Catolica, 10 May, 2003

Following the exciting opening round of the DTM (Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters), in which Champion Laurent Aiello managed to finish on the podium first time out, the 21 drivers confront each other at the Adria International Raceway this weekend for the next skirmish. The first Italian away match of the new DTM is of particular importance for Audi Junior Peter Terting: “I completed my first official test as a DTM driver here. The Adria Raceway is therefore one of the few circuits that I know and on which I have driven with the Abt-Audi TT-R.” The demands made of man and machine at the circuit lying approximately 70 kilometres south of Venice are enormous: At 2.702 kilometres, the second shortest race track in the DTM calendar has almost exclusively tight corners and hairpins, there are no straights to relax on.

“In Adria, it is only a question of braking and accelerating,” said Martin Tomczyk (21), who, together with newcomer Peter Terting, forms the S line Audi Junior Team. Because there are so few opportunities to overtake, qualifying and the subsequent Super Pole are of special importance. Tomczyk, who started the new DTM season from the front row at Hockenheim and finished twelfth in the race, knows that he has his work cut out in Italy. “Actually I’m not so good on such tight circuits. Therefore, I’ll try to use both test sessions as effectively as possible to get used to the track.”

Laurent Aiello travels to Italy as third in the overall classification, his team colleague Mattias Ekström occupies eighth position after the opening race.