DTM champion Ayhancan Güven was greatly influenced by Michael Schumacher: why he copied everything he did and how meeting his idol affected him
Ayhancan Güven, the first Turkish DTM champion, comes from a country with no motorsport tradition. But the Turkish driver, who started going to the kart track with his father Hakan at the age of six, learned a lot from Michael Schumacher in his early years. “My father taught me how to race—and he always used Michael Schumacher as an example when I was that age.”
This is no surprise, as Güven started motorsport during Schumacher’s great Ferrari era. “Michael wore this T-shirt, so we had to wear one too. Michael used this brand of gloves, so we had to have them too. Michael did this training. Okay, we have to train like that too,” says Güven, citing examples from his childhood.
Behind this approach was primarily Güven’s father, who is an amateur racing driver himself and saw Schumacher as the perfect role model for his son. “We come from a country with no knowledge of racing – and we had to learn,” explains Güven.
Role model Schumacher: “We have to work on your heart rate”
“We always tried to learn from him when we had books, newspapers, or interviews with Michael or other Formula 1 drivers. And I remember: when I was five, six, or seven years old, Michael was always the role model.”
But it wasn’t just about the outfit and the equipment, it was also about fitness, Güven recalls his father’s words: “He said: ‘Okay, Can, before the start, Michael’s heart rate is as if he were asleep. We need to work on your heart rate.’”
Even as a kart driver, the talented Turkish driver had big goals, even if they weren’t always taken seriously in his home country. “When I said I was going to drive in the DTM, they probably laughed. They said, ‘Yeah, yeah, yeah…’,” he says. “And now I’m DTM champion. I’ve made history for myself and my country, and I couldn’t be prouder because I love my country.”
A touching encounter with Schumacher at the kart track
But has Güven ever met his childhood idol Michael Schumacher? “Yes, that was in 2010, 2011 or 2013 in Italy at the La Conga kart track,” he recalls, but can’t remember the exact year. “He was driving himself at the time, and I ran up to him and took a photo. I have a very special photo with him.” Güven was still competing in one of the junior classes at the time and happened to be at the same place.
One thing amazed the young Turk about his idol at the time: “He prepared his kart himself with a mechanic. But it was he himself who put the kart on the table. When I saw that, I thought to myself: This guy is so humble. He’s Michael Schumacher, but he’s at the kart track, racing against the young drivers and preparing his kart himself.“
When he remembers the images, it still makes him ‘humble’ today, says Güven. ”It touched my whole life. He’s my idol.”
