English weekends in DTM. Some four weeks prior to the race meeting at Brands Hatch, DTM made its debut appearance as series at the legendary Goodwood Festival of Speed. At the 25th anniversary of the motor-sport spectacle on the premises of Goodwood House, Frank Biela (Audi RS5 DTM) and Ricky Collard (BMW M4 DTM) wowed the crowds on all the three days.
“Goodwood is just legendary,” said Frank Biela, the 1991 DTM Champion, “It’s great that I once again had the chance of being a part of it. The British fans are true petrol heads and got crazy about the spectacular DTM cars.” For Biela, the weekend was a kind of a class reunion as he met several old DTM companions, such as Klaus Ludwig, Bernd Schneider, Tom Kristensen, Emanuelle Pirro, Steve Soper and Prince Leopold of Bavaria. Since his first Le Mans win in 2000, Biela regularly made the trip to Goodwood. For 21-year old Englishman Collard, however, it was the first Goodwood appearance. “A mega weekend,” beamed the BMW Motorsport Junior and DTM reserve driver. “Just great that I could participate in the event with such a fantastic car.”
While the atmosphere in brilliant sunshine was extremely relaxed, the 1.86-kilometre hill-climb track demanded maximum concentration from the drivers. “We are doing just demo runs,” admits Biela, “But as soon as you are wearing your helmet you want to really go for it. And doing so can be somewhat risky as we have got just bales of straw and no run-off areas. The line between hero and zero is extremely narrow, here.” Collard also appreciates the unique character of Goodwood’s hill-climb track although it was his first appearance in the event. “Just unique and old-school – a mix I really like.”
For the British motor-racing enthusiasts, the DTM appearance in Goodwood represented the perfect opportunity to get in the right mood for the DTM weekend at Brands Hatch (11th and 12th August). “I think that we provided the crowds along the track a great show,” said Collard. Biela added: “I’m convinced that many of them don’t want to miss the chance of witnessing the DTM cars racing at Brands Hatch’s GP circuit.”
