Was the currywurst just the right refreshment? Gesine Cukrowski has doubts. Her daughter Lina Helfrich climbs into the VIP Corsa Rally Electric dressed in fireproof racing overalls. As co-driver of racing legend Volker Strycek, she will be completing an original special test of the ADAC Opel Electric Rally Cup “powered by GSe”. Full throttle, drifting, braking, circling – with everything. “What have we gotten ourselves into?” the actress asks herself rather than her daughter.
Lina, on the other hand, is completely relaxed: “I can hardly wait for it to get started.” It’s the fifth race of the season. The motorsport circus is a guest at Stemweder Berg around Lübbecke in North Rhine-Westphalia. Gesine Cukrowski – she has been testing Opel products for many years – is there with her daughter to get a taste of racing. Although: there is little to sniff. The Opel one-make cup is electric. It is the first and only one of its kind in the world.
“Electric and more feminine – it’s fascinating to see how Opel is changing the image of rallying.”
– Actress Gesine Cukrowski –
And that’s exactly why Gesine Cukrowski was so happy to accept Opel’s invitation: “To experience first-hand what future-oriented, modern, emission-free fun in motorsport looks like.” While her daughter sets off for a taxi ride with Volker Strycek in the Corsa Rally Electric, the actress looks at herself in the paddock, strolls to the mobile charging infrastructure that Opel developed especially for the one-make cup. She’s familiar with that. The actress drives an Opel Astra plug-in hybrid: “It has become a sport within our family to cover as many kilometers as possible electrically,” she says.
What particularly surprised Gesine Cukrowski during her visit: “Rallying is not only electric, but also diverse: there are a lot of women at the start here!” Indeed. A record-breaking 14 female crew members work on the left or right side of the cockpit of the 136 hp battery-electric Opel Corsa Rally Electric. Co-driver Christina Ettel for example will lead Luca Pröglhöf to her fourth win of the season in Lübbecke in the fifth race of the season at the end of the weekend. The German Claire Schönborn, on the other hand, makes a strong rally debut at Stemweder Berg – as one of five drivers in the field. “It’s fascinating to see how Opel is changing the image of rallying,” says the 54-year-old.
“Films should feature strong female characters who act as role models.”
– Gesine Cukrowski, co-initiator of the “Let’s change the picture” campaign –
Gesine Cukrowski is one of the most popular German TV actresses. Her daughter Lina Helfrich has also decided on an acting career.
Since the early 1990s, the Berlin native has been one of the most famous faces on German television. She has appeared in more than 200 film and TV productions. On stage and in front of the camera, she masters all styles, be it comedy (“And bye!”), drama (“The Miracle of Berlin”) or thriller (“Racheengel”). And changing things – that’s what she’s familiar with. She is co-initiator of the “Let’s change the picture” campaign. She is committed to redefining the roles of women over 47 in German film. “There are more exciting stories to tell about women than the divorced, abandoned woman or the grandmother,” she says.
She does fundamental work. Together with producers and authors, Cukrowski is working to break down entrenched stereotypes and make strong women over 50 more visible in scripts. And something is changing: in 2023, Gesine was seen in the ARD two-part series “Mordach – Death in the Mountains” as a BKA investigator, a role that was actually written for a man. “The fact that my character, the hotel manager Eva de Vries, falls in love with the food chef in the ZDF series “Hotel Mondial” is not discussed as a problem, but rather is told as a matter of course,” she says happily.
“It was just crazy, crazy, crazy!”
– Lina Helfrich about her role as co-pilot –
Unique concept: The specially developed charging infrastructure uses the public power grid and uses renewable green electricity.
Women at the start: Emma Chalvin (right) and co-driver Emy Ailloud-Perraud are new to the ADAC Opel Electric Rally Cup this season.
Co-driver Christina Ettl has already helped Luca Pröglhöf to four podium finishes this season.
Skill decides: All teams start with the same vehicle, an Opel Corsa Rallye Electric with 100 kW/136 hp.
Actress Lina Helfrich really enjoyed her role as co-pilot in the fifth race of the season around Lübbecke.
Films should feature female characters with whom one can identify and who serve as role models – “not just for us, but also for younger generations,” says Gesine. Her daughter Lina is also drawn to the film industry. The 23-year-old was last seen in the TV series “Last Trace Berlin”. But the role as Volker Strycek’s co-pilot also suits her: “It was just awesome, awesome, awesome!” Lina gushes when she returns a little later and climbs out of the Corsa: “But I really don’t know “I wonder if this is something for you, Mom!”
“I’m not going to chicken out now!” Gesine takes a seat in the passenger seat. She knows: rallying is teamwork, you have to be able to rely on each other blindly – “just like on a shoot,” she explains with a laugh. But while in film the camera can capture each take multiple times, in rally there is only one chance to capture the section of the route correctly. It is this attraction that draws the actress into the passenger seat: pure adrenaline, no second takes. She picks up the road book. “Let’s do it,” she says firmly. Volker Strycek nods. A few seconds later, the VIP Corsa rushes off – electric and with a strong co-pilot on board who knows how to show the way.
September 2024
Photos: Opel/Gudrun Muschalla