We met with Karl Lamm last year in April during the pre-season DTM tests at Hockenheim. Honestly, I was approaching him with some excitement as after all he is the famous boss of one of the most successful teams in the history of touring races. But during our conversation Charley, as everybody calls him, turned out to be not a severe boss but a very open and nice person. And I had a lot of chances throughout the season to confirm this impression.
One does not often meet people like him among teams’ managers. In spite of almost 50 years in motorsport career, Lamm still talks about races with sincere enthusiasm. “Racing is my passion”, he says and a twinkle in his eyes tells us he speaks the truth.
The biography of Karl “Charly” Lamm is closely connected to Schnitzer team, which was founded half a century ago in 1963 by Schnitzer brothers — Herbert and Joseph. One year later the team scored its first victory — its BMW 1800Ti turned out to be the fastest in hillclimbing competitions held near Bad Neuenahr, a resort town in Germany. This is where the history of successful partnership between Schnitzer and BMW began.
Unfortunately, in 1978 Joseph Schnitzer died in an accident. After that tragedy Herbert began directing the company together with his new partners — his half-brothers Dieter and Karl Lamm. The career of the latter turned out to be the most impressive — at the age of 16 Charly began doing the legwork for the team, quite soon he became an engineer and by the age of 21 he was already heading the racing team.
Headed by Charly Lamm, Schnitzer won a great number of trophies. This collection is kept in a specially designated place at team's base in Freilassing, a municipality near the Austrian border. The German team has a lot of titles on its record — in European Formula 2 in 1975, the first World Touring Championship in 1987, in the team’s first DTM season in 1989, and also in the ALMS Series in 2001. The team also scored victories in the endurance races at Spa, Nürburgring and Le Mans.
In 2012 Schnitzer returned to DTM together with BMW after a 20-year break and again, like it happened in 1989, won the title at the very first try. It is now the only team which was able to succeed both in the “former” and current DTM series which was resumed in 2000.
For your consideration is an interview with the real motorsport enthusiast, the boss of the famous Schnitzer team, Charly Lamm.
Charly, the Schnitzer team under your direction was taking part in the “former” DTM and is now participating in the new one. How would you compare the series now and then?
Charly Lamm: Oh yes, it was a long time ago, in the previous century (smiling). I still have good memories of those times. DTM was rather popular even at that time, the cars attracted the audience, the racing combat was very interesting. During those years DTM received a reputation of a very spectacular and highly competitive series.
What concerns sports achievements of the team, there are also a lot of things to remember as we managed to win the title with Roberto Ravaglia in our debut season. It was an incredible achievement for me as a young director.
But it is difficult to compare different epochs in motorsport as technology and progress keep forging ahead, time moves on very fast and each year brings new changes. BMW was not taking part in DTM for two decades but meanwhile the company was participating in different races. The same thing concerns our team.
So let me put it this way — that period was great for its time. Right now we are going through a different period which is also great but in the course of current events.
Between those two DTM series your team was taking part in different competitions including WTCC. Which one do you personally prefer?
Charly Lamm: The concepts of these two series are absolutely different. The World Championship is interesting in that aspect that the races are held all over the world. The cars have to be thoroughly prepared and that is why we have done a lot of engineering work with the support of the factory. The main idea of World Touring lies in the fact that the cars are really close to their road versions and this does not give much space for the engineers. But nevertheless, those are fast cars.
A DTM vehicle is a real racing car — 4-litre V8 engine, advanced aerodynamics, high level of downforce, the most sophisticated technologies. They have great potential. However, one should do everything right in order to achieve the best results. And even under the conditions of “frozen” technical regulations there are still a lot of aspects to be worked on. Perhaps, the most difficult but at the same time the most interesting task is to find the ideal car adjustments which would suit all pilot’s demands.
And besides, a DTM race is longer, its length is about 180 km and pit stops are required along its distance — and that is another challenge for a team. A lot depends on the right choice of tactics and especially after introducing two different tire compounds. In this aspect the series has become much more difficult in comparison with the one we used to have 20 years ago — one has to consider the influence of many factors. Of course, we perform computer analysis but it’s impossible to foresee everything when 22 pilots strive for victory bumper to bumper on a racing track — anything can happen.
Long gone are the times when only one person was responsible for choosing the tactics. Now I’m helpless without my team. Radiotraffic is almost unceasing during the race. Sometimes the head is just spinning with so many things to do when I’m on the “captain’s bridge”. But this is what makes our job so fascinating.
That is why I am so happy that our team has a possibility to participate in this most interesting championship which has become even more difficult than it used to be 20 years ago.
In 2012, when you and BMW returned to DTM after a 20-year break, Schnitzer won the titles of both Drivers and Team Champions at the very first try. Were you expecting to achieve such success before the beginning of the season?
Charly Lamm: Our team has a long and glorious history in the course of which we have always had close cooperation with BMW. Together we have achieved great results within the last 50 years, a lot of beautiful victories come to my mind. But the 2012 DTM title was just a dream. We came back after 20 years and clinched all three DTM titles in one season. Basically, we had to make out debut again as everything had changed over the previous two decades, the series was completely different. Of course, we were not even hoping for such great success before the beginning of the season and especially taking into consideration the incredibly high level of competition in the championship. It was a fantastic year.
What were your expectations before the beginning of the championship?
Charly Lamm: We started the preparations in the beginning of 2011 when BMW made a decision to return to DTM. A lot of work had been done, we had conducted many tests but still didn’t know what to expect when setting off for the first stage at Hockenheim in May 2012.
Our pilots had good qualifying results but both of them were involved in some incidents and had to retire. It was a big disappointment for the team. On the other hand, the first stage showed that BMW cars were able to meet competition on the track which gave us more confidence.
The second race brought you victory which was a real sensation...
Charly Lamm: But still everything was a new experience for us. The second race was held in Lausitzring only a week after the one at Hockenheim and we didn’t know whether we would be able to get ready for it in such short time and especially taking into consideration that the cars were damaged during the first race. It was a rather complicated task in terms of transportation.
But eventually we were able to solve it, the cars were ready and Bruno [Spengler] won pole position. He took the lead from the start but had a keen struggle with Gary Paffett who was on his back throughout the entire race. But eventually we clinched the victory so one could say that we hit the target for the entire year in the second race of the season.
This victory brought us optimism, motivation, confidence and enhanced our team spirit. We became completely certain that BMW managed to build a very good car which was not only able to score points but also to compete for the podium and victory. But to tell you the truth, we were not hoping for a title even after that achievement.
Each stage was considered separately without looking back at our position in the championship. After the race at Spielberg we were 40 points behind Paffett, who was holding the first position. But with each race the gap was reducing. Eventually, we came really close to Paffett before the final race at Hockenheim.
I am sure the pressure before the final race was immense?
Charly Lamm: It was an incredible final race. One could hardly imagine a sportier race scenario — two pilots fighting for the championship title spent the entire race in one constant battle.
Bruno was leading but one slightest mistake could spell defeat. He conducted an excellent race, was able to beat an unbelievable pressure. It also concerns the mechanics who managed to cope with all their responsibilities during the pit stops letting the pilot remain in the lead. What else can I add? It was great!
Bruno Spengler said he believed in the possibility to clinch the title only after the race in Zandvoort — two stages before the end of the season. And when did you start believing it was possible?
Charly Lamm: After the stage at Lausitzring I realised we had all chances to have a strong season. But I was not thinking about the title at that time. You know, I first believed that we were able to win the championship only after the penultimate race in Valencia.
But I’m very superstitious and that is why I was trying not to think about it and just told the team we had to do our best to get ready for the final stage. We had a chance and we were to give it a try. We needed to cope with the pressure, immense attention of fans and media hype — we just had to focus on our work.
Eventually, it all has worked out! We managed not only to clinch the Drivers’ title with Bruno Spengler but also scored victory in Team Championship and helped BMW to become Constructor Champion. It’s a fantastic achievement and I’m really proud we were able to attain such success.
Spengler is a really experienced pilot who had been participating in DTM races as a member of the Mercedes team, winning races and fighting for titles. How important was having him on your team?
Charly Lamm: It was very important that BMW managed to sign contracts with two experienced drivers before returning to the championship — Bruno Spengler and Martin Tomczyk [the last two seasons the German driver spent in RMG team and in 2014 he will join Spengler in Schnitzer]. Their knowledge was irreplaceable during both the pre-season tests and the championship. Bruno helped the team a lot as he knew exactly what to do during the practice and qualifying sessions. He also gave a lot of useful pieces of advice to Dirk Werner who was having his first DTM season.
However Werner clinched only one victory during his two seasons in DTM and chiefs at BMW decided to transfer him to GT races. Were you expecting Dirk to achieve better results?
Charly Lamm: Dirk’s example shows how difficult this series is. In order to achieve good results in DTM, one should combine everything — even the slightest mistake might bring you to the end of the peloton.
On one hand, it’s a pity we will not see him next year in DTM, but on the other hand, Dirk will participate in an interesting programme in endurance races where, I believe, he will be actually able to realise his potential.
Let’s discuss a few global issues like, for instance, the globalization of DTM technical regulations. What do you think about it?
Charly Lamm: It’s difficult for me to pass any judgements on where it is going to lead but all in all this step plays into the hands of DTM promotion as they are going to use the same regulations in Japan and the U.S. Will it draw the interest of corporations from these countries to DTM? We should better ask ITR about it. But I can say that the competition even between those three manufacturers we have is very high so I am not sure I want this to happen (smiling).
Let’s get back to the history of your team. Please tell us in short about the beginning of your career in motorsport.
Charly Lamm: Our family was in close relations to the Schnitzers. That is why I was involved in the world of motorsport since my childhood — I could visit races and watch my elder brothers prepare the cars for the competitions. In my school years I was playing the role of a timekeeper. We did not have computers at that time and that is why we had to do manual timing and write down the results. When I was entering the university, I knew pretty well how a racing teams functions.
You could always feel an incredible passion for motorsport at Schnitzer. And close partnership with BMW allowed attaining a very high professional level in various types of races — in touring races, GT, Le Mans and even Formulas. Apart from that, it gave me a possibility to see a lot of interesting places of our planet — we took part in races held not only in Europe, but also in Japan, America, Australia, New Zealand. And now we have also visited Russia.
By the way, what are your impressions of the first DTM stage held on Moscow Raceway?
Charly Lamm: It was our first visit to Russia. We had a lot of unknown factors before that stage, our lorries had a long and difficult way to go. But our journey went without any incidents and we saw an excellent circuit with well-developed infrastructure upon our arrival. And I need to mention the enthusiasm of Russian supporters — it was such a pleasure to see so many spectators on the day of the race. All in all, the entire stage proceeded in a very nice atmosphere though it did not work out for our team from the sporting point of view.
We look forward to coming back to the Moscow Raceway in 2014 in order to fix this omission! By the way, as far as I know, the promoters of the series are considering the question of using the long version of the circuit. I don’t know what decision will be taken, but I assume it might be even more interesting.
After the triumph in 2012, the following season was not as successful for your team. Spengler scored victory in just one race and was third overall. What would you say about the results achieved in 2013?
Charly Lamm: It was a season of ups and downs. We were really fast in the beginning of the year, scored a victory at Spielberg and Bruno Spengler was heading the championship till the middle of the season. But then we had a drop — a lot of incidents and lost points.
What will the DTM 2013 season be best remembered for?
Charly Lamm: Our pilots started showing good results toward the end of the season but in 2013 we lacked some stability and that was the reason we could not repeat last year’s triumph. In order to win a DTM title it is important to avoid any drops throughout the entire season and that was demonstrated by Mike Rockenfeller who really deserved to become the champion.
But we also have something to be proud of — for the second year in a row our team was the best in performing pit stops, our mechanics turned out to be the fastest. And though this achievement is not as highly-prized as the titles of driver’s and team’s champions but for me as the team’s leader it really means a lot. It enhances the spirit and solidarity of our team.
What achievements in the glorious history of the Schnitzer team you could emphasize?
Charly Lamm: I can outline a few episodes. One of the brightest memories is still our first victory in a 24-hour race at Spa in 1985. After that we scored victories in two more endurance races — 24 hours of Le Mans and 24 Hours Nürburgring. Another special moment to remember was the DTM title in 1989 and of course our triumphant return to this series in 2012. All in all, if I go into detail, there will be enough material for a whole book! [By the way, quite recently a book dedicated to Schnitzer was published to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the team.]
One does not often meet such enthusiastic people as you among teams’ principals. How did you manage to carry a true passion for racing through years?
Charly Lamm: I really need to thank my team for that. Passion is an integral part of Schnitzer Motorsport. It has always been this way — when I started my work in a team and till the present day. This is what allowed us achieving great results. But our history is not only about the victories — we had a lot of difficult periods. But passion and love for racing helped us to overcome all difficulties.
Charly, thank you so much for the interesting conversation! Wishing your team success in 2014!
Charly Lamm: I would like to take this opportunity to send the best holiday wishes to all Russian motorsport fans and wish them a happy new year. I look forward to seeing you at the Moscow Raceway this summer!
Source: autosport.com.ruPhoto: Sergey Bednaruk