Sven Stoppe tells the ADAC GT Masters where to go. The 51-year-old has been race director of the German GT Championship since 2021 and is responsible for the sporting process at every tour stop.
Whether safety car deployment or drive-through penalty – the trained tax officer from Gebersreuth has the last word. However, when it comes to the sometimes difficult decisions, he relies on the advice of his employees, because teamwork is a top priority in Race Control in the ADAC GT Masters.
Sven Stoppe grew up on the Schleizer Dreieck, a temporary racetrack in Thuringia. Motor sports have been his passion from an early age.
“Our house was ten meters from the racetrack and according to my parents, even as a one-year-old I couldn’t get away from the window when the engines were humming. Even the meal times were adapted to what was happening on the track,” says the race director.
As a teenager, he initially remained true to his passion as a marshal and was eventually assigned to track safety at the Lausitzring. Since 2005 he has been responsible for various series as race director.
Since Sven Stoppe did not have the opportunity to actively pursue motorsport, he completed training sessions with Christina Tomczyk in a car. “Even if that doesn’t replace a competition, I wanted to recreate the cockpit perspective. I also often had race consultants like Bernd Mayländer, Dirk Adorf or Bernd Schneider – to name just a few – at my side from whom I learned a lot about the perspective of the racing driver have learned.”
After taking office in the ADAC GT Masters 2021, Sven Stoppe introduced innovations with a changed starting procedure, full course yellow or the penalty lap, which proved their worth right away.
His current project: The drive-through penalty should be abolished if possible. “This penalty is unfair in a way over the course of the season, because depending on the race track and the length of the pit lane, the drivers lose different amounts of time.”
“We want to change that in the future by issuing penalty laps instead – if necessary several. This penalty hits the drivers just as hard, but it is the same for everyone and therefore fairer. Otherwise we are well positioned with the current regulations and are following up the changes in the past season on Konstanz.”
During a race, many different situations have to be assessed and judged. “Some things are clear, with other things we first have to gather information or other perspectives from onboard or track cameras.”
“We then assess the whole thing in our permanent team; I am ultimately responsible for the decision. If we cannot make a definitive assessment of an incident during the race, the sports stewards are called in and evaluate the data that we have in Race Control during are not available for a race,” says Sven Stoppe, who watches every race again on Monday after a tour stop.
His relationship with the drivers is excellent, even if the race director sometimes has to act as a “spoilsport”. “It is in the nature of things that drivers are not happy with a penalty and sometimes feel unfairly treated.”
“That’s why I always try to talk to them and tell them my point of view. After all, it’s about their safety and a fair conduct of a race. That works very well, because at the end of the day it’s very simple: Without the pilots, there is no one Motorsport and no race director.”
“Drivers, teams, organizers and the race director are in the same boat and have to rock the thing together. Because we all want motorsport to live on in a similar form for many years to come.”