Rockenfeller: “Special” to Race Legends Car at Moser Farewell

Mike Rockenfeller says it is “very special” to share a Phoenix Racing Audi entry with fellow DTM champions Martin Tomcyzk and Timo Scheider at the Nürburgring 24 for what will be Ernst Moser’s last event as team principal for the German squad.

The three German drivers, two of which became DTM champions racing for Moser, are teaming up in the No. 40 Audi R8 LMS GT3 Evo II as an additional fourth SP9 car for the Nürburgring-based Phoenix squad, branded as Scherer Sport PHX.

It will be Moser’s last race at the helm of the team he founded in 1999 and took to great heights, including six overall N24 victories between 2000 and 2022.

It is the second most successful team in the race behind Manthey Racing.

“Very cool, because all of us have great memories and we did a lot of racing with Phoenix, so it’s the best choice,” Rockenfeller told Sportscar365.

“It’s the best package. It’s Audi, most of our careers have been with Audi. It’s Phoenix, a similar thing, I would say.

“Timo won actually with Phoenix here, the 24-hour race in an Opel. That’s twenty years ago, but still, you will never forget that stuff in your lifetime.

“I also raced with them here a couple of times in the 24 hours, obviously DTM, so I think it’s cool.

“And then on top of everything, we have the celebration of the 40 years of Audi Sport, and Ernst is doing his last official race as a team boss.

“He will retire, he will be a consultant, I believe, in the future but he’s not team boss anymore. So I think that’s also a very cool special race moment, to share it with him, it’s just great.”

Rockenfeller explained that the plan to contest the event originally came from TV broadcaster Ran Racing, which holds the DTM broadcast rights in Germany.

“All three of us have been experts there, doing TV commentary and stuff,” he said.

“They came up with an idea last year. At the time it was Timo Glock, Scheider and myself to drive here in any car, kind of.

“I was like, no, I don’t want to do it. I want to do it only in a proper car, otherwise I’m not going.

“So long story short, at the end we ended up with Martin, Timo [Scheider] and myself, connected to Audi from the past. So it’s a great come together again with a brand we shared a lot of memories and success with.

“Obviously also disappointing for one or the other, here and there, for sure. My end was not the one I wanted in a way, but in the end, the LMDh and everything got turned down.

“I think Martin left for BMW, and Timo at the time was also not very happy. But that’s history, right?

“That’s normal in a long career. Now we don’t even think about it. We are just happy to have the opportunity to drive for us one of the coolest races in the world, in a proper, proper car.”

Despite their status as one of the four official Audi Sport entries, Rockenfeller remains level-headed about his entry’s prospects in the 51st running of the Eifel endurance classic.

“I would say in a way we have less pressure,” said the 39-year-old German.

“For me, it’s not like I’m not racing anymore. I’m still racing full-time. So when I go out, I want to do my best and do my part in the team.

“The same for Martin and Timo, even though their situation in their racing career is maybe slightly different.

“But I don’t have expectations. I never had in that race, because you cannot have any expectations.

“I think there’s 25 cars that can win the race and that says it all. So, I would say the goal is [to[ finish, make no stupid mistakes [and] be a bit lucky.

“A top ten result I think would be pretty good depending on how the race unfolds. Top five would be mega. Podium would be unbelievable.”