Whether in the atmosphere of a huge stadium or in the smallest football bar, when 22 people kick a ball around a field, it’s all about the details. Football fanatics Markus Hermann and Marvin Ronsdorf from the German football blog “Falsche Neun” spent four days travelling more than 1000 kilometres across Germany in search of every aspect of their favourite sport – as well as their own work-drive balance. The pair made this journey in the Porsche Panamera. As a touring saloon that is both sporty and comfortable, this Gran Turismo has everything you need for a road trip from Hamburg to Magdeburg, Leipzig, Erfurt and Frankfurt, all the way to the home of Porsche in Stuttgart.
Hamburg: Expert Bundesliga analysis with Rocket Beans TV
If you want to start a journey through German football, then the first thing you need is expert analysis. Will Hamburger SV make it back to mid-table in the Bundesliga? Can newly promoted RB Leipzig continue its march to the top? And who will be crowned the eventual German champions? In Hamburg, these questions were put to the real experts: Together with host Donnie O’Sullivan from German football magazine “Bohndesliga” (“Mediathek”, match day #15 edition), Markus Hermann and Marvin Ronsdorf analysed the first half of the Bundesliga season.
“Bohndesliga” is a popular YouTube format created by Rocket Beans TV, the first independent German 24/7 web broadcaster. It provides content that is watched by many users and fans live online or as an on-demand service. For a quick analysis of their favourite sport, the sports experts don’t necessarily need a pub atmosphere or a TV studio, so they took their discussion into the Panamera itself, which had made its grand entrance at Hamburg’s Fish Market.
Leipzig: From the race track to a top Bundesliga game
After a stop-off in Magdeburg, the two football bloggers made it to the Porsche site in Leipzig, where the new generation of the Panamera is being built. Following an extensive tour of the site, their next task was to accelerate, brake and take on the bends of the Porsche on-road circuit.
The pair really felt the horsepower on the FIA-certified track, and by 3.30 pm they were ready to enjoy the next highlight of the tour: A top game on match day 15 of the Bundesliga between RB Leipzig and Hertha BSC (final score: 2-0), which they of course watched live at the Red Bull Arena Leipzig. As a partner of the RB Leipzig youth training academy, Porsche supports young players at the newly promoted club through its youth development programme “Turbo for Talents”. This is part of the company’s social responsibility at the Leipzig site.
“Traffic congestion around the stadium is the only thing that’s not much fun in a Porsche Panamera. But it makes everything else even more enjoyable”, added Markus Hermann with a grin. And with that, they were back on the Autobahn for the next stop on their tour of Germany.
For Markus Hermann and Marvin Ronsdorf, who covered more than 1000 kilometres on their journey, the Gran Turismo is not just a lot of fun to drive – it also offers all the comfort they need, combining the features of a luxury saloon with the performance of a true sportscar.
Frankfurt: Excellent goals at the Stadion am Brentanobad
After passing Erfurt, the bloggers eventually arrived in Frankfurt am Main – and once again there was a tangible Bundesliga atmosphere in the air. Markus, Marvin, Frankfurt club legend Kerstin Garefrekes and German women’s national team coach Steffi Jones were at the Stadion am Brentanobad to see 1. FFC Frankfurt beat SC Sand 3-1 in the Allianz Women’s Bundesliga. The football bloggers were able to enjoy four excellent goals together with nearly 1,000 other spectators.
Stuttgart: “Turbo for Talents” & a journey back to the origins of Porsche
The last stop on the tour of Germany was Stuttgart. Here, at the home of Porsche, the first visit was to the Stuttgarter Kickers. The Kickers play their home games at the venerable Gazi-Stadion auf der Waldau, where strikers like Jürgen Klinsmann, Fredi Bobic and Sean Dundee once learnt their craft. Since the 2015/16 season, Porsche has been a strategic youth partner of the Kickers. Its goal is to promote youth development from both a sporting and a social perspective as part of the “Turbo for Talents” programme.
An extensive introduction to the youth development concept from Guido Arnold, head of the football school, football camps and talent teams, was followed by a tour of the entire Stuttgarter Kickers ground and training facilities. A tour that also included the hallowed turf itself.
“It’s great to see that youth development work is so important to the Kickers and Porsche. They both work closely with smaller clubs in the region to promote local talent in the best possible way”, said Marvin Ronsdorf after visiting the club, which is famous for promoting youth. The Stuttgarter Kickers also wrote about the visit on their club homepage.
For the two football bloggers, the #workdrivebalance tour would not be complete without a trip to the Porsche Museum in Zuffenhausen – an historic journey through the past that takes visitors back to the company’s origins. The football enthusiasts were able to see more than 80 vehicles over an exhibition space of around 5,600 square metres. It was a welcome change from the days spent at a top Bundesliga game, at the youth training centre and on the Autobahn – and an impressive experience at the same time.
“Driving the Panamera was something really special. Especially when you can drive it as a sportscar on the Autobahn, it’s a real experience”, said a thrilled Markus Hermann and Marvin Ronsdorf. “If the tour happens again, we will definitely be there!”
For more on the Porsche football blogger tour, see the hashtag #workdrivebalance on Instagram and Twitter as well as this article on “Falsche Neun”.
What is “work-drive balance”?
Regardless of whether it is in your job, spending time with the family or just in your free time — sometimes the schedule is so tight that you hardly have a moment to yourself. As a result, those happy moments are sometimes cut short. So it is perfect when you can combine something pleasurable with something useful. Having the right car is important in this respect. The enjoyment derived from driving turns the stressful route to work or to an appointment into a positive experience. The new Panamera is a business saloon, sportscar and family car all in one – the perfect car for a good “work-drive balance”.
Consumption data
Panamera 4S: combined fuel consumption 8.2–8.1 l/100 km; CO2 emissions 186–184 g/km
