Two DRM rallies in the books: Tannert and Riedemann fight for the lead
Two rallies of the 2023 DRM season are already in the books – Julius Tannert and Christian Riedemann were the winners
The 2023 German Rally Championship (DRM) is already in full swing. After the series’ visit to the Erzgebirge and Sulingen, there are two different winners and one is leading in the overall standings. The season kicked off with the 58th Rally Erzgebirge, which was won by Julius Tannert in a Skoda Fabia RS Rally2. Christian Riedemann won the Rally Sulingen in his Hyundai i20 N Rally2. In the overall standings, Tannert is seven points ahead of Riedemann after two of five rounds.
“This is unbelievable. As a little boy I used to watch the special stages here, now I’m sitting in the car myself and winning my home rally. And in front of so many enthusiastic spectators,” says a delighted Tannert after the opening round in the Erzgebirge. Together with Frank Christian, the Zwickau native was 26.7 seconds faster than Marijan Griebel in his Skoda at the first round of the 2023 season. Reigning DRM champion Philip Geipel finished third in the third Skoda, while Riedemann was fourth with Nico Otterbach as his co-driver.
In the DRM2 classification for two-wheel drive cars, Sepp Wiegand won in the Opel Corsa Rally4. “I come from Grünhain, where there were two special stages, and I enjoyed every second. We wanted to get through quickly and cleanly on Friday and relied on the good rain tires today. This tactic paid off and it’s unique to share this success with friends and fans,” says Wiegand, who finished well ahead of Martin Christ and Raffael Sulzinger.
At the second round of the season in Sulingen, Riedemann had the edge. After eleven special stages, the local hero had a whopping lead of 53.5 seconds over Tannert, who defended his lead in the overall standings with second place. Riedemann says: “It didn’t look like it, but it was a tough fight. I’m proud of our team and thank everyone who contributed to this success. The competition should be warned for the upcoming Rally Mittelrhein.” Geipel and Katrin Becker finished in third place.
Victory in the DRM2 classification went to Martin Christ in the Opel Corsa Rally4. Together with Lina Meter, the Geesthacht native prevailed over Jonas Ertz and Maresa Lade in another Corsa. Third place in the class for two-wheel drive vehicles went to Alexander Kattenbach and Andreas Luther. The next stop in the DRM is the Rally Mittelrhein on June 17 and 18, 2023. The third of a total of five rounds could already be crucial in the battle for the championship.
