Rendezvous of three leading ladies.

Skoda Motorsport's Tina Th?rner of Sweden met with her long time friend, Germany's Jutta Kleinschmidt, just before the ADAC Deutschland Rallye when visiting a famous vineyard here in the Mosel area.

Completing the trio of leading ladies from this rally was Jutta Kleinschmidt's co-driver, Italian Fabrizia Pons. Tina Th?rner and Jutta Kleinschmidt are famous for sharing the winning car in the 2001 Paris-Dakar.

Tina Th?rner will compete in the coming ADAC Deutschland Rallye as co-driver to fellow Swede Kenneth Eriksson in a ?koda Octavia WRC. They are currently 15th in the World Rally Championship after strong performances in Argentina and the Safari, although the latter did not bring them any points after they had to retire from fourth position. They are all set for a strong showing in Germany, driving the latest version of the ?koda Octavia WRC in a region they know very well.

A different role is reserved for Jutta Kleinschmidt and Fabrizia Pons, who will precede the seven works teams and many private entries as course car in their Super 1600 Volkswagen Polo. This is the crew that makes sure the competitors are not faced with unexpected surprises on the stage. At the same time, the course car warns both public and marshals of what to expect.

Host of the surprise party was Dr. Carl-Ferdinand von Schubert, owner of the world famous Maximin Gr?nhaus vineyard near Mertesdorf, not far from rally headquarters in Trier. The unique honour of having these three leading ladies to visit prompted the owner to select three different specials, each one dedicated to the character and style of the famous guests.

The "Selektion Tina" is a Riesling Sp?tlese from the year 2001 which contains only 7.0 % alcohol, making this an ideal match with the sporty challenges the ladies face.

"This is a great gift," said Tina. "I love these wines and look forward to a chance to enjoy them - but the rally comes first." Jutta Kleinschmidt and Fabrizia Pons were honoured with a Riesling Kabinett trocken (2000) and a Riesling Sp?tlese trocken (2000) respectively. "What a pleasant surprise and what a fantastic setting - we really enjoyed this little break," said Fabrizia Pons.

Tonight the ADAC Deutschland Rallye starts in Trier, in front of the Porta Nigra.