Scirocco Cup: Nordschleife legends join grid

Five drivers who have made history at the Nurburgring Nordschleife will join the VW Scirocco R-Cup grid this weekend.

Germans Sabine Schmitz, Uwe Alzen, Altfrid Heger and Olaf Manthey and Austrian Hans-Joachim Stuck have clinched a total of 11 victories between them in the 24-hour race at the ‘Green Hell’ and will now take on the shorter circuit at the Scirocco R-Cup’s first ever double-header event.

"The Nordschleife legends perfectly fit together with the Scirocco R-Cup’s visit to the Eifel circuit,” says Volkswagen Motorsport Director Kris Nissen. "The five drivers have gone down in the history of the Nürburgring. Since the Scirocco Cup will contest two rounds there on the weekend for the first time this season the fans will have the chance to watch them in action on Saturday as well as on Sunday.”

Schmitz is the only woman to ever win the Nurburgring 24 Hours, a feat she achieved in 1996 and 1997, and becomes the first female to compete in the Scirocco R-Cup’s ‘Legends’ classification.

Alzen and Manthey have both enjoyed success at the 24 Hours in recent times, Alzen as recently as last year and Manthey as a team boss from 2006 to 2009. He also has 28 victories under his belt in the VLN endurance championship which takes place exclusively at the Nordschleiffe.

GT1 racer Heger took part in his first ever race at the Nordschleiffe in a VW Golf GTI in 1980 and won the 24-hour race ten years later, while in 2008 and 2009 he drove a Scirocco in the event.

Stuck won the first-ever Nurburgring 24 Hours in 1970 and was the first ever winner in a diesel car in 1998 before winning the race again in 2004. This weekend he will also be racing against his son, Johannes.

Watch VW Scirocco R-Cup highlights from the Nurburgring on Saturday 14 August at 8:45pm (BST) on Motors TV.


Andy Wilkinson

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