Mattias Ekström (Audi Sport Team Abt / Audi A4 DTM #5)
1st
“When I spotted Christijan Albers and Bernd Schneider in my rear-view
mirror, I knew that I’d have to fight hard to keep my second place. The
duels with Albers were tough but fair – we’ve exchanged lots of blue and
silver paint. In the DTM, every millimetre counts. If you want to be at the very
front of the field, you have to drive hard and right at the limit. I think we put
on a spectacular show for the audience today – even though this may have
put quite a strain on the nerves of my pit crew. To be fair, I have to say that
today Gary Paffett won on the race track. But obviously his team made a
mistake.“
Emanuele Pirro (Audi Sport Infineon Team Joest / Audi A4 DTM #44)
6th, + 28.625s
“I’m very happy about my result, because before the start I wasn’t sure if I’d
be able to stick it out. I’ve been running a temperature and have had to
take medication. The race was tough and, what’s more, it started badly, as
I was flung around right in the first corner. But then I found a good rhythm
and was able to catch up one place after the other. The Joest Team did a
super job. We’ve taken another step forward.“
Christian Abt (Audi Sport Team Abt Sportsline / Audi A4 DTM #11)
9th, + 41.665s
“My car was very good, especially while cornering. On the straights,
though, I was lacking a bit of speed, that’s something we’ll have to work
on. For me it was important today to finish the race, and I managed to do
this. Even points might have been in it for me, if I hadn’t stalled the engine
during my first pit stop. I feel sorry for my team, because the pit stop was
really quick – and I would have overtaken several cars at once. Still, I’m not
unhappy. Now, we’ll be getting ready for the Norisring, my favourite circuit.“
Tom Kristensen (Audi Sport Team Abt Sportsline / Audi A4 DTM #12)
10th, + 41.976s
“If you start from 18th place and are given a drive-though penalty on top,
you can’t expect a better result than this. My A4 was very good, and I
would’ve liked to score the points for Audi and the team they certainly
deserved today. Without the drive-through penalty, which I find rather
difficult to understand, I’d have easily scored points. Yet, I have no choice
but to accept this penalty.”
Frank Biela (Audi Sport Infineon Team Joest / Audi A4 DTM #45)
12th, + 48.656s
“At least, I finished the race. The car was pretty good to drive, I was able to
keep up with the pace of the cars in front of me. Overtaking, though, is a
completely different matter, particularly considering that there’s still a
certain lack of performance. I lost a few positions when I stalled the engine
during the second pit stop. That was unfortunate, of course.”
Martin Tomczyk (Audi Sport Team Abt / Audi A4 DTM #6)
14th place, + 1m 07.612s
“Today, my capabilities were obvious to everyone. Moving up from position
21 on the grid to twelvth place in the first lap was simply a dream. Though I
lost a bit of time during my first pit stop, this wouldn’t have kept me from
finishing in seventh place. Unfortunately, some of the drivers do not always
display the level of fairness they should.“
Hans-Jürgen Abt (Team Director Audi Sport Team Abt Sportsline)
“Mattias’ race today was another top performance. He got every bit out of
the Audi that was possible today. We knew that the characteristics of the
EuroSpeedway would make today’s race difficult. Nevertheless, we might
have even won the race. Most importantly, though, is the fact that we came
on as a very strong contender for the Championship.“
Ralf Jüttner (Technical Director Audi Sport Infineon Team Joest)
“I’m delighted that we put on such a solid performance following the
difficult weekend at Adria. Emanuele was pushed into a spin at the start,
causing him to fall back to the very end of the field and, despite running a
temperature, he managed to score points – that was a fantastic exploit.
Congratulations to Emanuele, and my thanks to the whole team. The pit
stops were good, and the strategy was right. Today’s performance gives
us additional motivation for the Norisring.“
Dr Wolfgang Ullrich (Head of Audi Motorsport)
“Today’s race speaks for itself: this was motorsport at its best. Mattias
managed to sustain a tough but fair fight all the way to the end against
three competitors, whose cars were somewhat quicker on the straights
today. Mattias has worked hard for and deserves to lead the standings.
Obviously it was not so nice what happened after the race. However, we
also got already to feel this year how straight forward the rules are
implemented in DTM. This was also the case with today’s penalty against
Tom Kristensen. He as well had not gained any advantage. Despite all of
that it is needless to say, the fact that we’re going to the Norisring as the
DTM leaders is simply fantastic, and we’ll give our level best to ensure that
Mattias won’t start to feel lonely at the top of the field.“
|
