A day trip that offers something for everyone The Odenwald is a densely forested region found northeast of Heidelberg and southeast of Frankfurt recalls an Old Norse god associated with wisdom Tucked into its rolling green hills is a wealth of attractions sure to conquer the heart of modern-day warriors A scenic drive along curving highways with tummy-tickling dips links up all the pieces of the puzzle Here’s a possible itinerary with stops sure to appeal to a variety of tastes: Weinheim: our journey begins in a small city 10 miles north of Heidelberg to which the region known as the Bergstrasse lies equal claim Among the most attractive features of Weinheim is a market square that looks like it was dropped into place straight from Italy It’s the perfect spot for your morning coffee as you map out the day ahead Those with a thing for plants and trees will enjoy a wander through the Hermannshof Botanical Gardens Wald-Michelbach: drop by this tiny community to take a ride on the Sommerrodelbahn a metal tracked roller-coaster-like ride built onto the slide of a slope The fast-paced ride packs enough thrills for grown-ups the Flying Fox zip line allows you to land with a flourish Place your orders at the Odenwald’s most traditional of breweries the Guesthouse of the Privat-Brauerei Schmucker Even without that man in the tricorn hat hefting a mug of frothy beer there to serve you in person his face will smile out at you from the label of any one of the 20 types of beer brewed on-site backfish and gulasch will make choosing from the menu a challenge Once Coronavirus concerns have passed us by booking a tour of this traditional brewery will once again be an option Michelstadt: a highlight of any day spent in the Odenwald is a wander through this charmer of a town Unique among its buildings is its magnificent circa-1484 half-timbered Town Hall instantly recognizable with its wooden-beamed open gallery on the ground floor and red-tiled and the ancient walls surrounding the town BackTeam Presentation - LM P1: #7 and #8 Audi Sport Team JoestThis year Audi will be seeking a 14th win at the 24 Hours Porsche will be defending its trophy and Toyota looking to score a first victory Audi was founded in 1909 by German engineer after he left the company bearing his name DKW and Audi joined together to form Auto Union hence the logo with four rings This was the glorious era of the Silver Arrows which shared records and grand prix victories between 1934 and 1939 Audi began to forge a sporting image for the make by launching the Quattro in the World Rally Championship in 1980 It has won the ALMS Series in each of its campaigns as well as the inaugural LMS in 2004 following by another slightly unexpected success in 2008 Probably no other manufacturer has ever dominated endurance racing to such an extent One of the reasons for this supremacy is the fact that Audi has benefitted from the know-how of Team Joest which has a vast amount of long-distance racing experience (4 victories with Porsche in the Le Mans 24 Hours in 1984-85 1996-97 well before the start of the Audi saga) Audi set itself a big challenge by aiming to become the first manufacturer to win the Le Mans 24 Hours with a diesel engine The Audi R10 TDI was a worthy successor to the R8 It confirmed this in 2007 with another victory despite the arrival of Peugeot The V12 R10 TDI also won the Sebring 12 Hours twice and in 2008 scored its hat trick of Le Mans success with diesel power its eighth victory in the Sarthe classic and clinched a rather unexpected title in the ALMS Audi designed a brand-new car for the 2009 season a smaller V10 engine and very avant-garde aerodynamics It also reshuffled its driver line-up with Dumas and Bernhard from Porsche replacing old soldiers The R15 made a winning debut at Sebring in 2009 driven by Capello-McNish-Kristensen a result it repeated in that year’s rain-shortened Petit Le Mans while a new version of the R15 was being built in Ingolstat The new Audi R18 will turn its first laps at La Sarthe during #LeMans24 test day on Sunday #WEC #LeagueofPerformance pic.twitter.com/4txWVoZ3M7 Sun glinting off one of our Audi R18 cars. Le Mans is up next for the @fiawec_official in June. #WEC #LeMans24 #LeagueofPerformance Une photo publiée par Audi Sport (@audi__sport) le 23 Mai 2016 à 23h01 PDT #LEMANS24 Related News24h Le Mans02/05/2025 The trailer for the documentary ‘American Thunder: NASCAR to Le Mans’ unveiledIn 2023 during the Centenary edition of the 24 Hours of Le Mans ‘American Thunder: NASCAR to Le Mans’ retraces this adventure in a full-length documentary broadcast exclusively on Prime Video on 12 June The second round of the 2025 European Le Mans Series (ELMS) takes place this Sunday 4 May at the Circuit Paul Ricard An impressive 44 cars are expected on the grid with a large French contingent on home soil in terms of both drivers and teams For the 93rd edition of the Le Mans 24 Hours (11-15 June 2025) the #59 McLaren 720S LMGT3 Evo entered by United Autosports in the LMGT3 class will feature a unique livery: the Meningitis Flag The aim of this livery is to raise awareness of a disease that is all too often overlooked: meningitis The Automobile Club de l’Ouest is proud to announce that Roger Federer the revered champion and global sporting icon will don the mantle of official starter at the 93rd 24 Hours of Le Mans the fourth round of the FIA WEC World Endurance Championship Mazda Motorsports begins a new era today with the creation of Mazda Team Joest which will be the factory Mazda Prototype race team competing in the North American IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship under Daytona Prototype international (DPi) rules The team will make its racing debut at the 2018 Rolex 24 at Daytona in January Joest Racing is one of the most successful endurance sports car teams in history with 16 victories at the 24 Hours of Le Mans plus multiple wins in prestigious North American races such as the Rolex 24 at Daytona ten wins at the 12 Hours of Sebring and six titles at Petit Le Mans Joest found much of its success as the factory team for Audi from 1999 until the manufacturer ended the program after the 2016 season Joest Racing had multiple Le Mans victories with Porsche The German company was created in 1978 by then-factory Porsche driver Reinhold Joest Mazda’s racing heritage includes being the only Asian manufacturer to win overall at Le Mans plus 22 class victories at the Rolex 24 at Daytona 13 class wins at the 12 Hours of Sebring and 11 major season championships Mazda is the third-most successful manufacturer in the history of North American professional sports car racing “Since Mazda first took to the race track in 1964 our ‘Never Stop Challenging’ spirit means that every time we race we strive for victories and championships,” said Masahiro Moro president and CEO of Mazda North American Operations (MNAO) and managing executive officer “The creation of Mazda Team Joest provides us a unique opportunity to partner with a team with proven success in the prototype ranks and gives us the best chance to return Mazda to the top step of the podium I welcome the Joest family to the Mazda family we will write many more pages in the book of Mazda racing successes.” “We are excited and proud about this new opportunity with Mazda,” said Ralf Jüttner “Mazda has such a long tradition in motorsport and has created a huge platform for racing enthusiasts this is not only a return to American racing but also great news to the big group of our Japanese fans director of motorsports for Mazda North American Operations recognizes the new pairing as a “once in a lifetime opportunity.” “This is an important moment in Mazda Motorsports history as we align our brand’s top-level sports car racing program with one of the best sports car teams of all time,” said Doonan Ralf Jüttner and the entire Joest Racing organization have accomplished is not likely to ever be matched We are very excited to work with them to put Mazda in victory lane and to strive for more championship trophies adding to the substantial Mazda and Joest Racing legacies in the years ahead.” Mazda’s current Prototype team will not compete in the three remaining IMSA races this season “I want to thank our long-time partners at SpeedSource Race Engineering and owner “We accomplished a great deal with their organization at all levels of the sport for more than two decades They are a perfect example of a team that has grown through our Mazda system: from grassroots club racing to Rolex 24 race-winning efforts in GT and then on to the Prototype program Friendships in our sport run deep and we certainly don’t see that changing.” Mazda Team Joest will soon begin testing the Mazda RT24-P in preparation for next season The production-inspired bodywork treatment developed in concert with Mazda designers will remain 2.0-liter inline Mazda MZ-2.0T engine which produces approximately 600 horsepower developed by British Company Advanced Engine Research (AER) which was heavily involved in the creation of the Mazda RT24-P has taken the lead to refine and improve the chassis and will work closely with Joest in testing and simulation work The four current Mazda Prototype drivers will participate in the testing and development but the 2018 driver lineup is yet to be determined will establish a North American headquarters for the race team in the Atlanta area Mazda Team Joest reveals 2019 driver line up British sports car racing stars ready for Daytona 24 Hours with Mazda Team Joest Mazda Team Joest shows speed and tests endurance at tough Daytona 24 Hours