For Johnny Cecotto, it doesn’t matter whether the vehicle has two or four wheels. He was always fast, both on the motorcycle and in touring cars. During his career, the Venezuelan won the motorcycle world championship several times and just as many titles in touring cars. However, he was denied the DTM crown after colliding with Michael Schumacher at the start of the 1990 season finale. Instead, his duel with Klaus Ludwig on the Nordschleife has gone down in touring car racing history.

AUTOMOBILSPORT: Before we get to 1992, let’s start a little earlier. Can you remember the first time you saw or drove an M3?

Cecotto: Yes, I can still remember. It was a great car from the start and I won a lot of races with it. The first time I drove a M3 was at Monza in the World Touring Car Championship in 1987. I shared the CiBiEmme Sport car with Riccardo Patrese.

AUTOMOBILSPORT: Was that the race where the M3s were found to have illegal roofs?

Cecotto: Correct. The first time I drove it, I wondered why the roof vibrated so much. Our car had passed scrutineering, but then the technical officers objected to the thin sheet metal and our car was recalled. After the race they disqualified all of the M3s.

AUTOMOBILSPORT: How would you describe the development of the BMW M3 E30 over the years?

Cecotto: The M3 was continuously developed. There wasn’t a single area that wasn’t revised. There were improvements to the chassis, the engine and the aerodynamics. I would argue that no other touring car has done as many testing kilometres. That’s why the M3 got faster and faster over the years.

AUTOMOBILSPORT: The M3 was always praised for its handling. Do you agree? …

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by Christian Reinsch und Robert Weber

Photographs: Kräling, BMW, Walter Wilbert, McKlein

BMW celebrated the 50th anniversary of BMW M with a special event during this year’s 24-hour race weekend at the Nürburgring. One of the drivers invited for the occasion was Eddie Cheever, who formed the now legendary BMW Junior Team together with Manfred Winkelhock and Marc Surer back in 1977. Cheever is one of the few American racers who began their careers in European motorsport, as he grew up in Rome, where his parents ran a chain of fitness studios. As a child, his father took him to a sports car race in Monza – and little Eddie was immediately fascinated. We were on site at the Nürburgring and had the opportunity to interview Cheever exclusively about his time at BMW and his later Formula 1 career.

AUTOMOBILSPORT: When you signed for the BMW Junior Team for the 1977 season, you had your sights firmly on Formula 1. The BMW deal was likely to lead to a Formula 2 engagement, which it did. Did Jochen Neerpasch speak to you about a long-term plan for Formula 1?

Cheever: Everything you said is factually correct, just the order I need to adjust. I was racing for a gentleman called Ron Dennis, who at the time had a company called Project Four. When I won a Formula 3 race at Silverstone, somebody introduced me to Ron. He said, ‘would you like to test my Formula 2 car?’ I think it was a March Formula 2 car. My dad said yes. So I went, I tested, my father and Ron made an arrangement where he would run our Formula 3 car for the rest of the season. I did two races, I believe, in Germany. And then the next season I raced for Ron in Formula 2, where it was very much hand to mouth. When we had $2, we would spend $2, when we had $3 we spent $3. I had one or two good results. Ron Dennis is the one who negotiated with Neerpasch to get the official BMW engines.

AUTOMOBILSPORT: For Formula 2?

Cheever: Yes, for Formula 2. Part of the deal was that I had to race in the German Group 5 championship for BMW with the new Junior Team, which was the beginning of everything. Once we were in the sphere of BMW, they had the best Formula 2 engine. And there was a big push to win the championship. I thought when I signed for BMW I would turn up at a test session and we would do a few laps and then we would go racing. It was exactly the opposite – as if I was a Formula 1 driver already. They put us all in these cars and we went to St Moritz and trained like crazy people. For two weeks up early every morning, doing gymnastics and talking and all this competition. I was exhausted at the end of it, but it really was my introduction to racing.

I never talked to Jochen about Formula 1. But at the end of the year, I won at the Nürburgring, I won in Rouen and I went into the last race in second place. And I broke my hand one week before the last race in Vallelunga driving a Jägermeister BMW. That is the chronological sequence

AUTOMOBILSPORT: Did you have an eye on BMW before, in terms of racing? …

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by Robert Weber

Photographs: BMW, Thomas Dirk Heere, Robert Weber, Kräling, Motorsportimages, McKlein

After three attempts, Klaus Ludwig finally won the title for Mercedes in 1992. We spoke to him about his time with AMG.

AUTOMOBILSPORT: You won your first DTM title in 1988 and then dropped a bombshell and switched to Mercedes in the winter. How did the move come about?

Ludwig: 1988 was a difficult season because the Ford Sierra Cosworth wasn’t up to scratch any more. The car didn’t handle well any more because it had to carry so much weight due to the restrictions. At the same time, the motor was restricted by an air restrictor. But we still managed to win the championship. During the season I could see how agile the Mercedes was and what other drivers could do with it. I was impressed and I decided that if an offer came along, I’d sign it. And the offer came. That was the start of one of the best times in my career.

AUTOMOBILSPORT: What impressed you about AMG and Mercedes?

Ludwig: The star! To drive for Mercedes once in my life. Mercedes-Benz came back to motorsport, I had the opportunity to drive for them, and I even got paid! That was great. Obviously, I wanted to be involved in it. I remember sitting on the grid in Mainz-Finthen in 1989, and Michael Kranefuss from Ford came up and opened the door. He laughed and said, ‘You in a Mercedes, that’s all we need!’ I’m sure many others would have wanted to drive for Mercedes back then as well.

AUTOMOBILSPORT: That brings us to Hans-Werner Aufrecht. How was your relationship with him?

Ludwig: Hans-Werner Aufrecht is an impressive person who has done a lot for touring car racing. In his roles as a team boss and the ITR chairman, he was under constant pressure to succeed. That meant he was, at times, irritable. I’ll admit that. But all in all, we had a very good relationship and a lot of mutual respect.

AUTOMOBILSPORT: 1989 was a tough year for you. Do you think you could have won the title in your first year with AMG? …

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by Christian Reinsch

Photographs: Kräling, McKlein, Mercedes-Benz