The violent Norisring crash between Kelvin van der Linde and Maximilian Paul came as a huge shock—but other crashes in recent years were even more spectacular
The serious Norisring crash between Kelvin van der Linde (Schubert-BMW) and Maximilian Paul (Grasser-Lamborghini) was one of the most terrifying moments in recent years. But a look back at the history books shows: It was by no means the most spectacular crash in the “new” DTM since 2000.
Audi driver Alexandre Premat’s rollover is likely to top the list of wild DTM crashes: During the 2010 race in Adria, Italy, the Frenchman collided with a rival, then crashed into the guardrail and rolled over a total of four times. His Phoenix-Audi was completely destroyed, but Premat emerged virtually unscathed.
Lamborghini driver Paul, on the other hand, suffered a broken tibia and fibula as well as a fractured lumbar vertebra in his crash in Nuremberg. It’s an injury that Premat is also somewhat familiar with: The Audi driver strained a lumbar vertebra when he was involved in a multi-car crash at the 2010 season opener in Hockenheim.
The most recent DTM driver to suffer a lumbar vertebra fracture, however, was David Schumacher. The son of former Formula 1 driver Ralf Schumacher was involved in a crash with Thomas Preining (Porsche) during the 2022 DTM finale, after which Schumacher slammed violently into the concrete wall and sustained the serious back injury.
Three-time DTM champion Rene Rast, who rolled his Audi at the Lausitzring in 2018, and current DTM champion Ayhancan Güven, who was violently taken out by his brand-mate Christian Engelhart in a Porsche at the Nürburgring in 2022, were significantly luckier, for example.
The legendary Norisring in Nuremberg has also been the scene of several spectacular DTM crashes over the past 26 years—such as the brake failure on Martin Tomczyk’s Audi in 2002 or the violent collision between Gary Paffett (Mercedes) and Mike Rockenfeller (Audi) during the 2017 season. What other accidents have occurred in recent years, whether anyone was injured, and what crazy crash “Mr.
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