Nürburgring: World Rally Champions versus DTM legends 14.08.2013: – preview, facts and figures on the Scirocco R-Cup

– preview, facts and figures on the Scirocco R-Cup



World Rally Champions against circuit specialists – Finnish drift legends Markku Alén and Juha Kankkunen will go head to head against former DTM aces Christian Danner (D) and Emanuele Pirro (I) in the Volkswagen Scirocco R-Cup in a face-off that pits five WRC titles against six DTM race wins.


The two races from 16 to 18 August also promise to provide more thrilling action as the duel for the title in the only natural gas-powered one-make cup in the world heats up: among those with their sights set on catching teenager Kelvin van der Linde (ZA) is the flying lady Michelle Gatting (DK).



The lowdown on all you need to know about the fourth race weekend of the season at the Nürburgring


+++ Finland’s Markku Alén (62) is seen by many as one of the best rally drivers of all time, although he never won an official World Championship. He was, however, crowned unofficial champion just one year before the Drivers’ Championship was introduced in 1978.


Alén won 19 races in the World Rally Championship and for a long time held the record with 801 stage wins. After his rally career, the Finn tried his hand in the DTM, took part in rallycross races in his homeland of Finland, and entered the truck class at the Rally Dakar.


Last year, the man from Helsinki also impressed on his appearance as one of the legends in the Volkswagen Scirocco R-Cup at the Nürburgring. +++



+++ Like Alén, fellow rally driver Juha Kankkunen (54) is a genuine rally legend. He won the WRC title four times between 1986 and 1993 before calling an end to his career in the World Rally Championship in 2002.


In 1988, Kankkunen won the inaugural Race of Champions – a success he repeated in 1991. In 2010 he made his comeback in the World Rally Championship in his native Finland. At the age of 51, the enthusiastic car collector finished a remarkable eighth. +++


+++ Christian Danner (55) is making his second appearance this year as a legend in the Volkswagen Scirocco R-Cup, having previously lined up at the race in Spielberg. The man from Munich is a true DTM legend. Between 1988 and 1996 he contested 139 races, picking up five wins and three pole positions. Danner switched to Formula One between 1985 and 1989, scoring four World Championship points from 36 starts, despite racing with inferior material. Since bringing down the curtain on his motorsport career, Danner has become a respected co-commentator and expert on TV station RTL, which broadcasts Formula One in Germany. +++


+++ Danner is joined in the DTM Legends team by Emanuele Pirro (51), a thoroughbred motorsport all-rounder. Pirro spent one year in the DTM in 1992 and returned to the series in an Audi A4 in 2004. The Italian won one race and set three fastest race laps, scoring a total of 132 points. His career saw him line up in various single-seater racing series before making it to the pinnacle of motor racing: in 37 Formula One races, Pirro picked up three World Championship points. However, the Italian’s greatest triumphs came at the Le Mans 24 Hours, where he claimed five victories for Audi between 2000 and 2007 alongside Frank Biela (D), Tom Kristensen (DK) and Marco Werner (D). Pirro also won the Legends class at the finale of last year’s Volkswagen Scirocco R-Cup in Hockenheim. +++


+++ Volkswagen works driver Sébastien Ogier (29) will complete three demonstration laps in the Polo R WRC at the Nürburgring – a taster ahead of the “Rallye Deutschland”, which takes place from 22 to 25 August in the region around Trier. Volkswagen’s home event in the FIA World Rally Championship (WRC) could prove to be a very special weekend for Ogier: the Frenchman and his co-driver Julien Ingrassia (F) lead both the Driver and Co-Driver competitions in the WRC. Victory in Germany could theoretically see the pair crowned World Champions. +++


+++ World Champion windsurfer Philip Köster (19) is looking forward to checking out the race action in the environmentally-sound one-make cup. The first German ever to win the Wave competition and Volkswagen Brand Ambassador will be a special guest at the Nürburgring. Köster was nominated for a prize at the Laureus World Sports Awards, along with Formula One champion Sebastian Vettel (D), Usain Bolt (JA) and extreme skydiver Felix Baumgartner (A). +++


+++ Three races into the season, the “Motorsport Allstars” currently lead the “DTM Legends” 116 : 70 in the Legend Cup. This year, the Legend Cup is being staged as a team duel for the first time. Each weekend, two teams of two will go head to head. Points will be awarded as in the DTM (25-18-15-12), with each driver’s scores being added together to give a team total. +++


+++ The battle for overall victory in the Scirocco R-Cup is developing into a dramatic battle of the sexes. With three victories to his name, 17-year-old Kelvin van der Linde (ZA) leads the series with 140 points, ahead of Michelle Gatting (120). The flying Dane has finished runner-up in four races this season. +++


+++ The first race at the Nürburgring was held back in 1927. The circuit was originally about 28 kilometres in length. The Nürburgring was built as a hill-climb, racing and test circuit within two years by over 2,500 construction workers and at a cost of approximately 8.1 million reichsmarks (27 million euros). Rudolf Caracciola was the first driver to win an automobile race at the iconic circuit. +++


+++ With safety concerns mounting, the start-finish straight and the Südschleife were the subject of a make-over in 1984, resulting in what was at the time the “most modern and safest Grand Prix circuit in the world”. Originally 4.542 kilometres long, the circuit was extended to 5.1 kilometres in 2002. The Scirocco R-Cup will take place on a 3.629-kilometre variant of the Grand Prix circuit – the so-called Sprint Circuit. +++


+++ The Scirocco R-Cup hits top speed at the Nürburgring at the end of the start-finish straight. Here, drivers shift up to sixth gear to achieve speeds of up to 194 km/h. +++


+++ The points in the Pro and Junior Cup are generally awarded according to the following format: 60-48-40-34-32-30-28-26-24-22-20-18-16-14-12-10-8-6-4-2. Half points were up for grabs at each of the first three races of the season. From the Norisring on, full points will be awarded. +++


+++ Like last season, the drivers are able to use the Push-to-pass system, which allows them to briefly increase the performance of the Scirocco by 50 hp to 285 hp (210 kW). New: unlike in 2012, the use of Push-to-pass is forbidden in qualifying. The use of the Push-to-pass system is limited during the race: drivers starting from the front three rows of the grid can use the extra-power button 15 times. Rows four to six have 16 uses. The remaining three rows of the grid receive one extra push. +++




Volkswagen Scirocco R-Cup
Schedule, round 04, Nürburgring



Friday, 16 August 2013

16:30–17:15 hrs    Free Practice (45 minutes)



Saturday, 17 August 2013

08:25–08:55 hrs    Qualifying (30 minutes)
12:55–13:25 hrs    Race 01 (14 laps)



Sunday, 18. August 2013

15:20–15:50 hrs    Race 02 (14 laps)


The race on TV


Sport1 will broadcast highlights of the race on Saturday from 18:00 to 18:30.


The race in live stream

Fans can also follow the races via live stream on www.volkswagen-motorsport.com; English and German commentary is possible.



Stefan Moser, Andre Dietzel, photos Volkswagen