"The star of something big" - evidently a reference to Mercedes' three-pointed star for those car badge buffs out there - was the headline on Autosport's report as the DTM roared back into life at Hockenheim 20 years ago today.
Mercedes driver Bernd Schneider dominated both races from pole, but to dwell on that fact would be to miss the point on a truly significant weekend for motorsport in Germany as the three-year wait for a return of big banger tin-tops - following the demise of the International Touring Car Championship in 1996 - was finally ended. The raucous response of the 56,000-strong crowd told its own story.
"Driving here, you think 'it was only days ago we were racing with the original DTM'," said Schneider. "The atmosphere is just as good as it used to be."