The ADAC Rallye Deutschland (formerly: OMV ADAC Rallye Deutschland) is an annual rally-event that has been on the World Rally Championship calendar since the 2002 season. Previous events have been hosted by e.g. Frankfurt, Mainz and Koblenz since 1982. Beginning in 2000, it was relocated to the region around Trier.
Rally Deutschland is entirely held on asphalt. 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". After the Shakedown in the morning, the actual event starts on Thursday evening with the traditional Showstart in front of the Porta Nigra. Friday's leg one leads the drivers through the vineyards east of Trier. The stages typically consist of short straights followed by tight turns and hairpins. On day two, the rally moves to the south onto the military training ground in Baumholder. This leg is especially legendary for the "Panzerplatte" stage with the cars leaving the ground over the crest simply known as "Gina". Leading across rugged asphalt and concrete-plates, the stages' special danger lies in the so-called "Hinkelstones", rocks up to a meter in size sidelining the roads as a restraint for military vehicles. Small driving-errors almost automatically lead to serious damage to both car and driver, the most prominent victim being Petter Solberg in 2004. Leg three on Sunday morning brings the drivers to the rural roads outside Sankt Wendel. The stages typically consist of long, high-speed straights, separated by a few tight turns. The rally ends in the early afternoon with the finish ceremony in front of the Porta Nigra.
Besides the different 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 became the prominent victim of a rainy morning when he crashed out of the introductory stage on Friday.
As a special courtesy for the more than 200,000 fans, the rally includes a spectator special stage held in Sankt Wendel. The Service Park, set up on the shore of the picturesque Bostalsee, offers the possibility to watch the mechanics working on the cars during service.
At the end of each leg, the cars return to the Parc Ferme on the Viehmarkt in downtown Trier (with the exception of 2004). Here, the fans may round off the day at the brewery festival, or in 2006 at the all-weekend roman festival "Brot & Spiele".http://www.brotundspiele2006.de
