– Whether Yves Olivier, David Saelens, or Katsutomo Kaneishi: In the history of the “new” DTM since 2000, there have been several drivers whom hardly anyone remembers today and whose names have long been forgotten by fans.
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Because while icons like “Mr. DTM” Bernd Schneider, Red Bull veteran Mattias Ekström, or multiple champion Rene Rast have shaped the popular racing series over many years, other drivers have long faded into the rearview mirror of history.
An example? The Frenchman Eric Helary won the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1993 together with Peugeot, then received a factory contract with Opel and competed in the French touring car championship, where he stood on the podium multiple times.
But in the DTM, Helary could not build on these successes: The Opel driver finished multiple times in the top 10 in the 2000 season, but a fourth place remained his best result, so he did not get a DTM cockpit the following year.
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Photo series: Former DTM drivers whom no one remembers today
In the 2002 season, Helary returned to the series once again at the race weekend in Zandvoort but only finished 14th – and thus did not leave a lasting impression on the memory of DTM fans. Daniel la Rosa, Alexandros Margaritis, or Cheng Cong Fu also remained largely inconspicuous in their DTM careers.
Names like Stefano Modena or Nicolas Kiesa are still familiar to older motorsport fans mainly from Formula 1, but even they could not permanently drive themselves into the collective memory with their DTM engagement. Also curious: The now forgotten DTM driver Darryl O’Young did not even start a single race.
Why the Chinese driver could not start during his mini guest appearance, which other DTM drivers have since been forgotten by many fans, and why former Mercedes driver Jarek Janis celebrated a “comeback” in the DTM a few years ago, is revealed in our photo series.
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