“It’s high time for the season to be started,” says Mercedes-Benz driver Christian Vietoris, thus also expressing the opinion of his 23 colleagues. The experienced BMW driver Bruno Spengler adds: “First of all I missed the fans. And at Hockenheim the crowd always is big and therefore, the atmosphere is fantastic.” Meanwhile, Audi’s Timo Scheider puts it in a nutshell: “Now it’s back to DTM racing – thank god!” From 06th to 08th May, the Hockenheimring finally will stage top-class racing – the long and with pleasant anticipation awaited DTM season kick-off is about to take place. The 4.547-kilometre circuit traditionally is the venue of the first clash of the season. With two enthralling DTM qualifying sessions and races, thrilling battles in the FIA World Rallycross Championship round, the Audi Sport TT Cup and the Porsche Carrera Cup Germany as well as an entertaining support programme aloof from the track, the first DTM weekend of the season proves to be an outstanding motor-racing event.
“For me, the Hockenheimring is the home of DTM,” says Jamie Green. Last year’s vice-champion travels to Baden-Württemberg with particularly high expectations. After all he won races in both the 2015 season kick-off and the season-finale, at Hockenheim. “I want to tie in with these successes,” he underlines. Although the Briton and his fellow Audi drivers dominated the four Hockenheim rounds, last year, there’s a reshuffle prior to every DTM season. The racing is just too close and hundredths or even thousandths of a second often make the difference between winning and losing. A fact that once again was impressively underlined in the tests in early April. “I finally want to get back behind the wheel and turn the past season into nothing but a distant memory,” says BMW driver Marco Wittmann, the 2014 champion. The German and his fellow BMW drivers had to cope with a mediocre start into the 2015 season and hope for a clearly better result this year. The same applies to the Mercedes-Benz driver Maximilian Götz, who is going to contest his second DTM season. “I feel clearly more confident and know the procedures. Last year, nearly anything was new to me but this year, I want to regularly score points – and a podium would be the hit.”
In the Sunday race of the 2015 season kick-off, Mattias Ekström celebrated the 20th DTM win in his career and this year, the Audi driver will have to cope with a huge programme, on the Hockenheim weekend. The Swede races in both DTM and the FIA World Rallycross Championship, WRX, that is going to contest the second round of its 2016 season, at Hockenheim. The series captivates with its turbulent racing on tarmac and gravel and already fascinated the crowds in 2015. This year, not only Ekström will have to battle it out with renowned motor racing top stars such as Ken Block, Sébastien Loeb and Petter Solberg what should make for a big dose of extra attention. In addition to the pros, there will be eight guest drivers racing in the RX-lights category to try to prove their skills. For Ekström, the weekend definitely is am ambitious endeavour. “The opportunity to compete in both series on the same weekend is like having Christmas and Easter on the same day, for me,” he says. “On Sunday, the schedule might get somewhat tight but first of all I have to qualify for final rounds on Sunday.” Due to his schedule, the 37-year old definitely won’t have the time to witness the hard-fought motor racing in the Audi Sport TT Cup and the Porsche Carrera Cup Germany that both will contest a race on Saturday and Sunday each, after the qualifying session
And there also is a lot of action going on aloof from the track: autographing sessions with the DTM drivers on Saturday and Sunday, stunt shows with multiple world record holder Terry Grant, race-taxi rides, pit walks, competitions, live interviews and promenading through the paddock represent a fantastic entertainment programme. Furthermore, Austrian pop star Christina Stürmer will entertain the crowds on Sunday at 12:00hrs CEST (11:00grs BST) on the ‘ARD Chartshow’ stage. And there will be an additional music highlight for those who like to party: DJ Antoine will be at the turntables and make for a great sound in the ‘SWR3 Elchparty’ on Saturday. The gates will open at 19:00hrs CEST.
The DTM season kick-off weekend, from 06th to 08th May, will feature highlights galore – both on and aloof from the track. To be bored during the first clash of the DTM drivers in 2016 is virtually impossible. Tickets for the season kick-off at Hockenheim are available from €29, with the cheapest family weekend ticket including paddock access for two adults and two juveniles (up to and including 14 years) costs €105. Tickets for the first round at Hockenheim and all other DTM events can be ordered online at http://www.dtm.com/en/2016-dates.
The most important times at a glance: please find the detailed time schedule at http://www.dtm.com/en/event/2016-season-opener-hockenheim.
Friday 06th May
from 09:00 CEST (08:00hrs BST) training sessions and – partly – qualifying sessions of all the series
Saturday, 07th May (all times CEST)
11:20hrs Practice session DTM 12:10hrs Start Audi Sport TT Cup race 1 13:05hrs Start Porsche Carrera Cup Germany race 1 13:50hrs Qualifying session DTM for race 1 16:00hrs Start DTM Race 1 (40 minutes) 17:25hrs Qualifying Rallycross (up to 19:00hrs
Sunday, 08th May (all times CEST)
09:10hrs Start Porsche Carrera Cup Germany race 2 10:30hrs Practice session DTM 11:10hrs Rallycross semi finals and finals 12:30hr Qualifying DTM for race 2 14:30hr Start DTM race 2 16:20hrs Start Audi Sport TT Cup race 2
Press release DTM
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