Lausitz Racing

In May, the very same friend with whom I travelled to Poland suggested we watch some racing. So off we went to the Lausitz EuroSpeedway where we were to see some DTM racing. DTM (Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters or German Touring Car Masters) is a racing series which is based in Germany but with four of the eleven rounds in other European countries. The forth of these rounds took place at the Lausitz EuroSpeedway which is about half way between Berlin and Dresden (see the first image below).

 

 

The day was extremely hot without a cloud in the sky and upon entering the venue, we found that our seats were in a fairly good location although there was no shade whatsoever. As neither of us had any sun cream and there was a while to wait before the race began, we decided to wander around the stalls behind the racetrack. Many of the stalls were advertising various car companies and some had the odd car or two to show off. However, Mercedes-Benz went one step further and even got Mika Häkkinen to say a few words. At another stand, we saw a flock of people around a small booth. After taking a closer look, I realised that the flock surrounded an apparently famous German woman who was signing autographs. I have no idea who she was but I took a photo which you can find in the ‘Lausitz Racing’ Photos section – perhaps someone might recognise her?!

 

After getting a bite to eat we returned to our seats to find that several girls holding flags had taken over the racetrack. They walked up and down for a bit and were joined by a bear (see photos section) before the drivers introduced themselves by being driven around a lap of the track in open-top cars (Take a look at the second image below to see the layout of the racetrack). A short time later, the drivers had found themselves some new vehicles and were ready to begin the race! As soon as they were off, I attempted to take some photos of the cars but with very little success at first as the only photos I had were of the empty track behind the cars. Luckily, as the cars kept going around in circles, I was granted several opportunities and after some practice, I managed to capture some on camera. What I couldn’t capture on the still photos was the level of volume these cars produced. As each car shot past, it was followed by a sound somewhat similar to that of a jet engine.

 

 

Due to the speed of the cars, it was a little difficult to determine who was in front at any particular time. However, judging by the look of the crowd, it was clear when the last lap was approaching and we were able to see the blur of the winner crossing the finish line. It was then almost immediately announced that none other than Mika Häkkinen himself had won for Finland and that Paul Di Resta had taken second place for Great Britain. The top three drivers then made their way to a podium where the cup was presented and the obligatory champagne squirting took place.

 

At the end of the day we went home having been sunburnt pretty badly but also having enjoyed the day at the Lausitz EuroSpeedway!