When the DTM Classic Cup season kicks off at DEKRA Lausitzring Turn 1 powered by Autohero from May 20-22, 2022, fans can look forward to the return of a big name from DTM’s rich history.
The newly formed team Schnitzer Classic with Stefen Trautwein and his son Yannik at the helm continues the legacy of the traditional racing stable from Freilassing near the German-Austrian border and runs a BMW M3 E30 in the DTM Classic Cup driven by none other than Kris niches.
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The name of the Schnitzer team is clearly linked to great achievements in the DTM. In 1989 the Bavarian team won its first DTM title with Roberto Ravaglia at the wheel of the M3. In 2012, the team led by Charly and Dieter Lamm and Herbert Schnitzer recorded another title win with Bruno Spengler, right in the year of BMW’s comeback in the DTM. The passing of Schnitzer Motorsport in 2020 was a major blow to the many fans of the popular team and the BMW brand.
The Trautwein family from Schiltach in the Black Forest acquired the historic competition machines, spare parts, archive and naming rights of Schnitzer Motorsport. Now the newly formed team drives two cars in the DTM Classic Cup. “There is hardly another name so closely associated with the golden days of DTM than the name Schnitzer. That’s why driving the historic race cars in DTM Classic is a logical step,” said Stefen Trautwein, General Manager of Schnitzer Classic.
The cars that will run this year are a BMW 320i E36 to two-litre Super Touring regulations and an M3 E30, which will be used as a customer car for Kris Nissen. In 1991 the Dane himself drove for Schnitzer in the DTM. His current car is a replica of the Schnitzer test car he himself used in the winter of 1990 to develop the competition ABS for the DTM campaign at the time. Nissen is already full of expectations: “During the last TWC round at the Nürburgring, we were in the same pit box as the Trautwein family,” recalls the Dane. “We had very nice conversations, the chemistry was good, everything was perfect. That is why we agreed to take the next steps together and let Schnitzer Classic drive my car in the new DTM Classic Cup.”
The manager of the DTM Classic series, Peter Oberndorfer, is also pleased about the prominent new entry: “Of course I know the Schnitzer team very well from my days as a driver. Nice to see this name, and with Kris Nissen on top, return in DTM Classic. I wish father and son Trautwein every success in their endeavours.”