Nico Rosberg to attend DTM curtain-raiser at Hockenheimring

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Celebrity guest to attend the DTM season opener at the Hockenheimring in Baden-Württemberg: MERCEDES AMG PETRONAS Formula 1 driver Nico Rosberg will be making a guest appearance in Hockenheim on Saturday 4th and Sunday 5th May. The Grand Prix winner knows the DTM well from his time in the Formula 3 Euro Series which forms part of the support programme for the DTM. The last time he attended a DTM event was the corresponding fixture in 2012 when the season also opened at Hockenheim. This was shortly after he had claimed his maiden Formula 1 victory in the Chinese Grand Prix. He delighted fans at Hockenheim with demo laps in an historic Silver Arrow that had been driven by Juan Manuel Fangio in 1955.

Rosberg has a new role this season as mentor to the Mercedes-Benz DTM Junior Team, offering the young drivers guidance and support. Mercedes-Benz has taken a deliberate policy decision to invest in promising young talent for the upcoming DTM season. Of the three premium marques contesting the DTM, the constructor with the three-pointed star has the youngest team with an average age of 23 years. When he makes his debut in Hockenheim at the age of 18 years and 188 days, DTM rookie Pascal Wehrlein will be the youngest driver ever in the 28-year history of the competition.

There will be a press conference at 10am on Sunday 5th May in the Baden-Württemberg Center at which Nico Rosberg – alongside Mercedes-Benz Juniors Daniel Juncadella, Roberto Merhi, Christian Vietoris, Pascal Wehrlein and Robert Wickens – will be taking questions from the floor.

Rosberg will also be performing some driving duties, this time as chauffeur in the Mercedes-Benz DTM ‘race taxi’. Mercedes-Benz is offering one lucky winner a very special experience: a lap of the Hockenheimring as a passenger in a DTM AMG Mercedes C-Coupé driven by Nico Rosberg. To enter the competition, visit the official Mercedes-Benz DTM website at www.mercedes-benz.com/dtm . With a bit of luck, you could be seeing the DTM from a completely new and unusual perspective – from the cockpit of a Mercedes-Benz racing car.

Nico Rosberg: “I always take an interest in the DTM, because I’ve had some great times there with my father. I’m looking forward to watching those talented youngsters Daniel Juncadella, Roberto Merhi, Christian Vietoris, Pascal Wehrlein and Robert Wickens go about their business. The Mercedes-Benz Junior Team offers a marvellous opportunity to talented drivers, and I’m glad to be a part of it. I very much hope that one of the Mercedes drivers, whether a newcomer or a more experienced member of the squad, is able to bring the title back to Stuttgart after missing out so narrowly last year. And as a racer myself, I’m especially looking forward to driving the race taxi around the circuit. I’ve had the opportunity to drive a DTM car several times in the past, and it’s going to be great fun, not only for the fan who wins the ride but also for me, to share that very special feeling.”

Credits: Daimler AG

Copyright © 2013, mercedesgla. All rights reserved.

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Michael Schumacher to attend DTM season opener at Hockenheim

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The DTM enters a new era on 29 April, with spectacular new cars and a third premium manufacturer competing for the title. They are all good reasons why Michael Schumacher will attend the opening race of the world’s most popular touring car series. Michael will be at Hockenheim for the opening race weekend of the DTM’s new era as a guest of Mercedes-Benz.

The MERCEDES AMG PETRONAS driver competed in four DTM races as a member of the Mercedes-Benz junior team in the 1990 and 1991 seasons.

Then as now, the championship was fiercely contested by the three prestigious German marques Audi, BMW and Mercedes-Benz.

Among the eight drivers racing for Mercedes-Benz this season is his younger brother Ralf Schumacher (Germany, 36, DTM Mercedes AMG C‑Coupé) who claimed his first DTM podium finish in last year’s season opener at the Hockenheimring.

The seven-time World Champion will also see the three members of the new Mercedes-Benz Junior Team, Roberto Merhi (Spain, 20, Junge Sterne Mercedes AMG C-Coupé, Persson Motorsport), Christian Vietoris (Germany, 23, Mercedes-Benz Bank AMG C-Coupé, HWA) and Robert Wickens (Canada, 22, stern Mercedes AMG C-Coupé, Mücke Motorsport), after meeting them for the first time during pre-season Formula 1 testing in Barcelona.

Michael Schumacher: “It doesn’t seem all that long ago since we launched the new DTM Mercedes AMG C-Coupé at the Frankfurt Motor Show last September. I’m really interested to see whether the car looks as good on track as it did during the launch. And of course, I’ll be supporting my brother Ralf. He got his first DTM podium finish a year ago in Hockenheim and, who knows, maybe we’ll have a reason to celebrate this time round as well. I'm also looking forward to the first race for the newly formed Mercedes-Benz Junior Team, and its drivers Christian Vietoris, Robert Wickens and Roberto Merhi. Just like I did at the start of my career, these young drivers have the benefit of being supported by Mercedes-Benz as they make the step to top-flight motor racing. It’s a long time since I last went to the DTM, so I’m looking forward to an exciting race at Hockenheim and to enjoying the fantastic atmosphere.”

Tickets for all 2012 DTM races are available at the Mercedes-Benz Online Ticket Shop at www.mercedes-benz.com/dtm or via the Ticket Hotline on 0180 5 97 22 67.

Credits: Daimler AG

Copyright © 2012, mercedesgla. All rights reserved.

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