Already at the driver meeting in front of the 45. ADAC Zurich 24h race on Thursday afternoon presented race director Walter Hornung the first trophy: Volker Strycek, who won the 40 at the weekend, was honored. Will be at the start of the “Eifel Marathon”. When Hornung presented him with the trophy, there was long applause from all driver colleagues.
"40 starts is a moving number, but frankly I'm just as nervous as when I first started," said Strycek, who was a bit surprised that Hornung had found two years (1999 and 2004) in history which the former DTM champion and later Opel motorsport director even competed in in three different cars. This time the 13 stands. Double start, for the second time after 2016 as a family assignment with his daughter Lena and son Robin in an Opel Astra J OPC and of course again in the cult car of the race, the Opel Manta, which became the 17. Is at the start.
Both assignments are highly emotional for the 59-year-old Strycek, who took part in the 1976h race for the first time in a Renault R5 TS. “The feeling of driving here with your own children cannot be described at all,” says Strycek: “And when you go out on the track with the Manta, it is simply crazy what is going on there. I got goosebumps in the introductory round. I am very happy that I can be a guest on this car again and again. ”
His best memory of the 40 races is the overall victory 2003. “That was the greatest experience, I even put it above my DTM title,” says Strycek: “But every race here is actually something special. If you think about what we have already experienced here alone: a flooded carousel, a sloping slope at the airfield, snow and hail or extreme heat like our victory 2003. It is always a new challenge and a great feeling to reach the goal. "
Cover picture: Self-service media, Stefan Baldauf