Taking a break from their preparations for the upcoming 2018/19 Division 2 season, the pros of FC Ingolstadt 04 along with players from the women’s and U-21 teams came together for a team building event at the Audi driving experience center in Neuburg. “As a long-standing main sponsor of FC Ingolstadt 04, we have a strong interest in ensuring that the players are well-versed in driving safety and how to react in certain road traffic situations,” explains Dr. Martin Wagener, head of AUDI AG’s central legal department.
Leading the way for the professional team was captain Marvin Matip, who with eight years’ experience is the longest-serving player in the squad of trainer Stefan Leitl. After they were divided into four groups, the footballers took turns to face the different driving situations. As well as the Audi R8 training on the handling course, the FC Ingolstadt players were able to test their safe driving skills in the dynamic driving area in an Audi S5 Sportback, in taxi rides on the off-road course in Audi Q models, and in the rescue simulator.
“For us, this is a great way to learn how to correctly appraise and deal with critical situations on the road,” sums up FCI captain Matip. “Not only were we able to combine fun and concentration, but the event also brought us even closer together as a team, reinforcing our team spirit in this pre-season period.” Several new faces have appeared at the club, including the Austrians Konstantin Kerschbaumer and Thorsten Röcher and the Brazilian Lucas Galvao, who has also made the move from Austria to Ingolstadt. Striker Charlie Benschop also made his debut on the “track” for FCI.
All of the different driving situations required a high level of concentration. For the up-and-coming players like Ady Diawusie, Benedikt Gimber or Osayamen Osawe, this proved particularly challenging. In the end though, all of the participants completed the training with flying colours, each heading home to Ingolstadt holding their completion certificate. For the pros, their season in Division 2 of the Bundesliga will kick off on 4 August 2018 with an away game at SSV Jahn Regensburg. After that, the team under Stefan Leitl will play their first home game of the 2018/19 season on 10 August, hosting SpVgg Greuther Fürth at their Audi Sportpark ground.