, Peter Kohl will drive a Ford Sierra Cosworth RS500 in its original condition from the 1988 European Touring Car Championship, and Michael Meyer will drive the original BMW E21 Group 2, with which Helmut Kelleners and Siggi Müller Jr. became European Touring Car Champions in 1980.
Aufrecht, Schneider, Manthey and Co. visiting the Norisring
The oldest car in the DTM Classic field is a BMW 320 Group 5, which the Norwegian Mads Gjierdrum is bringing to Nuremberg; the vehicle was driven by Eddie Cheever in 1977 as part of the BMW Junior Team. And there are also some originals from the 2000s, including the Opel Astra Coupé V8 DTM driven by Joachim Winkelhock in 2003 and the Audi A4 DTM driven by Timo Scheider in 2007.
There is a trip into DTM history not only on the track, but also in the DTM Fan Zone. On Sunday and Sunday, Maren Braun will host panel discussions with DTM legends on stage. Guests at the DTM birthday party include the first champion Volker Strycek, Olaf Manthey, record champion Bernd Schneider, AMG founder Hans-Werner Aufrecht, former Mercedes-Benz motorsport director Norbert Haug, Timo Scheider, Maximilian Götz, Martin Tomczyk, Walter Röhrl and Prince Leopold of Bavaria.
How did the very first DTM race in 1984 in Zolder go? Motorsport-Magazin.com reporter Arno Wester was there and looks back 40 years later: