# 1998 Super Tourenwagen Cup

The 1998 ADAC Deutsche Super Touren Wagen-Cup was the fifth edition of the Super Tourenwagen Cup (STW).

## Season summary

After an open start to the season with four different winners in the first four races, BMW driver Johnny Cecotto and reigning champion and Peugeot driver Laurent Aïello soon emerged as the two championship contenders. Cecotto built up a sizeable lead during the season, but a late four-race winning streak ahead of the final weekend helped Aiello close the gap. After finishing third in the sprint race at the final event, one place ahead of Cecotto, Aiello passed Cecotto in the championship and led his Venezuelan rival by a single point before the deciding feature race. In that race, Cecotto would go on to finish fourth, two places ahead of Aiello, allowing him to claim the title.

## Teams and drivers

| Team | Car | No | Drivers | Rounds | Class |
| Peugeot Esso | Peugeot 406 | 1 | Laurent Aïello | All | M |
| Peugeot Esso | Peugeot 406 | 2 | Jörg van Ommen | All | M |
| Paulaner Team Holzer | Opel Vectra | 3 | Alexander Burgstaller | All | M |
| Opel Team Holzer | Opel Vectra | 4 | Uwe Alzen | All | M |
| Abt Sportsline | Audi A4 | 5 | Emanuele Pirro | All | M |
| TNT Team SMS | Opel Vectra | 6 | Éric Hélary | All | M |
| Opel Team SMS | Opel Vectra | 7 | Manuel Reuter | All | M |
| BMW Team Schnitzer | BMW 320i | 8 | Joachim Winkelhock | All | T |
| BMW Team Schnitzer | BMW 320i | 9 | Johnny Cecotto | All | T |
| Euroteam | Alfa Romeo 156 | 10 | Stefano Modena | All | T |
| JAS Team Honda Sport | Honda Accord | 11 | Gabriele Tarquini | All | M |
| JAS Team Honda Sport | Honda Accord | 12 | Tom Kristensen | All | M |
| Mamerow Racing Team | Audi A4 Quattro | 14 | Peter Mamerow | 1-4 | T |
| Mamerow Racing Team | BMW 320i | 14 | Peter Mamerow | 5-10 | T |
| Oliver Mayer Motorsport | Audi A4 Quattro | 15 | Oliver Mayer | 1-4, 6-7, 9-10 | T |
| Auto Dienst Bemani Team | Opel Vectra | 16 | Marco Bromberger | 1-5, 7-10 | T |
| Auto Plus Bemani Team | Opel Vectra | 17 | Klaus Niedzwiedz | All | T |
| Abt Sportsline | Audi A4 | 18 | Christian Abt | All | M |
| Irmscher Motorsport | Opel Vectra | 19 | Franz Engstler | All | T |
| Alfa Corse | Alfa Romeo 156 | 20 | Nicola Larini | 4 | T |
| Peugeot Esso | Peugeot 406 | 21 | Michael Bartels | 7-10 | M |
| Nissan Primera Racing | Nissan Primera GT | 22 | Michael Krumm | All | M |
| Nissan Primera Racing | Nissan Primera GT | 23 | Roland Asch | All | M |
| Team Isert | BMW 320i | 25 | Leopold Prinz von Bayern | All | T |
| Team Isert | BMW 320i | 26 | Christian Menzel | All | T |
| Alfa Corse | Alfa Romeo 156 | 30 | Fabrizio Giovanardi | 4 | T |
| Abt Sportsline | Audi A4 | 45 | Frank Biela | All | M |
| Icon | Class |
| M | Drivers eligible to score points in the Manufactures Trophy |
| T | Drivers eligible to score points in the Team Trophy |

## Race calendar and results

| Round | Round | Circuit | Date | Pole Position | Winning driver | Winning team |
| 1 | R1 | Hockenheimring | 19 April | Laurent Aïello | Uwe Alzen | Opel Team Holzer |
| 1 | R2 | Hockenheimring | 19 April | | Manuel Reuter | Opel Team SMS |
| 2 | R1 | Nürburgring | 10 May | Roland Asch | Roland Asch | Nissan Primera Racing |
| 2 | R2 | Nürburgring | 10 May | | Johnny Cecotto | BMW Team Schnitzer |
| 3 | R1 | Sachsenring | 24 May | Johnny Cecotto | Johnny Cecotto | BMW Team Schnitzer |
| 3 | R2 | Sachsenring | 24 May | | Johnny Cecotto | BMW Team Schnitzer |
| 4 | R1 | Norisring | 6 July | Éric Hélary | Jörg van Ommen | Peugeot Esso |
| 4 | R2 | Norisring | 6 July | | Laurent Aïello | Peugeot Esso |
| 5 | R1 | Lahr | 19 July | Uwe Alzen | Uwe Alzen | Opel Team Holzer |
| 5 | R2 | Lahr | 19 July | | Gabriele Tarquini | JAS Team Honda Sport |
| 6 | R1 | Wunstorf | 2 August | Manuel Reuter | Laurent Aïello | Peugeot Esso |
| 6 | R2 | Wunstorf | 2 August | | Manuel Reuter | Opel Team SMS |
| 7 | R1 | Zweibrücken | 16 August | Manuel Reuter | Johnny Cecotto | BMW Motorsport Team Schnitzer |
| 7 | R2 | Zweibrücken | 16 August | | Johnny Cecotto | BMW Motorsport Team Schnitzer |
| 8 | R1 | Salzburgring | 30 August | Tom Kristensen | Laurent Aïello | Peugeot Esso |
| 8 | R2 | Salzburgring | 30 August | | Laurent Aïello | Peugeot Esso |
| 9 | R1 | Oschersleben | 13 September | Laurent Aïello | Laurent Aïello | Peugeot Esso |
| 9 | R2 | Oschersleben | 13 September | | Laurent Aïello | Peugeot Esso |
| 10 | R1 | Nürburgring | 4 October | Manuel Reuter | Manuel Reuter | Opel Team SMS |
| 10 | R2 | Nürburgring | 4 October | | Éric Hélary | TNT Team SMS |

## Championship results

Points system :
| Race 1 | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | 4th | 5th | 6th | 7th | 8th | 9th | 10th | 11th | 12th | 13th | 14th | 15th | 16th | 17th | 18th | 19th | 20th |
| | 30 | 24 | 20 | 17 | 16 | 15 | 14 | 13 | 12 | 11 | 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 |
| Race 2 | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | 4th | 5th | 6th | 7th | 8th | 9th | 10th | 11th | 12th | 13th | 14th | 15th | 16th | 17th | 18th | 19th | 20th |
| | 60 | 48 | 40 | 34 | 32 | 30 | 28 | 26 | 24 | 22 | 20 | 18 | 16 | 14 | 12 | 10 | 8 | 6 | 4 | 2 |
| Pos | Driver | HOC | HOC | NÜR | NÜR | SAC | SAC | NOR | NOR | LAH | LAH | WUN | WUN | ZWE | ZWE | SAL | SAL | OSC | OSC | NÜR | NÜR | Pts |
| 1 | Johnny Cecotto | 8 | 8 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 8 | 4 | 4 | 2 | 9 | 10 | 1 | 1 | 12 | 10 | 3 | 2 | 4 | 4 | 595 |
| 2 | Laurent Aïello | 4 | 2 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 5 | 6 | 1 | 12 | 10 | 1 | Ret | 3 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 6 | 592 |
| 3 | Uwe Alzen | 1 | 17 | 6 | 5 | 4 | Ret | 2 | 3 | 1 | 4 | 5 | 2 | 15 | 6 | 2 | 13 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 2 | 482 |
| 4 | Éric Hélary | Ret | 9 | 2 | 2 | 19 | 7 | 7 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 7 | 4 | 8 | 4 | Ret | DNS | 9 | 6 | 2 | 1 | 473 |
| 5 | Manuel Reuter | 2 | 1 | 5 | 11 | 16 | 6 | Ret | 10 | 20 | 6 | 2 | 1 | 5 | 20 | 3 | 15 | 8 | Ret | 1 | 3 | 423 |
| 6 | Joachim Winkelhock | 3 | 3 | 7 | 7 | 9 | 2 | 10 | 5 | Ret | Ret | 10 | 11 | 2 | 2 | 13 | 16 | 4 | 3 | Ret | 10 | 405 |
| 7 | Gabriele Tarquini | 7 | 11 | 8 | Ret | 5 | 4 | 5 | 7 | 3 | 1 | Ret | DNS | 4 | 22 | 5 | 4 | 16 | 12 | 21 | 9 | 335 |
| 8 | Roland Asch | 15 | 10 | 1 | 4 | Ret | 3 | 3 | 6 | 6 | 7 | Ret | DNS | 6 | 3 | 22 | 11 | 10 | 13 | Ret | 21 | 327 |
| 9 | Michael Krumm | 11 | 4 | 12 | 21 | 6 | Ret | Ret | 12 | 7 | Ret | 6 | 6 | 7 | 12 | 9 | 6 | 2 | 4 | 12 | 8 | 312 |
| 10 | Jörg van Ommen | Ret | DNS | 9 | 6 | 11 | 9 | 1 | DNS | Ret | 11 | 4 | 3 | Ret | 7 | 6 | 5 | 14 | 11 | 11 | 13 | 311 |
| 11 | Tom Kristensen | 9 | 12 | Ret | DNS | 7 | Ret | 14 | 8 | 8 | 16 | 3 | 5 | Ret | 9 | 8 | 7 | 13 | 10 | 7 | 5 | 293 |
| 12 | Christian Abt | 6 | 5 | 11 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 4 | 9 | 9 | Ret | 15 | 8 | Ret | 14 | 4 | Ret | 6 | Ret | 13 | 18 | 267 |
| 13 | Christian Menzel | 5 | Ret | 10 | 9 | 2 | DSQ | 15 | 18 | 11 | 9 | 11 | 12 | 12 | 13 | 15 | 12 | 12 | 7 | 14 | 15 | 254 |
| 14 | Frank Biela | 13 | Ret | 14 | 12 | Ret | 11 | 20 | Ret | 10 | 5 | 8 | Ret | 13 | 11 | 14 | 9 | 11 | 8 | 6 | 11 | 242 |
| 15 | Alexander Burgstaller | 10 | 16 | 13 | 14 | Ret | Ret | 17 | Ret | 5 | 15 | 16 | 7 | 9 | 15 | 11 | 8 | 17 | 14 | 8 | 7 | 227 |
| 16 | Emanuele Pirro | 16 | 7 | Ret | 13 | 17 | Ret | 19 | 19 | 13 | 8 | Ret | Ret | 14 | Ret | 7 | 2 | 7 | Ret | 10 | 12 | 205 |
| 17 | Klaus Niedzwiedz | 17 | 14 | 16 | 15 | 18 | 15 | 11 | Ret | 15 | 12 | 13 | 13 | 16 | 16 | 18 | 14 | 21 | 16 | 15 | Ret | 156 |
| 18 | Stefano Modena | 18 | 18 | 15 | 12 | 10 | 17 | Ret | DNS | 14 | Ret | Ret | 9 | 10 | 10 | 16 | Ret | 18 | 15 | 22 | 17 | 146 |
| 19 | Michael Bartels | | | | | | | | | | | | | 11 | 8 | 10 | 3 | 15 | 9 | 9 | 14 | 143 |
| 20 | Peter Mamerow | Ret | DNS | 17 | 14 | 16 | 10 | 9 | 13 | 16 | 17 | 14 | 14 | 19 | 17 | 20 | Ret | 20 | 17 | 16 | Ret | 130 |
| 21 | Franz Engstler | 14 | 19 | 18 | 18 | 10 | 14 | 16 | 15 | 17 | 14 | 12 | 15 | 20 | Ret | 21 | DNS | 24 | 19 | 18 | 16 | 119 |
| 22 | Marco Bromberger | 19 | 15 | 19 | 17 | 15 | 13 | 21 | 17 | 19 | 13 | | | 18 | 18 | 19 | 17 | 22 | 20 | 20 | 19 | 98 |
| 23 | Leopold Prinz von Bayern | 20 | 6 | 20 | 20 | 20 | 16 | Ret | 16 | 18 | Ret | Ret | 16 | 17 | 21 | 17 | Ret | 19 | 18 | 17 | Ret | 98 |
| 24 | Oliver Mayer | 12 | 13 | 21 | 19 | 13 | 12 | 18 | Ret | | | 17 | 17 | 19 | 21 | | | 23 | 21 | 19 | 20 | 78 |
| 25 | Fabrizio Giovanardi | | | | | | | 13 | 11 | | | | | | | | | | | | | 28 |
| 26 | Nicola Larini | | | | | | | 12 | 14 | | | | | | | | | | | | | 23 |
| Pos | Driver | HOC | HOC | NÜR | NÜR | SAC | SAC | NOR | NOR | REG | REG | WUN | WUN | ZWE | ZWE | SAL | SAL | OSC | OSC | NÜR | NÜR | Pts |
| Colour | Result |
| Gold | Winner |
| Silver | Second place |
| Bronze | Third place |
| Green | Points finish |
| Blue | Non-points finish |
| Blue | Non-classified finish (NC) |
| Purple | Retired (Ret) |
| Red | Did not qualify (DNQ) |
| Red | Did not pre-qualify (DNPQ) |
| Black | Disqualified (DSQ) |
| White | Did not start (DNS) |
| White | Withdrew (WD) |
| White | Race cancelled (C) |
| Blank | Did not practice (DNP) |
| Blank | Did not arrive (DNA) |
| Blank | Excluded (EX) |

### Manufacturers' Trophy

| Pos | Manufacturer | Points |
| 1 | Opel | 673 |
| 2 | Peugeot | 647 |
| 3 | Nissan | 491 |
| 4 | Honda | 440 |
| 5 | Audi | 415 |

### Teams Trophy

| Pos | Team | Points |
| 1 | BMW Team Schnitzer | 616 |
| 2 | Team Isert | 298 |
| 3 | Auto Plus Bemani Team | 156 |
| 4 | Euroteam | 146 |
| 5 | Mamerow Racing Team | 130 |
| 6 | Irmscher Motorsport | 119 |
| 7 | Auto Diesnst Bemani Team | 98 |
| 8 | Oliver Mayer Motorsport | 78 |
| 9 | Alfa Corse | 29 |