Dirk von Zitzewitz
Dirk von Zitzewitz (born October 14, 1968 in Eutin ) is a German motorcycle and automobile athlete . He has been a professional motorcycle enduro rider since 1987 and, among other successes, has won the German Enduro Championship 15 times. In addition to his commitment as a professional copilot in the rally raid, Dirk von Zitzewitz is an independent organizer of motorcycle training, enduro courses and desert adventure trips.
Life
At Christmas in 1978, when he was ten, he received his first motorcycle. In 1983 he took part in his first racing event. From 1987 onwards he was German Enduro Champion several times in his class. Von Zitzewitz has focused his career on the car since 2002 and was a permanent member of the Volkswagen Motorsport rally raid team from 2005 until it was dissolved in 2011 .
Dirk von Zitzewitz played a key role in Giniel de Villiers' victory in the 2009 Dakar Rally , as he managed to get out of the dunes 20 minutes before the competition on the penultimate stage with his navigational skills. This enabled the team to take the lead in the overall ranking.
Since January 2012 Dirk von Zitzewitz has been taking part in the Dakar Rally with his team colleague Giniel de Villiers for the Imperial Toyota SA team.
Other successful motorcycle athletes from the von Zitzewitz family are Dirk's father Volker and his brother Bert .
Career stations
Enduro
- 1983: first participation in a motorcycle racing event
- 1987 to 1994: 1st place German Enduro Championship (in its displacement class)
- 1989 to 1991: Vice World Champion with the Enduro national team
- 1991 to 1994: German enduro champion of all classes
- 1996: 3rd place at the Enduro World Championship
- 1997: 5th place in the Paris-Dakar rally, best German participant
- 1997: 1st place German Enduro Championship (displacement class up to 400 cm³ 4-T)
- 1989: German Enduro team champion (together with brother Bert)
- 2001: 1st place German Enduro Championship (displacement class up to 125 cm³)
Dakar Rally / marathon rally
Enduro 1997
- 5th place motorcycle classification Dakar Rally (KTM), "Rookie of the Year", best German driver
1998
- 7th place motorcycle classification Dakar Rally (KTM), best German driver
1999
- Dakar Rally (KTM), two stage wins, retirement due to engine failure
Copilot / car 2002
- 19th place Dakar Rally, co-driver of Mark Miller , 1st place Toyota Trophy
2005
- 12th place in the Dakar Rally, co-driver of Robby Gordon , VW Race Touareg
- 6th place Baja Portalegre, co-driver of Mark Miller, VW Race Touareg
2006
- 5th place in the Dakar Rally, co-driver of Mark Miller, VW Race Touareg 2
- 2nd place in Rally Tunisia, co-driver of Giniel de Villiers, VW Race Touareg
- 1st place in the Transiberico Rally
- 1st place in the Morocco Rally
2007 together with driver Giniel de Villiers in the VW Race Touareg 2
- 11th place in the Dakar Rally, 4 stage wins (despite engine failure)
- 1st place in the Morocco Rally
- 3rd place UAE Desert Challenge
- FIA Vice World Champion 2007 (2nd place overall World Cup)
2008 together with driver Giniel de Villiers in the VW Race Touareg 2
- 1st place in the Rally Raid World Cup in Brazil
- 4th place PAX Rally in Portugal
- Failure in the lead after an accident at the Central Europe Rally (CER) in Hungary / Romania
2009 together with driver Giniel de Villiers in the VW Race Touareg 2
- 1st place in the Dakar Rally, 4 stage wins
- 3rd place in the Silk Way Rally
2011 together with driver Giniel de Villiers in the VW Race Touareg 3
- 2nd place in the Dakar Rally
2012 together with driver Giniel de Villiers in the Toyota Hilux Double Cab pickup (Team Toyota South Africa)
- 3rd place in the Dakar Rally
2013 together with driver Giniel de Villiers in the Toyota Hilux
- 2nd place in the Dakar Rally
social commitment
Dirk von Zitzewitz is the patron of the nationwide social association AH-TA e. V. , which offers nationwide help for children, young people and adults who can no longer solve problems caused by illness themselves.
literature
- Steffen Ottinger: “Around Zschopau. The story of a motorcycle off-road trip ", Volume 1 . Druck- und Verlagsgesellschaft Marienberg, Marienberg 2004, ISBN 3-931770-49-4 , p. 125 ff .
- Steffen Ottinger: “Around Zschopau. The story of a motorcycle off-road trip ", Volume 2 . HB-Werbung und Verlag GmbH & Co. KG, Chemnitz 2011, ISBN 978-3-00-036705-2 , p. 23 .
- Steffen Ottinger: International Six Day Trip 2012. The story since 1913 . HB-Werbung und Verlag GmbH & Co. KG, Chemnitz 2012, ISBN 978-3-00-039566-6 , p. 70 ff .
Individual evidence
- ↑ Archived copy ( memento from March 19, 2012 in the Internet Archive ) Patronage at AH-TA eV
Web links
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Zitzewitz, Dirk von |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | German racing driver |
| DATE OF BIRTH | October 14, 1968 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Eutin |