Two top ten finishes for the MANN-FILTER Mamba in the heat of Norisring

Ludwigsburg, July 09, 2023 – No other race in the DTM racing calendar attracts as many spectators as the city race through the streets of Nuremberg. The MANN-FILTER Mamba made its debut on the street circuit and after two exciting races, finishing in P7 and P9, the team was ultimately happy with the result.

High summer temperatures of over 30 degrees, thrilling races and hands-on motor sport – last weekend, crowds flocked to what is known as the “Franconian Monaco” to be very close to the racing action at the DTM season highlight. For MANN-FILTER and the popular Mamba, it was about breaking new ground. The premium filtration brand also used the extraordinary atmosphere off the track for an intimate exchange with customers and fans. 

Safety car phases characterized the first part of the race

Narrow sections, no run-off zones and racing cars zooming past while almost touching the barriers – Norisring is known for its spectacular races and the odd accident. In order to avoid unnecessary risks, the organizer opted for a two-part qualifier. On Saturday morning, Mercedes-AMG Performance driver Maro Engel (37, Germany) managed to grab 14th place on the starting grid. Starting the race from the middle of the field is no easy task at Norisring, especially since it isn't far to the first difficult chicane at the end of the home straight featuring the well-known Grundigkehre hairpin. Cars slow down to speeds of 50 kilometers per hour at the narrowest point of the track.

Once the starting shot for the first race had been fired, you could feel the eagerly cheering fans' passion for motorsport on the historic stone grandstand at the heart of the course. The first battle for position didn't take long, parts went flying through the air and the safety car had to come out onto the track for the first time. This was followed by another chaotic phase in the race involving safety car stints and competitors having to giving up, but professional driver Maro Engel pulled through. “Beast-Mode on!” was his motto. He eagerly worked his way toward the front and when the checkered flag was waved, the team was ranked seventh overall. 

Two top ten finishes for the Mamba

The qualifying session on Sunday, carried out in two groups just as on the previous day, was far from easy. The Mercedes-AMG Performance driver completed the lap in just 49.029 seconds – not even half a second slower than the pole-setter – however, ultimately it was only enough for 18th place on the starting grid.

The start of the second heat was delayed by around a quarter of an hour after climate activists interrupted proceedings. Once the starting shot had finally been fired, the Mamba demonstrated its aggressive fighting spirit. The venomous beast left one competitor after the other behind. By the end of the first lap, Maro Engel had already overtaken five rivals. The pit stops revealed the spirit of the team – procedures were completed smoothly and so catapulted the Mamba up to 10th place.

The second catch-up race this weekend was a success and, in the end, the team managed a second top ten result, finishing in ninth place. Here's what the AMG works driver had to say: "Going into the race from P18 was not ideal, but we were able to gain positions and the team’s very fast pitstop strategy also worked very well, thus catapulting us further up in the field. Ninth place was the best we could do today. We scored points at the weekend, but unfortunately we were unable to fight for a place on the podium. We are now looking ahead and I am looking forward to the upcoming races at Nürburgring."

Hands-on motorsport – MANN-FILTER turns the stands yellow and green

Norisring is known for how close fans are to the action. Spectators experience a race track on which they usually go for walks and spend summer days at the nearby Dutzendteich lake. The mobile pit lane, which is set up and dismantled especially for DTM every year, makes it possible for spectators to be close to the action and meet their idols. MANN-FILTER took the opportunity to draw attention to their brand with fan campaigns. Thanks to promotional gifts, the well-known yellow-and-green color combination quickly became a prominent feature on the stands.

Filippina Manou, Sponsorship Manager at MANN-FILTER, was impressed by the unique backdrop: "As expected, Norisring was a challenging track, but the team and Maro mastered it very well. We scored valuable points and the interaction with customers and fans on site was sensational. We had more than 100,000 visitors this weekend! We definitely made a statement and spoke for the series and our commitment to it."

Next stop: Nürburgring!

The MANN-FILTER Mamba will be taking a short break after the weekend at Norisring. It's four weeks until the next DTM event – time to recover and then launch an attack. Nürburgring in the Eifel region, a track bursting with tradition, will be the venue at the beginning of August (August 4 to 6, 2023).

However, MANN-FILTER will be present at the next event on the motorsport calendar, as the team will be at the Truck Grand Prix next weekend.