| Klaus Ludwig | ||
|---|---|---|
| File:Klaus Ludwig.png | ||
| Driver Details | ||
| Nationality |  German
| |
| P.o.B. |  Bonn, North Rhine-Westphalia, West Germany
| |
| D.o.B. | 5 October 1949 | |
| Début | 2000 Hockenheim Opening Race 1
| |
| Best | 3rd (2000) | |
| Previous Teams | HWA Team
| |
| DTM Career | ||
| Total Entries | 17 (17 Starts) | |
| No. | 5 | |
| Wins | Points | Poles |
| 2 | 122 | 1 |
| Fastest Laps | 0 | |
| Podiums | 7 | |
| First Win | 2000 Sachsenring Race 1
| |
| Last Win | 2000 Sachsenring Race 2
| |
Klaus Ludwig, (born 5 October 1949 in Bonn, North Rhine-Westphalia, West Germany) is a German former racing driver, who competed in the DMSB Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters Championship in the inaugural 2000 Season.[1] Named by some as "König Ludwig" due to his success in the Deutsche Tourenwagen Meisterschaft and 24 Hours of Le Mans, Ludwig is the oldest driver and winner to have raced in the revived DTM, having entered the 2000 season aged 50.[1]
Ludwig arrived in the revived DTM as a three-time champion in the Meisterschaft, and was placed in the secondary HWA Team entry alongside Marcel Fässler for the 2000 season.[1] A slow start to the season was soon blown aside by a succession of podium finishes, with Ludwig claiming two victories at the Sachesenring from pole.[2] Ultimately, however, a poor end to the season saw Ludwig slip from title challenger to third in the Championship, and prompt him to end his professional racing career.[3]
After retiring from professional racing Ludwig would go on to compete in the VLN as a "hobby pilot", while also working as a commentator on the German coverage of the DTM.[4]
Background[]
DTM History[]
Ludwig was signed up to join the new Mercedes programme for the revived Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters Championship ahead of the inaugural 2000 season, and would help develop the car.[1] Mercedes subsequently placed him in their secondary factory effort HWA Team alongside Marcel Fässler, with Ludwig the oldest driver in the field.[5] The German racer would go on to have a quiet debut, with two ninth place finishes at the Hockenheimring, as Fässler, 26 years his junior, claimed two podium finishes.[6]
Veteran Vibes: 2000[]
Ludwig would secure another points finish in the opening race at Oschersleben, before missing out in the second race due to a poor run in qualifying.[7] Yet, the German veteran would bounce back to claim his maiden podium in the revived DTM at the 2000 Norisring Race 1, having fought with Manuel Reuter and Bernd Schneider throughout.[8] Third place for Ludwig would follow in the Second Race, after fighting with Reuter for a second race in succession, before his best weekend followed at the Sachsenring.[9]
Indeed, Ludwig started the Sachsenring meeting in fine form, sweeping to pole position for the first race before keeping Peter Dumbreck at arm's length to claim his maiden DTM victory.[10] A repeat performance would follow in the shortened Second Race, with Ludwig again controlling the race from the front ahead of Dumbreck.[2] A third strong weekend would follow for Ludwig at the Nürburgring, with the German veteran twice battling through the field to secure two second place finishes behind Schneider.[11]
The season's second trip to Oschersleben saw Ludwig's form begin to dip, although he would secure a seventh podium finish of the campaign in the Second Race to make himself an outside contender for the Championship.[12] However, a non-score in the 2000 Nürburgring II Race 1 would be followed by his first retirement of the season in the 2000 Nürburgring II Race 2, ensuring that the German veteran could not win the Championship.[13] Another double non-score at the season finale in Hockenheim would leave Ludwig in third in the Championship with 122 points, just ahead of teammate Fässler.[14]
At the end of the season Ludwig would formally retire from racing for a second time, although he would later race in the VLN alongside Uwe Alzen while also working as a commentator for the German feed of the DTM.[4]
Full DTM Record[]
Klaus Ludwig's full results from his 17 starts in the DTM are outlined in a series of tables below.
DTM Entries[]
The list below includes all of the teams and cars, as well as overall finishing positions for Klaus Ludwig during their DTM career:
| Klaus Ludwig's Overall DTM Record | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Entrant | No. | Car | Pos. | Pts. | Livery |
| 2000 | Warsteiner AMG-Mercedes[5]
|
5 | AMG-Mercedes CLK-DTM 2000 | 3rd | 122 | 
|
Career Results[]
Below is a table showing Klaus Ludwig's full DTM record:
| Klaus Ludwig's DTM Championship Record | ||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Rounds | Pos. | Pts. | |||||||||||||||||
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | |||
| 2000 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
3rd | 122 | |||||||||
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | |||
| 9th | 9th | 8th | 11th | 2nd | 3rd | 1st | 1st | 2nd | 2nd | CAN | CAN | 6th | 3rd | 12th | Ret | Ret | 11th | |||
| Results Key | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Symbol | Meaning | Symbol | Meaning | |
| 1st | Winner | Ret | Retired | |
| 2nd | Second | DSQ | Disqualified | |
| 3rd | Third | DNS | Did Not Start | |
| 7th | Points Scorer | NC | Not Classified | |
| Italics | Fastest Lap | CAN | Race Cancelled | |
| 16th | Non-points finish | † | Non-Championship Race | |
| Bold | Pole Position | 3 | Points for Qualifying | |
References[]
Images and Videos:
References:
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| 2000 Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters Championship |
|---|
| Manufacturers |
| Abt-Audi • AMG-Mercedes • Opel |
| Car/engine |
| Abt-Audi TT-R 2000 • Audi 4.0l V8 • AMG-Mercedes CLK-DTM 2000 • AMG 4.0l V8 • Opel Astra V8 Coupé DTM 2000 • Opel 4.0l V8 |
| Teams |
| 24h Service AMG-Mercedes • Abt Sportsline I • Abt Sportsline II • D2 AMG-Mercedes • Euroteam • Opel Team Holzer I • Opel Team Holzer II • Opel Team Irmscher • Opel Team Phoenix • Original Teile AMG-Mercedes • Warsteiner AMG-Mercedes |
| Drivers |
| 1 Bernd Schneider • 2 Thomas Jäger • 3 Uwe Alzen • 4 Joachim Winkelhock • 5 Klaus Ludwig • 6 Marcel Fässler • 7 Manuel Reuter • 8 Michael Bartels • 9 Laurent Aïello • 10 Christian Abt • 11 Éric Hélary • 12 Christian Menzel • 14/24 Pedro Lamy • 15/42 Darren Turner • 16 Stefano Modena • 17 Timo Scheider • 18 Marcel Tiemann • 19 Peter Dumbreck • 20 Kris Nissen • 21 James Thompson • 23 Roland Asch |
| Races |
| Rennsport-Festival 1 • Rennsport-Festival 2 • ADAC-Preis von Sachsen-Anhalt 1 • ADAC-Preis von Sachsen-Anhalt 2 • Norisring 1 • Norisring 2 • Sachsenring 1 • Sachsenring 2 • Großer Preis der Tourenwagen 1 • Großer Preis der Tourenwagen 2 • ADAC-Preis von Niedersachsen 1 • ADAC-Preis von Niedersachsen 2 • Eifelrennen 1 • Eifelrennen 2 • ADAC-Preis Hockenheim 1 • ADAC-Preis Hockenheim 2 |
| Cancelled Races |
| 2000 Lausitzring Race |
| Related Content |
| 1996 ITCC Season • 2001 DTM Season |
Template:Mercedes