The ADAC

ADAC

The ADAC is Germany's and Europe's largest automobile club, with more than 17 million members in June 2010. It was founded on May 24, 1903 as "Deutsche Motorradfahrer-Vereinigung" and was renamed in 1911...

 Rallye Deutschland is a rally

Rallying

Rallying, also known as rally racing, is a form of auto racing that takes place on public or private roads with modified production or specially built road-legal cars...

 event held in Germany. The event was first held in 1982 and originally hosted by e.g. Frankfurt

Frankfurt

Frankfurt am Main , commonly known simply as Frankfurt, is the largest city in the German state of Hesse and the fifth-largest city in Germany, with a 2010 population of 688,249. The urban area had an estimated population of 2,300,000 in 2010...

, Mainz

Mainz

Mainz under the Holy Roman Empire, and previously was a Roman fort city which commanded the west bank of the Rhine and formed part of the northernmost frontier of the Roman Empire...

 and Koblenz

Koblenz

Koblenz is a German city situated on both banks of the Rhine at its confluence with the Moselle, where the Deutsches Eck and its monument are situated.As Koblenz was one of the military posts established by Drusus about 8 BC, the...

. In 2000, the rally was relocated to the region around Trier

Trier

Trier, historically called in English Treves is a city in Germany on the banks of the Moselle. It is the oldest city in Germany, founded in or before 16 BC....

. Previously part of the European and German championships, the event has been in the World Rally Championship

World Rally Championship

The World Rally Championship is a rallying series organised by the FIA, culminating with a champion driver and manufacturer. The driver's world championship and manufacturer's world championship are separate championships, but based on the same point system. The series currently consists of 13...

 calendar since the 2002 season.

History

Previously part of the European Rally Championship

European Rally Championship

The European Rally Championship is the European continental championship series in rallying. It is organised by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile .-History:...

 and the German Rally Championship, the rally was included in the World Rally Championship

World Rally Championship

The World Rally Championship is a rallying series organised by the FIA, culminating with a champion driver and manufacturer. The driver's world championship and manufacturer's world championship are separate championships, but based on the same point system. The series currently consists of 13...

 calendar for the 2002 season. The organisers opted for a split in locations: media center, rally headquarters and the parc ferme were placed in Trier, the parc ferme being a prominent display of all remaining cars on the Viehmarkt, surrounded by restaurants, pubs and special events such as music and the brewery festival. Start and finish ceremony where also held in Trier in front of the Porta Nigra

Porta Nigra

The Porta Nigra is a large Roman city gate in Trier, Germany. It is today the largest Roman city gate north of the Alps and has been designated a World Heritage Site....

 with the cars making their way through the spectators. Meanwhile the service park was located roughly 60 km southeast on the shore of the picturesque Bostalsee.

The rally traditionally started with the shakedown close to the servicepark on Thursday morning, before moving to Trier for the showstart. The next three days were separated according to the three different track characteristics. Friday's leg one was held to the northeast of Trier around the Moselle in the vineyards. For afternoon and evening service the cars returned to Bostalsee before heading to Trier and parc-ferme. Saturdays' stages where held on and around the military training grounds of Baumholder, including the famous special stage "Panzerplatte". The day ended with a spectator special stage in the small town of Sankt Wendel

Sankt Wendel

St. Wendel is a municipality in northeastern Saarland. It is situated on the river Blies 36 km northeast of Saarbrücken, the capital of Saarland, and is named after Saint Wendelin of Trier.- Geography :...

. Leg three was held in the northern Saarland around Sankt Wendel, followed by a second pass through the spectator special stage. In the early afternoon the crews returned to Trier for the Finish ceremony.

The existing layout received criticism from fans, teams and the FIA with many complaining about the long liaison between stages, and the town of Trier, especially its small businesses, looking for more involvement by moving Trier into the center of rally.

For the 2007 edition

2007 Rallye Deutschland

Results of Rallye Deutschland , 10th round of 2007 World Rally Championship, run on August 17 - 19:- Results :...

, the layout was modified accordingly. The service park along with the media center moved from Bostalsee to Trier's convention center grounds, which offer better infrastructure and are easier to reach. Fans can park in the streets nearby or make use of special shuttle services serving large parking grounds throughout Trier. Both parking and the service park itself are now mostly based on asphalt making them more weather-safe. The shakedown was relocated to the Luxembourg

Luxembourg

Luxembourg , officially the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg , is a landlocked country in western Europe, bordered by Belgium, France, and Germany. It has two principal regions: the Oesling in the North as part of the Ardennes massif, and the Gutland in the south...

ish border and the stages reorganized altogether, putting more focus on the vineyards close to Trier. As before, Friday consists of stages northeast of Trier. However, the second day now combines both the military grounds of Baumholder with a shortened version of Panzerplatte as well as some of the previous Saarland-stages. Sunday again moves the crews back to the vineyards, before the teams return to Trier for the newly created spectator special stage Circus Maximus. Advertised as the highlight of three days of Rally Germany, this stage is a 4.37 km run through downtown Trier around the Porta Nigra. Four cars enter the track separated by 10 to 20 seconds and drive four laps on the roads of Trier. Fans can watch the stage on specially erected grandstands or simply from the curbside. In 2008, the WRC run through stage was broadcast live on television.

The revised layout received a lot of praise. 2007 saw 15,000 spectator in Circus Maximus alone, with a total attendance of more than 200,000 for all three days. Due to a cutback in the number of rallies included in each season's calendar and the introduction of alternating rallies, Rallye Deutschland was not part of the 2009

2009 World Rally Championship season

The 2009 World Rally Championship season was the 37th season of the FIA World Rally Championship. The season consisted of twelve rallies and began on 30 January, with Rally Ireland and ended with Rally GB on 25 October. Sébastien Loeb won the World Drivers' championship at Rally GB by one point...

 calendar. It returned in the 2010 season

2010 World Rally Championship season

The 2010 World Rally Championship season was the 38th season of the FIA World Rally Championship. The season consisted of 13 rallies, beginning with Rally Sweden on 11 February and ended Wales Rally GB on 14 November....

, with Sébastien Loeb

Sébastien Loeb

Sébastien Loeb is a French rally driver currently driving for the Citroën World Rally Team in the World Rally Championship...

 taking his eighth consecutive win; a WRC record for wins in a single event.

Characteristics

Rally Deutschland is entirely held on asphalt

Asphalt

Asphalt or , also known as bitumen, is a sticky, black and highly viscous liquid or semi-solid that is present in most crude petroleums and in some natural deposits, it is a substance classed as a pitch...

. A significant part of its attraction originates in the mixture of track characteristics encountered throughout the three day period. This setup has earned it the description of "three rallies in one".

The vineyard

Vineyard

A vineyard is a plantation of grape-bearing vines, grown mainly for winemaking, but also raisins, table grapes and non-alcoholic grape juice...

 stages consist of tight and twisted support roads, with short straights and hairpins in the steep mountains surrounding the Moselle

Moselle River

The Moselle is a river flowing through France, Luxembourg, and Germany. It is a left tributary of the Rhine, joining the Rhine at Koblenz. A small part of Belgium is also drained by the Mosel through the Our....

. Fans particularly like the stages because of the close proximity to the cars, sitting on small walls and in between the vines, often less than 2m from the ideal line. However, this layout has also raised serious concerns with the FIA regarding spectator safety. In 2008, the final stage of leg one was cancelled after too many fans where trying to make their way through the vineyards.

The roads on the military training ground near Baumholder

Baumholder

Baumholder is a town in the Birkenfeld district in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany, in the Westrich, an historic region that encompasses areas in both Germany and France...

 are made of rough concrete and surrounded by the dangerous "Hinkelstones", rocks up to a meter in size sidelining the roads as a restraint for military vehicles. The stages are fast and the vast military grounds offer endless spectator points, including the legendary crest known as "Gina". On this terrain small driving-errors almost automatically lead to serious damage to both car and driver, the most prominent victim being Petter Solberg

Petter Solberg

Petter "Hollywood" Solberg , from Spydeberg in Østfold, Norway, is a professional rally driver. He debuted in the World Rally Championship in 1998 and was signed by the Ford factory team in 1999...

 in 2004. Finally, the asphalt roads in the rural northern Saarland

Saarland

Saarland is one of the sixteen states of Germany. The capital is Saarbrücken. It has an area of 2570 km² and 1,045,000 inhabitants. In both area and population, it is the smallest state in Germany other than the city-states...

 are very fast with high-speed curves, only interrupted by some tight turns onto smaller roads.

Besides the different track characteristics, the frequently changing weather makes for additional excitement. Short but strong rainshowers can appear out of nowhere and significantly complicate the tyre-choice. In 2004, Marcus Grönholm

Marcus Grönholm

Marcus "Bosse" Grönholm is a Finnish former rally driver. Driving for Peugeot, he won the World Rally Championship in 2000 and 2002. After Peugeot withdrew from the World Rally Championship, Grönholm moved to Ford for the 2006 season and placed second in the drivers' world championship, losing the...

 became the prominent victim of a rainy morning when he crashed out of the introductory stage on Friday.

Past winners

Part of the German Rally Championship
Year	Event	Winner	Vehicle
1982	1. Rallye Deutschland	Erwin Weber	Opel Ascona 400
1983	2. Rallye Deutschland	Walter Röhrl Walter Röhrl Walter Röhrl is a German rally and auto racing driver, with victories for Fiat, Opel, Lancia and Audi as well as Porsche, Ford and BMW.-Career:...	Lancia 037 Lancia 037 The Lancia Rally 037 was a mid-engine rally car built by Lancia in the early 1980s purely for the FIA Group B World Rally Championship. Driven by Markku Alén, Attilio Bettega, and Walter Röhrl, the car won Lancia the manufacturers' world championship in the 1983 season...
1984	3. Rallye Deutschland	Hannu Mikkola Hannu Mikkola Hannu Olavi Mikkola is a retired world champion rally driver. He was a seven time winner of the 1000 Lakes Rally in Finland and won the RAC Rally in Great Britain four times.- Career :...	Audi Sport Quattro
1985	4. Rallye Deutschland	Kalle Grundel	Peugeot 205 T16
1986	5. Rallye Deutschland	Michèle Mouton Michèle Mouton Michèle Mouton is a French former rally driver. Competing in the World Rally Championship for the Audi factory team, she took four victories and finished runner-up in the drivers' world championship in 1982...	Peugeot 205 T16
1987	6. Rallye Deutschland	Jochi Kleint	VW Golf GTI
1988	7. Rallye Deutschland	Robert Droogmans	Ford Sierra Cosworth
1989	8. Rallye Deutschland	Patrick Snijers	Toyota Celica Toyota Celica The Toyota Celica name has been applied to a series of coupes made by the Japanese company Toyota. The name is ultimately derived from the Latin word coelica meaning "heavenly" or "celestial"....
1990	9. Rallye Deutschland	Robert Droogmans	Lancia Delta Integrale
1991	10. Rallye Deutschland	Piero Liatti Piero Liatti Piero Liatti is an Italian rally driver. His speciality was driving on Tarmac rallies like Monte Carlo, Catalunya, Corsica and the San Remo Rally.-Biography:...	Lancia Delta Integrale
1992	11. Rallye Deutschland	Erwin Weber	Mitsubishi Galant VR-4 Mitsubishi Galant VR-4 The Mitsubishi Galant VR-4 was the range-topping version of Mitsubishi Motors' Galant model, available in the sixth , seventh and eighth generations of the vehicle...
1993	12. Rallye Deutschland	Patrick Snijers	Ford Escort Cosworth
1994	13. Rallye Deutschland	Dieter Depping	Ford Escort Cosworth
1995	14. Rallye Deutschland	Enrico Bertone	Toyota Celica Toyota Celica The Toyota Celica name has been applied to a series of coupes made by the Japanese company Toyota. The name is ultimately derived from the Latin word coelica meaning "heavenly" or "celestial"....
1996	15. Rallye Deutschland	Dieter Depping	Ford Escort Cosworth
1997	16. Rallye Deutschland	Dieter Depping	Ford Escort Cosworth
1998	17. Rallye Deutschland	Matthias Kahle	Toyota Corolla WRC
1999	18. Rallye Deutschland	Armin Kremer	Subaru Impreza WRC
2000	19. Rallye Deutschland	Henrik Lundgaard	Toyota Corolla WRC
2001	20. Rallye Deutschland	Philippe Bugalski Philippe Bugalski Philippe Bugalski is a former French rally driver. By the mid 90s he was a regular top-choice tarmac specialist for Citroen along with team mate Jesús Puras. However, as the Citroën Total World Rally Team became a big name for Group A employing such drivers as Sébastien Loeb he was frequently...	Citroën Xsara WRC

Part of the World Rally Championship
Year	Event	Winner	Vehicle
2002	21. ADAC Rallye Deutschland	Sébastien Loeb Sébastien Loeb Sébastien Loeb is a French rally driver currently driving for the Citroën World Rally Team in the World Rally Championship...	Citroën Xsara WRC
2003	22. ADAC Rallye Deutschland	Sébastien Loeb Sébastien Loeb Sébastien Loeb is a French rally driver currently driving for the Citroën World Rally Team in the World Rally Championship...	Citroën Xsara WRC
2004	23. OMV ADAC Rallye Deutschland	Sébastien Loeb Sébastien Loeb Sébastien Loeb is a French rally driver currently driving for the Citroën World Rally Team in the World Rally Championship...	Citroën Xsara WRC
2005	24. OMV ADAC Rallye Deutschland	Sébastien Loeb Sébastien Loeb Sébastien Loeb is a French rally driver currently driving for the Citroën World Rally Team in the World Rally Championship...	Citroën Xsara WRC
2006	25. OMV ADAC Rallye Deutschland 2006 Rallye Deutschland The 2006 OMV ADAC Rallye Deutschland was the ninth round of the 2006 World Rally Championship season. It took place between August 11-13, 2006.- Results :-Special Stages:-External links:*...	Sébastien Loeb Sébastien Loeb Sébastien Loeb is a French rally driver currently driving for the Citroën World Rally Team in the World Rally Championship...	Citroën Xsara WRC
2007 2007 World Rally Championship season The 2007 World Rally Championship season was the 35th season in the FIA World Rally Championship. The season began on January 19 with the 75ème Rallye Automobile de Monte-Carlo and ended on December 2 with the 63rd Wales Rally of Great Britain. Citroën's Sébastien Loeb won the drivers' world...	26. ADAC Rallye Deutschland 2007 Rallye Deutschland Results of Rallye Deutschland , 10th round of 2007 World Rally Championship, run on August 17 - 19:- Results :...	Sébastien Loeb Sébastien Loeb Sébastien Loeb is a French rally driver currently driving for the Citroën World Rally Team in the World Rally Championship...	Citroën C4 WRC Citroën C4 WRC The Citroën C4 WRC is a World Rally Car built for the Citroën World Rally Team by Citroën Racing to compete in the World Rally Championship. It is based upon the Citroën C4 road car and replaced the Citroën Xsara WRC...
2008 2008 World Rally Championship season The 2008 World Rally Championship season was the 36th season of the FIA World Rally Championship. The season consisted of 15 rallies and began on January 24, with the 2008 Monte Carlo Rally....	27. ADAC Rallye Deutschland 2008 Rallye Deutschland The 2008 Rallye Deutschland was the tenth round of the 2008 World Rally Championship season. The event ran from August 15 to August 17 and was won by Sébastien Loeb for the seventh consecutive year....	Sébastien Loeb Sébastien Loeb Sébastien Loeb is a French rally driver currently driving for the Citroën World Rally Team in the World Rally Championship...	Citroën C4 WRC Citroën C4 WRC The Citroën C4 WRC is a World Rally Car built for the Citroën World Rally Team by Citroën Racing to compete in the World Rally Championship. It is based upon the Citroën C4 road car and replaced the Citroën Xsara WRC...
2009 2009 World Rally Championship season The 2009 World Rally Championship season was the 37th season of the FIA World Rally Championship. The season consisted of twelve rallies and began on 30 January, with Rally Ireland and ended with Rally GB on 25 October. Sébastien Loeb won the World Drivers' championship at Rally GB by one point...	Not Held
2010 2010 World Rally Championship season The 2010 World Rally Championship season was the 38th season of the FIA World Rally Championship. The season consisted of 13 rallies, beginning with Rally Sweden on 11 February and ended Wales Rally GB on 14 November....	28. ADAC Rallye Deutschland 2010 Rallye Deutschland The 2010 ADAC Rallye Deutschland was the 28th Rallye Deutschland and the ninth round of the 2010 World Rally Championship season. The rally took place over August 20–22, and is based in Trier. It was the first of two WRC rounds where all WRC support series competed in the same round...	Sébastien Loeb Sébastien Loeb Sébastien Loeb is a French rally driver currently driving for the Citroën World Rally Team in the World Rally Championship...	Citroën C4 WRC Citroën C4 WRC The Citroën C4 WRC is a World Rally Car built for the Citroën World Rally Team by Citroën Racing to compete in the World Rally Championship. It is based upon the Citroën C4 road car and replaced the Citroën Xsara WRC...
2011 2011 World Rally Championship season The 2011 World Rally Championship season was the 39th season of the FIA World Rally Championship. The season has 13 rallies, beginning with Rally Sweden on 10 February...	29. ADAC Rallye Deutschland 2011 Rallye Deutschland The 2011 Rallye Deutschland was the ninth round of the 2011 World Rally Championship season. The rally took place over 19–21 August, and was based in Trier, in the Rhineland-Palatinate state of Germany...	Sébastien Ogier Sébastien Ogier Sébastien Ogier is a French rally driver. He won the Junior World Rally Championship in 2008 and last drove in the World Rally Championship for the Citroën World Rally Team. His co-driver is compatriot Julien Ingrassia. They are set to join Volkswagen's WRC team when they enter the championship in...	Citroën DS3 WRC Citroën DS3 WRC The Citroën DS3 WRC is the World Rally Car built for the Citroën World Rally Team by Citroën Racing for use from the 2011 World Rally Championship season. It is based upon the Citroën DS3 road car, and replaces the highly successful Citroën C4 WRC...

External links

• Official site