The German Racing Championship (DRM) was one of the most important racing series in German motorsport in the mid-1970s. At 200-Mile Race of Nuremberg at the Norisring on June 27, 1976, the fourth round of the season, the two DRM divisions met with their different concepts. On the 2.3-kilometer street circuit, the race went over 70 laps and thus a distance of 161 kilometers.
The one seen here Zakspeed Ford Escort II was by Hans Heyer used for the Castrol team Zakspeed. The rear-wheel-drive Escort belonged to Division II for vehicles up to two liters of displacement and was equipped with a Zakspeed-built 2.0-liter Cosworth BDG four-cylinder engine equipped with four-valve technology and a naturally aspirated engine. The high-revving racing engine produced around 300 hp and transmitted its power to the rear wheels via a manual racing transmission.
Heyer already made a statement in practice and placed the Escort with a time of 59.400 seconds to the Division II pole position. With that, he went into the race ahead of his teammate Peter Hennige. At the finish line, however, Heyer had to accept Klaus Ludwig in the second Zakspeed Escort admit defeat. After 70 laps and 161 kilometers, he was only 12.8 seconds to the winner. Ludwig also posted the fastest lap of the race with a time of 59.700 seconds.
Second place at the Norisring capped off a strong season for Hans Heyer. He had already won a DRM Division II race in Mainz-Finthen, with further victories following during the year in Diepholz, Hockenheim, and at the Baden Trophy. At the end of the season, Heyer was once again at the very top: In 1976, he won the German Racing Championship in a Zakspeed Ford Escort and thus defended his title from the previous year.
The photo shows one of the iconic touring cars from the golden age of Zakspeed – Hans Heyer behind the wheel of the Castrol Escort with start number 41 at the Norisring in Nuremberg, directly on the way to second place in Division II.