Spielberg VW Scirocco preview, facts and figures for the second weekend of racing 29.05.2013: Spielberg: special guest appearance by “Strietzel” Stuck – Following a successful start at the Hockenheimring, the Volkswagen Scirocco

Spielberg: special guest appearance by “Strietzel” Stuck –




Following a successful start at the Hockenheimring, the Volkswagen Scirocco R-Cup is about to make its only stop abroad this year. The field of 285-horsepower Sciroccos will complete their second and third races of the season at the Red Bull Ring in Spielberg (Austria) on 01 and 02 June.


The line-up features 19 up-and-coming racing drivers from nine different countries plus four celebrities in the Legend Cup. They include Hans-Joachim “Strietzel” Stuck and his son Johannes for the “Motorsport Allstars” and Klaus Niedzwiedz and Christian Danner for the “DTM Legends”.




The lowdown: everything you need to know about the second round of the season in Spielberg


+++ Hans-Joachim “Strietzel” Stuck (62) is one of the most famous German racing drivers ever. He is also currently President of the German Motorsport Federation (DMSB). He competed in 74 Formula 1 races between 1974 and 1979, making it on to the podium twice. Stuck won the legendary 24 Hours of Le Mans twice in 1986 and 1987 and celebrated three overall wins in the 24 Hours Nürburgring between 1970 and 2004. He also won the German Touring Car Masters (DTM) in 1990. He has been a motorsport ambassador for Volkswagen since 2008. Stuck officially retired from motorsport in 2011 after completing the 24 Hours Nürburgring one last time as part of a team with his sons Johannes and Ferdinand. Now he is making a bit of a comeback in the Scirocco R-Cup. +++


+++ “Strietzel” Stuck will be racing as part of a team with his son Johannes Stuck (26). The Austrian has been following in his father’s footsteps as a racing driver since 2003. Stuck Junior won his class at the 24 Hours Nürburgring in 2006 and 2007 and became German GT Champion in 2011 along with his brother Ferdinand. +++


+++ Klaus Niedzwiedz (62) is a familiar face at the Volkswagen Scirocco R-Cup. The veteran racing driver has always delivered thrilling duels on the circuit in the past and has been known to finish in the top ten. During his active career, he came second in the DTM in 1989, having achieved the same position in the World Touring Car Championship two years earlier. In 1982 and 1987, he won the 24 Hours Nürburgring with Klaus Ludwig, where he holds the permanent training record for Group 5 cars on the old Nordschleife. When he retired from motorsport, Niedzwiedz started a career as a television presenter, fronting shows including a car magazine on n-tv. +++


+++ Last but not least, Christian Danner (55) is also competing in the Legend Cup. Danner is a towering figure the world of DTM. He took part in 139 DTM races between 1988 and 1996, winning five times and taking pole position three times. Danner competed in Formula 1 between 1985 and 1989 and scored four World Championship points in 36 races despite his car being outclassed. Danner is an old hand when it comes to the Volkswagen Scirocco R-Cup too, finishing last year’s final race in Hockenheim in 15th place. Since he hung up his racing gloves, Danner has become popular with millions of television viewers, contributing to RTL’s F1 coverage as a co-presenter and expert. +++


+++ Following the first race of the season, the “DTM Legends” are leading in the Legend Cup with 37 : 33 points against the “Motorsport Allstars”. At the opening event in Hockenheim, Nicola Larini from the “DTM Legends” came first in both the veterans’ classification and overall. This year, the Legend Cup will take the form of a team duel for the first time. Each weekend, there will be a two-pair duel. Points will be awarded as in the DTM (25-18-15-12) and added up for each team. +++


+++ Kasper H. Jensen starts the second weekend of racing in the Scirocco R-Cup at the top of the overall leader board. Although the Dane only came second in Hockenheim behind Nicola Larini, the former F1 driver did not receive any rankings points as he is competing in the Legend Cup. Jensen took third place in the overall standings last year and is now the favourite to win the title. His biggest rival is a compatriot of his: Michelle Gatting became the first female driver in the history of the Scirocco R-Cup to bag a podium finish in the opening race of the season after putting in a brilliant performance. The German Lukas Schreier is leading in the junior classification. +++


+++ Michelle Gatting is one of two women in the field of 22 drivers. Following the first round, Mikaela Åhlin-Kottulinsky from Sweden is in a strong ninth position overall. Her grandfather Freddy Kottulinsky (S) gave Volkswagen its first win at the Dakar Rally in 1980 behind the wheel of a Volkswagen Iltis. +++


+++ The 19-strong field of junior drivers includes two Austrians. Marcel Müller will only be competing in Spielberg as a guest driver. The 18-year-old has already proved immensely successful in karting and says Sebastian Vettel is his role model. Austria’s other young hopeful is Luca Rettenbacher (18), who will be competing in all of this season’s Scirocco R-Cup races. The trainee car mechanic is using up all of his 25 days of annual leave to pursue his dream of racing. +++


+++ The Red Bull Ring in Spielberg has a total length of 4.326 km. The track was previously Zeltweg airfield and was then known as the Österreichring and A1-Ring, hosting Formula 1 races between 1963 and 2003. It was initially demolished in 2005 before being bought by Red Bull in 2010 and reopened by the name of the Red Bull Ring in 2011. +++


+++ The Volkswagen Scirocco R-Cup will be visiting Styria in Austria for the third time this year. Last year, Ola Nilsson won both races there before ultimately being crowned champion. The track is nestled in a picturesque Alpine panorama, with cows grazing in the surrounding fields – far from a common sight in motorsport. +++


+++ For the first time, Gazprom is the exclusive fuel supplier for this year’s Volkswagen Scirocco R-Cup. The world’s largest supplier of natural gas is providing the natural gas for the environmentally sound sports coupés. This means that the cars produce around 25 per cent less CO2 than conventional petrol or diesel-powered vehicles. +++


+++ As a rule, points are awarded in the Pro and Junior Cup using the following scale: 60-48-40-34-32-30-28-26-24-22-20-18-16-14-12-10-8-6-4-2. However, competitors only notch up half the standard number of points for the first three races of the season, which includes the double-header in Spielberg. +++


+++ Just like last season, drivers can use the Push-to-pass system, which temporarily boosts the Scirocco’s performance by 50 hp to 210 kW (285 hp). However, the rules have changed since 2012 in that Push-to-pass is not allowed during qualifying. The use of Push-to-pass during races is restricted: drivers who start the race in rows one to three can use the power booster 15 times. Competitors who start in the fourth to sixth rows are permitted 16 uses. Drivers in the following three starting rows are allowed to push the button an extra time. +++



Quotes prior to the second weekend of racing in Spielberg


Jost Capito, Volkswagen Motorsport Director: “Following a win by one of the Legend Cup competitors – Nicola Larini – at the opening race in Hockenheim, I’m sure the young drivers will be keen to take on the victor this time, even though we’ve got outstanding veteran drivers on the grid in the form of Strietzel Stuck, Christian Danner and Klaus Niedzwiedz.


 It’s great for the Scirocco R-Cup that Strietzel Stuck agreed to get behind the wheel of the Scirocco again as a guest despite being officially retired – a real honour! It’s a very important weekend for our junior and pro drivers: two races mean double the points, giving them a good opportunity to make up ground or get ahead of the pack.”


Hans-Joachim “Strietzel” Stuck: “I announced my official retirement from motorsport in 2011 after the 24 Hours Nürburgring, but I decided to make an exception to appear as a guest driver in the Legend classification of the Scirocco R-Cup. It’s mainly a show for us veterans, although we’ve still got a competitive streak, of course. As well as competing alongside Christian and Klaus, I’m delighted to be driving with my son Johannes in the ‘Allstars’ team. It goes without saying that we want to win the team classification in Spielberg!”


Klaus Niedzwiedz: “I always love competing as a guest in the Volkswagen Scirocco R-Cup. Volkswagen do a brilliant job – they offer us motorsport retirees the chance to compete against one another in our own category and make sure the weekend’s racing goes smoothly by organising everything perfectly. It’s great fun. And you get a good racing buzz too – the 285-horsepower Cup Scirocco whizzes around the corners at a surprising pace, despite its front-wheel drive.”


Christian Danner: “This is my third time competing in the Scirocco R-Cup and I’m really looking forward to the weekend. It’ll be my first time in Spielberg – I’ve never driven on the new circuit. I’ve got very fond memories of Austria though because I won my first World Championship points in Formula 1 there. On top of all that, it’s great to see old colleagues like Strietzel Stuck and Klaus Niedzwiedz again and to fight it out with them once more on the racetrack!”




Kasper H. Jensen, overall leader in the Scirocco R-Cup: “The track in Spielberg is fantastic – including the panoramic mountain scenery. I’d like to rack up as many points as possible in the two races this weekend. After all, my goal is definitely to win the overall classification. I want this title so badly – I don’t have any choice other than to win it.”


Michelle Gatting, second overall in the Scirocco R-Cup: “The first podium was a good start to the season, of course, but I’ve prepared thoroughly for the races in the Volkswagen Scirocco R-Cup too. Spielberg is a really, really big circuit with a very long straight. I don’t want to put myself under too much pressure, so I’m aiming to finish in the top five at least. Having said that, I always want to win, of course.”


Marcel Müller, guest driver in the Scirocco R-Cup from Austria: “Last year, I watched the DTM at the Red Bull Ring from the stands and thought how cool it would be to drive in it. And now I’m taking part. Next year, I’d like to do the whole season. I don’t have very high expectations for the race because it’s my first event in a touring car. I just want to get a taste of what it’s like.”




Volkswagen Scirocco R-Cup Schedule, 2nd meeting, Spielberg


Friday, 31 May 2013

16:55–17:40 hrs    Free practice (45 minutes)



Saturday, 01 June 2013

12:00–12:30 hrs    Qualifying (30 minutes)
15:10–15:40 hrs    1st race (12 laps = 51.912 km)



Sunday, 02 June 2013

15:25–15:55 hrs     2nd race (12 laps = 51.912 km)



   
Race coverage on TV

Highlights from the first race of the weekend will be shown on Saturday between 20:00 and 20:30 on Sport1.



Live streaming of the races

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


- Stefan Moser, photos Volkswagen