Die letzte Zielflagge für Dennis Lippert ist gefallen. Der 23-Jährige war am 8. Juni 2019 beim ersten Lauf der IDM Supersport 600 in Oschersleben schwer verunglückt und drei Tage später gestorben. Trotz sofort eingeleiteter Erstversorgung und der weiteren Behandlung in der Universitätsklinik Magdeburg konnten die Ärzte sein Leben nicht retten.
Für Dennis Lippert war das Rennfahren eine große Leidenschaft. Der am 1. April 1996 in Brunnthal bei München geborene Yamaha-Pilot war gerade dabei, sich in der IDM und damit im internationalen Rennsport durchzusetzen. Er war ein Senkrechtstarter, fuhr erst 2014 sein erstes Renntraining. Zwei Jahre später gewann er bereits den Hafeneger-Cup. Es folgte der Aufstieg in den Yamaha R6-Dunlop-Cup. Nach dessen Einstellung stieg Lippert sofort in die IDM Supersport 600 auf. Es ging alles rasend schnell. Er wollte als Rookie einen Podiumsplatz erreichen und in die Top 7 der Gesamtwertung fahren. Resultat: alles geschafft. Nur drei Fahrer aus den Top Ten punkteten 2018 in allen Rennen. Der Student aus dem bayrischen Dorf mit Bergkulisse war dabei. Um noch besser zu werden, wurde für 2019 ein neues Motorrad angeschafft und mit dem Team Ravenol Endurance Motorsport ein neuer Partner gefunden.
Dennis Lippert left nothing to chance. He worked hard to achieve success. He was one of the few drivers who made their presence known even before the season began and shared the latest developments. He was young, yet he had long since realized that public relations would also be an important part of his career. His unwavering pursuit of success in what he considered the most beautiful side issue in the world was what defined him.
The funeral service will be held on Friday, June 28, 2019, at 2:00 p.m. at Kreuz-Christi-Kirche (Martin-Luther-Platz 1, 85635 Höhenkirchen-Siegertsbrunn). Dennis will then be laid to rest at the Waldfriedhof Höhenkirchen.
Marco Lippert has provided us with the open letters he wrote to his brother.
Here are a few excerpts.
“Dear Dennis, in your 23 years, you achieved so much that some people never manage to do in their entire lives. With your consistently positive outlook, you changed the way many people see the world. You gave your life doing what you loved and celebrated above all else…. For 21 years, you were everything to me.
I always looked up to you; you were my idol…. Just as I used to pull you around in the Bobby Car back then, you’ve pulled me through my whole life. You always kept an eye on me because you were afraid something might happen to me. You’ll continue to do so for the rest of my life—I’m absolutely convinced of that.” (Marco Lippert, brother)
“Your love of life, your friends along the track, and your teammates were just as important to you as your results… whatever you set out to do, you always gave it 100%; it was only with your studies that I had to give you a little push every now and then… You were a perfectionist when it came to your bike, yourself, and the crew. Everyone on the team always provided you with the best possible equipment for us. Even when it didn’t fit, you never complained, but instead tried to make the best of it.” (Olaf Kneuper, Team Manager)
“We met in Cartagena because we shared the same hobby. I was worried about you because you’d broken your arm. I sat with you until three in the morning, talking to you. The racetrack brought us together, and now it’s taken you away from me again…. Never in my life have I met anyone as loving and helpful as you. You were my dream guy, except for your little messiness. Your socks never made it home in pairs from the racetrack—but that was just you, and that’s exactly what I’ll miss… I’m so grateful to you for always standing by me. I’ve unfortunately been sick a lot, but you always took such touching care of me…You told us that 2019 was your year. Your thoughts were always on the IDM. You were sometimes a bit of a couch potato, but as soon as I mentioned the IDM—which is why you did it—you were right there. You were just so determined when it came to that.” (Selina Kocinski, girlfriend)
“We’d only known each other for about three years. I can still remember very clearly when a good friend told me he’d met a young guy in the Hafeneger Cup who was supposed to be really fast. He told me back then that he was the new German Marquez and that I’d better brace myself for what was to come… Dennis told me about the adventurous way he’d found his way into the IDM paddock. His videos of rides on the Aprilia 125cc, riding with the bike’s handlebars scraping the ground on the country roads around Munich with his friends, were unbelievable to me. I just thought to myself, what kind of crazy guy is this? But in the same breath, he also said that it had simply become too dangerous for him, so he bought an MV Agusta 675cc for the racetrack.... Dennis loved spending time with his friends, and you could feel it. He loved racing, and he was well on his way to making a really big name for himself.” (Max Enderlein, race car driver)