Olympic champion ski jumper Hannawald is the second guest driver of the yearNorisring is the third of six stops on the environmentally-sound one-make cupThe field is in pursuit of series leader Jordan Lee Pepper
The next round of the Volkswagen Scirocco R-Cup takes place in the “Franconian Monaco”, with Olympic ski jumping champion and race driver Sven Hannawald as its guest star. On June 27 and 28, in the third of a season total of six race weekends, the Norisring will undoubtedly host one of the season highlights. The circuit demands the ultimate in driver skill as racers navigate their 285-hp touring cars through the tight street course. The championship situation also promises added excitement as series leader Jordan Lee Pepper (ZA) is again pursued by 22 challengers.
All you need to know about the third race weekend on the Norisring
After the appearance of Monegasque royal Pierre Casiraghi (30) at the season opener in Hockenheim, Sven Hannawald (39) becomes the second celebrity guest driver in this year’s Scirocco R-Cup. In his third start, the German driver is already a regular guest in the environmentally-sound one-make cup. In his previous appearances, both in Spielberg, Austria, the ski-jumping legend held his own: in 2011 he finished 18th, a year later 19th. For Hannawald, the Norisring represents a new challenge at the wheel of a Cup Scirocco.
Between 1998 and 2003, Sven Hannawald was one of the world’s dominant ski jumpers, and with Martin Schmitt (36) kicked off a veritable boom in ski jumping in Germany. He was a two-time world champion ski flyer and ski-jumping team champion, and in 2002 he brought home Olympic gold with the German team in Park City, USA. His most unforgettable triumph, though, was his historic grand slam success in the 2001/2002 Four Hills Tournament, where Hannawald was the only flyer in the event’s 60-plus-year history to win all four of the tournament’s jumping titles in a row. After the end of his ski jumping career, Hannawald shifted to motorsports, where, in 2010, he finished second on the Sachsenring in the ADAC GT Masters event. In 2013 he competed in the VLN endurance championship on the Nürburgring.
Series leader Jordan Lee Pepper (17) has won three of the first four races of the season. Since the introduction of the Cup in 2010, he is the third driver to have such an impressive season start. Similar performances have been achieved by Kelvin van der Linde (18) and Mateusz Lisowski (23). The Polish driver won the 2012 Volkswagen Scirocco R-Cup title, while South African driver van der Linde did likewise last year. All in all, these are good omens for Jordan Lee Pepper.
Ola Nilsson (26) is the Volkswagen Scirocco R-Cup’s “record winner” on the challenging Norisring, where by tradition the program offers only one race per weekend. Nilsson is the only driver to win here twice, in 2011 and 2012. In the year of his second triumph, he also captured the season title. The only German to win was Stefano Proetto (29) in 2010; in 2013, Kelvin van der Linde won the Norisring race.
Of this year’s 23 regular drivers, seven have prior experience in Cup Sciroccos on the “Franconian Monaco” course. Manuel Fahnauer (19) appeared on the podium last year with a third-place finish. Mikaela Ahlin-Kottulinsky (21) finished fourth, Jordan Lee Pepper was sixth. Veteran driver Michael Müller (52) drove his first Norisring race in 2011.
In Oschersleben, after Jordan Lee Pepper’s three wins in the first three races of the season, rookie driver Jason Kremer (19) ended the South African’s string of victories. Of all the new drivers, he is the only one to finish on the podium – so far. With 97 points, the German driver is also the closest challenger to points leader Pepper (117). Kremer is followed by Victor Bouveng (93), Nicolaj Møller Madsen (82), Manuel Fahnauer (74) and Yann Ehrlacher (73) – four experienced hands, waiting for an opening.
Races have been held on the Norisring since 1947. Initially, these were primarily motorcycle events. From the early 1960s, an increasing number of auto races found their way onto the calendar. Due to its special character – a street circuit with guardrails closely bordering the track, tight hairpins, and the Dutzendteich pond – the Norisring enjoys a hint of Mediterranean flair, hence its nickname of the “Franconian Monaco”. +++
On the Norisring, the top speeds in the Scirocco R-Cup are achieved at the end of the start-finish straight. Drivers shift to sixth gear, reaching speeds of up to 192 km/h
During the Norisring race weekend, Volkswagen Motorsport will divide its attention. Parallel to the race on the city street circuit, the seventh round of the World Rally Championship calendar takes place on that same weekend. Defending champion Sébastien Ogier (30) and his colleagues are looking for Volkswagen’s eleventh win in the series. Of course, in the breaks between rally stages, the crew in Poland will be eagerly watching the Norisring live stream.
Nineteen male and four female drivers from eight different nations are regular starters in this year’s Volkswagen Scirocco R-Cup. In all, five drivers from last year’s top ten finishers are contesting the title. Alongside last year’s third-overall finisher Pepper, these include the current junior points leader, Danish driver Nicolaj Møller Madsen (21), German hopeful Manuel Fahnauer, as well as Swedish drivers Mikaela Ahlin-Kottulinsky (21) and Victor Bouveng (18). Along with many talented newcomers, this season also sees an experienced hand on the starting grid: Michael Müller is 52 years old and owner of several Volkswagen dealerships.
In this year’s Scirocco R-Cup, Women’s Power is a major theme. With Mikaela Ahlin-Kottulinsky, who drove to a fifth-place finish in the season opener at Hockenheim, Swiss driver Jasmin Preisig (21), Lucile Cypriano (17) of France, and German driver Doreen Seidel (28), four rapid ladies go up against their male competitors. Lucile Cypriano won her ticket to ride in the FIA Women in Motorsport Commission talent contest, and proved her qualifications with a top-ten finish in the season opening weekend. Last year, the attractive Doreen Seidel proved more than her motorsports talent – she was also German Playmate of the Year for 2008.
As in the past season, the drivers are able to call on the push-to-pass system, which briefly boosts the Scirocco’s engine output by 50 hp to 210 kW (285 hp). In open practice, the number of “push-to-pass” activations is limited to six. There is no push-to-pass in timed practice. For the race, the following rules apply: Grid rows 1–3 are allowed 15 push-to-pass activations. Rows 4–6 have 15 + 1 activations; rows 7–9 can call on the system 15 + 2 times; rows 10–12, 15 + 3 times; rows 13–16, 15 + 4 times; and rows 17–19 get 15 + 5 invocations of push-to-pass.
Quotes ahead of the third race weekend, Norisring
Jost Capito, Volkswagen Motorsport Director: “At this event-filled weekend, the Volkswagen Motorsports team is doing double duty – at the Norisring and in Poland for the World Rally Championship. Naturally, during breaks in Poland, we will be watching the live stream of the Scirocco R-Cup. The Norisring is without doubt one of the highlights of our racing calendar, and I anticipate an exciting race on the tight street circuit. The field will be enriched by Olympic ski jumping champion Sven Hannawald, a prominent and Cup-experienced guest pilot.”
Sven Hannawald, guest driver, Scirocco R-Cup: “First off, I’m happy to have a foot that’s been free of screws for three weeks now. Like Marco Reus, I had a torn ankle ligament, but in my case it was completely torn through. Now, with an eye to my start in the Scirocco R-Cup, I’ve done a lot of training in the car so that I can regain my feel for speed. I’m looking forward to my third start, especially since this time it’s the Norisring, after two events at the Red Bull Ring. After all, I’ve had some experience on this street circuit. In particular, you have to focus on the two hairpins. I’ve got my ambitions, but above all I’d like to regain my feel for racing. And of course have a good time amid all the spectators.”
Jason Kremer, second place in the overall standings in the Scirocco R-Cup: “After my win in Oschersleben, I’m naturally going into the Norisring race with a very positive attitude. Last year I was still driving Formula cars, now I’m sitting in a touring car for the first time, and after a learning period, I’m now able to match Jordan Lee Pepper’s pace. I hope to have a close duel with him at the Norisring, just as in the overall championship. In any case I’m going there with a tremendous will to win. It’s my first race on a street circuit; last year I was trackside as a spectator. In the Scirocco R-Cup, it’s important not just to drive at full throttle, but also with tactical smarts.”
Victor Bouveng, third place in the overall standings in the Scirocco R-Cup: “With three podium placings in the first four races, I’ve been coming out of the starting blocks quite well. In Oschersleben, I even led the race, and that only made me hungrier. I want to win at the Norisring. It’s the coolest event of the year, and perhaps the most difficult. Because of all the walls, any mistake is immediately punished with retirement, so I’ve made a special effort to prepare myself with the help of my mental trainer.”
Mikaela Ahlin-Kottulinsky, starter in the Scirocco R-Cup: “Logically, I’m not happy with my season start. In one of the races at the last race weekend in Oschersleben, I was hit by another car, in the other race I collected a drive-through penalty. The only thing you can do is put it behind you and keep fighting! Until now, I’ve just been putting too much pressure on myself. Now I want to become one with the car again, and have some fun. I want to show that I have the speed; the good results will come by themselves. Last year, at the Norisring, I finished fourth, as close to the podium as it gets. This street race appeals to me.”
Josh Caygill, starter in the Scirocco R-Cup: “I’m really happy with the way I came into the Cup. My background is in motorcycle racing, and this is only my second year in a race car. Naturally, I’d like to learn more at every race, become more confident, and move up in the standings. That’s why, at the Norisring, I would definitely like to finish in the top ten. The race is definitely the highlight of the year, and I’m already looking forward to my first start on a genuine street course. It’s very tight, you always have to make the right decision, or else you’ll wind up against the wall. It will be exciting!”
Lukas Jäger, starter in the Scirocco R-Cup: “Until now, as a rookie, this season has brought me mixed results. On the Norisring, I want to bring my speed up. I’m looking forward to this race; after all, it’s the only street race on the racing calendar. There will be plenty of spectators, it is without doubt one of the absolute high points of the season. This is my first drive on a street course, so I have considerable respect for this new challenge. Still, it’s my goal to finish in the top ten.”
Schedule for the third race weekend on the NorisringFriday, 27 June 201415:40–16:25 Volkswagen Scirocco R-Cup, free practice (45 minutes)Saturday, 28 June 201409:45–10:15 Volkswagen Scirocco R-Cup, qualifying (30 minutes)16:55–17:25 Volkswagen Scirocco R-Cup, race one (22 laps)
