Julius Tannert celebrates home victory: the start of the German Rally Championship in Saxony

Julius Tannert celebrates home win
Start of the German Rally Championship in Saxony

4/3/2023 1:21 p.m

Last year he was nine tenths of a second off first place, this time Julius Tannert left nothing to chance. The 32-year-old won the 58th ADAC Rallye Erzgebirge with ease and celebrated an impressive victory at the start of the German Rally Championship at his home race.

“It’s unbelievable. As a little boy I watched the tests here and now I’m sitting in the car myself and winning my home rally. And that in front of so many enthusiastic spectators,” said Julius Tannert from Zwickau after his success.

On Saturday, together with co-driver Frank Christian, he started the final 108 kilometers in the Skoda Fabia RS Rallye2 as the leader. The duo dominated the competition from the first minute, winning six of the eight special stages and triumphing in the end with a lead of 26.7 seconds. “The last special stages were extremely difficult. As a leader, you don’t want to make any mistakes, but you also don’t want to drive too relaxed, because that’s how careless mistakes can creep in. That’s why we pressed on until the end and that was right. And now let’s have a beer “, Tannert clarified.

Zwickauer clearly dominates the 58th ADAC Rallye Erzgebirge

The beaten competition ungrudgingly recognized the performance of the local hero. “That was a very strong performance from Julius. That’s why we didn’t try by hook or by crook to beat him at home. Second place in these difficult tests and demanding conditions is very good. My time will come,” promised Brand colleague Marijan Griebel, who finished second with co-driver Tobias Braun. The current German champions Philip Geipel and Katrin Becker (Skoda Fabia Rally 2 Evo) secured third place on the podium.

The 36-year-old from Plauen: “We’ve already won the fight against the clock by fixing our defective vehicle at the start of the rally. That’s why third place feels like a win, especially since we lost 30 seconds after a slip The spectators were fantastic again. The emotions here in the Ore Mountains are indescribable and that motivates us even more.” The crews of Riedemann/Otterbach (Hyundai i20 N Rally 2) and Satorius/Ostlender (Ford Fiesta Rally2), who finished fourth and fifth with a deficit of more than one and two minutes respectively, had no chance.

A local hero, Sepp Wiegand, also wins the DRM2 classification

A local hero was also on top of the podium in the DRM2 ranking for two-wheel drive vehicles. Sepp Wiegand imitated his colleague Tannert and, with Christoph Gerlich in the Opel Corsa Rally4, also clearly prevailed against his competitors. “I come from Grünhain, where two special stages were held and I enjoyed every second. We wanted to get through quickly and cleanly on Friday and used the good rain tires today. This tactic paid off and it is unique to share this success with friends and fans share,” says Sepp Wiegand.

In second place, Martin Christ and co-driver Lina Meter were satisfied with their performance at the DRM opener in Saxony. “It was a controlled race for us without any particular incidents. Things went a little better on Friday, unfortunately the choice of tires wasn’t ideal today. But the “Erze” is simply a cool rally. I drove a Trabi here in 2001 and back then it was like that today the spectators were unique,” says the Geesthacht. Ralf Sulzinger and Lisa Kiefer (Ford Fiesta Rally4) in third place once again struggled with fate: Ralf Sulzinger: “On Friday I turned in too early and damaged the tire and the rear axle. Today there was another tire damage, it’s like a bewitchment . The good thing is that after the rally the car is in one piece and I haven’t even rubbed a wing mirror. We can build on that.”

Spectators experience top-class rallying for two days

As expected, the DRM Classic was dominated by the defending champions Andreas Dahms and Paul Schubert in the Porsche 911. “The spectators at this great rally were a straight top. We got through very well with used tires. Consistency is our key to success,” said the driver of the green 911s by Andreas Dahms. Behind them, Axel Schütt and Klaus Finke in the Ford Escort RS finished second. On the other hand, Dennis Rostek’s winning streak broke at the DRM Trophy, which was held in 2022 under the name Gentlemen Trophy. The man from Bückeburg had won all five races last year, but had to settle for second place in the “Erze”. At the top of the podium this time was the duo of Georg Berlandy and Tina Annemüller in the Skoda Fabia R5. “It’s a great feeling to have finally beaten Dennis. But that almost went wrong because I relied on my cell phone prediction for tire choice this morning and that was a mistake. We had to drive on slicks in the wet, eh didn’t go badly, but there was a spin at the end. Luckily we were able to work our way up the field again,” said a delighted Georg Berlandy. Oliver Bliss and Julius Simon took third place in the DRM Trophy in the same make.

An impressive 58th ADAC Rallye Erzgebirge came to an end with the finish at 7:15 p.m. on the Stollberg market. On Friday, the numerous fans experienced a nocturnal rally spectacle on two of the four special stages, which continued seamlessly on Saturday in daylight on winding and winding asphalt passages with unpredictable crests. The events could be followed up close at various spectator points and analyzed in detail at the big closing party in the evening.

The German Rally Championship will take place on 5/6. May continued with the ADAC Actronics Rallye Sulingen.

Highlights of the ADAC Rallye Erzgebirge on n-tv

The highlights of the German Rally Championship can be seen exclusively on free-to-air television on n-tv. Every weekend after the racing events, the news channel broadcasts the 30-minute DRM magazine “PS – DRM Deutsche Rallye-Meisterschaft” on Saturday afternoon and Sunday morning. Alternatively, the magazine can be accessed free of charge at any time in the n-tv media center or the RTL+ streaming platform.

“PS – DRM German Rally Championship” – The broadcast times