DTM Classic stages thrilling position fights at Nürburgring

The DTM’s racing history book also provided motorsport entertainment at its best in the Sunday race during the 49th AvD Oldtimer Grand Prix at the Nürburgring. Thrilling position fights throughout the field and eventually three different brands on the podium were the characteristics of the sixth of ten races of the DTM Classic Cup, particularly featuring cars from the DTM era from 1984 till 2007. In excellent summer weather in the Eifel, Dane Steffen Lykke Gregersen scored a commanding win with his BMW M3 E30. Classified second on the previous day, he now had the better of Saturday race winner Ronny Scheer (GER) with the Ford Sierra RS500 by 27 seconds. Like in the race on Saturday, Norisring race winner Gerhard Füller (GER) came third with his Opel Vectra, making it three different brands on the podium.

“Like on Saturday, there was a thrilling battle in today’s race as well, albeit not for a very long time. After that, I was pretty much on my own at the front,” said Steffen Lykke Gregersen, who participated in the DTM Classic Cup for the first time. “It wasn’t my last start, it was a lot of fun.” German Ronny Scheer from the BWT Classic team was also visibly happy. “In the closing stages, I was unable to make full use of the car’s potential as I noticed vibrations. I absolutely wanted to make it to the finish, so it was really difficult to keep Gerhard Füller at bay.”

In the morning, Roland Asch had caused a small sensation. The two-time DTM runner-up raced an AMG-Mercedes 190E Evo 2.5-16V for the first time, the very car in original Sonax livery with which he ended up second in the 1993 DTM. “Being able to drive this car again is such an unbelievably great joy,” the meanwhile 72-year-old Asch said full of excitement. In the race, however, Asch had bad luck as his battle for second place ended in a thick cloud of smoke after only four laps.

Next to the battle for second place with Scheer, Füller and Moritz Horn (GER) with the ALPINA M3 E30, who eventually ended up fourth, Guido Momm (GER) with Gerd Ruch’s former Ford Mustang, Peter Schumann (GER) with BMW 635 CSI raced by DTM runner-up Olaf Manthey on the previous day and Matthias Jochen (GER) with the original Gilden Kölsch Opel Monza staged a spirited three-way battle that ended with the first top ten result for local hero Momm from Kelberg near the Nürburgring. Ex-DTM driver Prince Leopold of Bavaria also showed a strong performance. The 79-year-old was rewarded for his efforts with a remarkable eighth place. Classified 13th, Klaus Niesen (GER) was the best-placed of the three drivers with a Volvo 850.

DTM Classic will be back in the Eifel in a fortnight already (26-28 August). During the DTM Nürburgring powered by Mercedes-AMG event, race cars from the Deutsche Rennsport-Meisterschaft (DRM) from the 1970s will be racing in the DTM Classic DRM Cup.