– Pure Trabi cult at the DTM on the Sachsenring (all info on TV times, stream, etc.): DTM partner Red Bull is hosting the fun rally “Red Bull Rennpappe” with the East German cult car around the race track next Saturday. 50 duos compete in individually designed Trabants in an adventurous rally through the Ore Mountains foothills – and have to pass bizarre tests.
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Part of the five competitive tests is a performance on Saturday at 12:15 pm on the Sachsenring as part of the DTM supporting program. The 18 to 26 hp cars drive a lap on the rollercoaster track, where shortly after the DTM drivers with over 500 hp fight for the title. Racing legend Kurt Thiim, father of DTM title contender Nicki Thiim, who is competing in “Red Bull Rennpappe,” is also in the Trabi.
The name “Rennpappe” refers to the material used for the bodywork, Duroplast. It consists of cotton fibers and phenolic resin, which is jokingly called “cardboard.” But how does the event proceed?
Air mattress, tights, and sausage
At 10 am – while the DTM qualifying is running – the first competitive test begins. At the August Horch Museum in Zwickau, where the Trabant was built, the driver duos must prove that they know their vehicle in the “Trabikunde” (WP1).
Afterwards, the 50 vehicles start their 115-kilometer tour through West Saxony – first heading to the joint presentation lap on the Sachsenring, where the 50 DDR vehicles, some equipped with two-stroke engines, provide a cult factor in front of the DTM fans (SPONSORED LINK: Secure tickets now for the 2026 DTM season!).
The second competitive test takes place at the Oberrabenstein campsite. At the “Pension Sachsenruh,” the fastest to inflate an air mattress is timed. Afterwards, a classic sausage at the “Nagetusch” snack bar awaits as a reward.
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The third competitive test again focuses on skill: At the Chemnitz Industrial Museum, a broken V-belt must be repaired on the Trabi using tights against the clock – a proven Trabi repair method. Then the route passes the Nischel speed camera at the Karl Marx Monument in Chemnitz to the Altmarkt in Hohenstein-Ernstthal, where Karl May was once born.
DTM driver Engstler in the Trabi, “Go Trabi Go” at the drive-in cinema
According to the organizers, the fourth competitive test there requires “a steady hand and strong nerves,” before a typical soft ice cream is offered as a reward.
Then follows a driving challenge at the Arena E Mülsen kart track: In the “Golden 601,” a skill course must be completed with the Trabant.
The finish is planned for 4:45 pm on the Sachsenring – and an expert jury will award the most creative Trabant with the “golden Rennpappe.” German actress Claudia Schmutzler, known from the 1991 cult film “Go Trabi Go,” was recruited as a juror. She plays the daughter Jacqueline Struutz in the film and also participates in the fun rally in the film Trabi.
Even a DTM driver does not miss out on the Trabi cult: Abt-Lamborghini driver Luca Engstler, who is also a Red Bull athlete, arrives at the DTM weekend on the Sachsenring in a Trabant. Biathlon Olympic champion Michael Rösch and mountain bike athlete Patricia Druwen were also won over for the event.
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On Saturday evening, a special highlight provides the grand finale: After the award ceremony, the film “Go Trabi Go” will be shown at 6:30 pm at the drive-in cinema on the Sachsenring. Specifically in the area of the Besico grandstand outside the final curve, where a video wall is set up.
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