1997 Super Touring Car Cup

The 1997 Super Touring Car Cup was the fourth season of this racing series.

Season overview

In the 1997 season, Peugeot driver Laurent Aïello and BMW driver Joachim Winkelhock fought for the title. Aiello took the lead in the championship early on and defended it over the season. He achieved 11 wins and 17 podiums in 20 races. Winkelhock became Aiello's main opponent after getting off to an equally good start to the season as his team-mate Johnny Cecotto . Although he brought in four wins in the middle of the season, he could not catch up with Aiello. Despite a strong line-up of drivers ( Emanuele Pirro , Yvan Muller , Philipp Peter and Tamara Vidali ), the defending champion Audi struggled. Pirro won only one race, the four drivers achieved a total of just three podium positions.

With the end of the German Touring Car Championship (DTM for short) and the International Touring Car Championship (ITC for short), the Alfa Romeo and Opel teams there as well as two Mercedes drivers (van Ommen and Thiim) were in the STW changed, which resulted in a significantly larger starting field of sometimes well over 30 vehicles.

Teams and drivers

No.	driver	team	vehicle	comment
1	Emanuele Pirro	AZK / ROC	Audi A4 Quattro
2	Philipp Peter	AZK / ROC	Audi A4 Quattro
3	Yvan Muller	AZK / ROC	Audi A4 Quattro
4th	Tamara Vidali	AZK / ROC	Audi A4 Quattro
5	Johnny Cecotto	BMW Team Bigazzi	BMW 320i
6th	Joachim Winkelhock	BMW Team Bigazzi	BMW 320i
9	Jörg van Ommen	Peugeot Esso	Peugeot 406
10	Laurent Aïello	Peugeot Esso	Peugeot 406
11	Altfrid Heger	Team Honda Sport	Honda Accord
12	Marco Werner	Team Honda Sport	Honda Accord
14th	Frank Schmickler	Cool Fire Team Engstler	Alfa Romeo 155 TS	Race 1-14
15th	Franz Engstler	Cool Fire Team Engstler	Alfa Romeo 155 TS
16	Marco Bromberger	Cool Fire Team Engstler	Alfa Romeo 155 TS
17th	Danny Arrow	Cool Fire Team Engstler	Alfa Romeo 155 TS
18th	Christian Dept.	Abt Sportsline	Audi A4 Quattro
19th	Kris Nissen	Abt Sportsline	Audi A4 Quattro
20th	Kurt Thiim	Opel Team Zakspeed	Opel Vectra	Races 1-4, 7-20
21st	Uwe Alzen	Opel Team Zakspeed	Opel Vectra
22nd	Sascha Maassen	Nissan Primera Racing	Nissan Primera eGT
23	Roland Asch	Nissan Primera Racing	Nissan Primera eGT
24	Steve Soper	Isert BMW team	BMW 320i	Race 19-20
25th	Leopold Prince of Bavaria	Isert BMW team	BMW 320i	Races 1-2, 5-10, 13-18
26th	Christian Menzel	Isert BMW team	BMW 320i
27	Manuel Reuter	Opel Team SMS	Opel Vectra
28	Michael Bartels	Opel Team SMS	Opel Vectra
30th	Alexander Burgstaller	Opel Team Holzer	Opel Vectra	Race 1-10
31	Ronny Melkus	Opel Team Holzer	Opel Vectra
32	James Thompson	Team Honda Sport	Honda Accord	Race 19-20
33	Marc Gindorf	PMC Sports	BMW 320i	Race 1-10
35	Christian Danner	JAS engineering	Alfa Romeo 155 TS
36	Stefano Modena	JAS engineering	Alfa Romeo 155 TS
38	Stephen Vollmair	Cool Fire Team Engstler	Alfa Romeo 155 TS	Race 19-20
39	Michael Heigert	MHT Sports	BMW 318is
40	Eric Helary	Isert BMW team	BMW 320i	Race 3-4
44	Klaus Niedzwiedz	MIG Austria	Audi A4 Quattro
45	Dirk Mueller	MIG Austria	Audi A4 Quattro	Races 7-10, 15-20
46	Raimund Baumschlager	MIG Austria	Audi A4 Quattro	Race 13-14
47	Gianni Giudici	Cool Fire Team Engstler	Alfa Romeo 155 TS	Race 15-16

Race results

run	date	route	winner	vehicle
1	April 27	Hockenheim	Laurent Aiello	Peugeot 406
2			Laurent Aiello	Peugeot 406
3	May 11th	Zolder	Johnny Cecotto	BMW 320i
4th			Johnny Cecotto	BMW 320i
5	25. May	Nürburgring	Laurent Aiello	Peugeot 406
6th			Laurent Aiello	Peugeot 406
7th	15th June	Sachsenring	Joachim Winkelhock	BMW 320i
8th			Joachim Winkelhock	BMW 320i
9	June 29th	Norisring	Joachim Winkelhock	BMW 320i
10			Joachim Winkelhock	BMW 320i
11	July 13th	Wunstorf	Laurent Aiello	Peugeot 406
12			Laurent Aiello	Peugeot 406
13	August 10	Zweibrücken	Laurent Aiello	Peugeot 406
14th			Emanuele Pirro	Audi A4 Quattro
15th	August 24th	Salzburgring	Laurent Aiello	Peugeot 406
16			Laurent Aiello	Peugeot 406
17th	7th of September	Lahr	Johnny Cecotto	BMW 320i
18th			Joachim Winkelhock	BMW 320i
19th	5th October	Nürburgring	Laurent Aiello	Peugeot 406
20th			Laurent Aiello	Peugeot 406

Final score

Item	Driver	HOC		ZOL		JUST		SAC		NOR		WUN		TWO		SAL		LAH		JUST		Pts
1	Laurent Aiello	1	1	3	3	1	1	2	2	2	DNF	1	1	1	4th	1	1	2	20th	1	1	696
2	Joachim Winkelhock	4th	2	2	2	DNF	DNF	1	1	1	1	2	3	2	5	4th	2	7th	1	3	2	644
3	Johnny Cecotto	2	3	1	1	3	2	15th	5	4th	DNF	7th	5	3	2	7th	5	1	2	5	3	571
4th	Jörg van Ommen	3	4th	9	19th	4th	5	5	4th	3	2	6th	10	17th	DNF	2	24	6th	21st	2	4th	377
5	Uwe Alzen	3	26th	15th	15th	6th	7th	3	3	25th	12	3	2	7th	25th	3	3	3	3	6th	DNF	370
6th	Emanuele Pirro	11	9	4th	10	20th	7th	6th	4th	5	3	DNF	DNF	4th	1	13	7th	19th	11	13	10	357
7th	Yvan Muller	12	11	10	11	20th	DNF	13	6th	11	19th	DNF	DNF	6th	6th	6th	6th	4th	4th	7th	6th	298
8th	Roland Asch	13	10	21st	18th	9	9	10	9	12	6th	11	12	13	11	14th	11	DNF	12	11	9	285
9	Kris Nissen	5	6th	16	6th	14th	13	8th	19th	16	4th	24	14th	14th	14th	15th	10	11	8th	26th	16	273
10	Sascha Maassen	14th	DNF	8th	7th	10	8th	7th	11	9	20th	DNF	8th	15th	12	18th	12	13	9	18th	11	263
11	Michael Bartels	18th	13	17th	26th	8th	10	DNF	DNS	15th	17th	13	9	16	16	5	4th	10	6th	4th	5	263
12	Altfrid Heger	28	DNF	28	12	5	4th	16	14th	10	DNF	10	13	11	15th	12	DNF	12	7th	10	8th	238
13	Christian Dept.	8th	15th	5	4th	11	12	11	17th	6th	DNF	15th	11	8th	17th	17th	14th	DNF	DNF	19th	13	223
14th	Christian Menzel	7th	8th	11	16	DNF	DNF	9	7th	DNF	DNS	8th	7th	25th	9	8th	8th	5	DNF	DNF	DNS	222
15th	Tamara Vidali	23	DNF	13	DNF	13	11	DNF	8th	7th	5	20th	15th	10	7th	27	19th	14th	13	17th	14th	207
16	Philipp Peter	16	14th	6th	5	21st	DNF	6th	21st	DNF	8th	17th	19th	5	3	16	15th	DNF	DNF	12	17th	205
17th	Manuel Reuter	15th	12	12	8th	16	DNS	14th	DNF	DNF	DNS	9	6th	9	10	11	9	DNF	DNS	15th	DNF	189
18th	Kurt Thiim	DNF	19th	24	13			20th	20th	20th	11	4th	4th	DNF	DNS	9	13	8th	5	9	DNF	180
19th	Marco Werner	6th	5	30th	25th	2	3	DNF	DNS	8th	10	5	17th	DNF	DNF	10	16	9	DNF	14th	DNF	170
20th	Stefano Modena	10	7th	14th	27	23	20th	23	DNF	27	7th	14th	DNF	18th	20th	19th	17th	16	10	DNS	DNF	129
21st	Klaus Niedzwiedz	24	20th	20th	20th	18th	DNS	DNF	12	14th	9	12	DNF	12	8th	22nd	20th	DNF	14th	21st	15th	103
22nd	Leopold Prince of Bavaria	29	17th			15th	14th	17th	10	26th	DNS			26th	18th	26th	23	17th	15th			85
23	Alexander Burgstaller	25th	18th	18th	14th	12	15th	12	13	13	DNF											79
24	Franz Engstler	21st	DNF	22nd	17th	22nd	21st	21st	15th	23	15th	19th	18th	20th	23	21st	22nd	18th	17th	20th	20th	57
25th	Frank Schmickler	22nd	24	29	DNF	26th	16	22nd	16	24	14th	21st	16	21st	19th							52
26th	Marc Gindorf	20th	16	DNF	DNF	19th	17th	18th	DNF	19th	13											44
27	James Thompson																			8th	7th	41
28	Eric Helary			7th	9																	38
29	Christian Danner	17th	23	23	23	17th	DNF	DNF	DNF	17th	DNF	18th	DNF	24	21st	20th	18th	20th	18th	23	18th	37
30th	Steve Soper																			16	12	23
31	Danny Arrow	26th	21st	26th	22nd	24	19th	25th	22nd	21st	16	23	20th	23	22nd	25th	DNF	DNF	DNS	24	19th	23
32	Dirk Mueller							19th	DNF	18th	21st					23	21st	15th	16	22nd	DNF	21st
33	Raimund Baumschlager													19th	13							20th
34	Marco Bromberger	27	22nd	25th	24	25th	DNF	26th	18th	22nd	18th	22nd	DNF	22nd	24	24	25th	21st	19th	DNF	DNS	16
35	Michael Heigert	DNF	25th	27	DNF	27	18th															8th
36	Ronny Melkus	19th	DNF	19th	21st			24	DNS													4th
37	Stephan Vollmair																			25th	DNS	0
38	Gianni Giudici															DNF	DNS					0

colour	meaning
gold	winner
silver	2nd place
bronze	3rd place
green	Placement in the points
blue	Classified outside the point ranks
violet	Race not finished ( DNF )
	not classified (NC)
red	not qualified (DNQ)
black	disqualified (DSQ)
White	not at the start ( DNS )
	withdrawn (WD)
	Race canceled (C)
colourless	not participated in the training (DNP)
	injured or sick (INJ)
	excluded (EX)
	did not appear (DNA)