Mattias Ekström and Audi secured the victory of the show event in the Munich Olympic Stadium yesterday.
“There are no points awarded for this victory. But we showed that we’re able to win races and it was a fantastic reward for the team. Now we’re going into the five-week break with a good feeling,” said Ekström.
The Swede was up against Jamie Green in the final and fought back after a tough start to the heat where he was over a second behind on the very short circuit.
“The set-up superbly fit. The car was perfect throughout the weekend. The final against Jamie (Green) was tough; I was running behind after the first laps. But I managed to improve and win,” said Ekström.
While Green and Mercedes were beaten in the final, they claimed victory in the team competition the day before.
“Too bad that we didn’t achieve an outright win in the final, but I’m satisfied with second place and winning the team competition on Saturday. My first final run was good, but conditions were tough on the second run and I lost some time during the pit stop into the bargain. It was an exciting race, and the crowds braved the rain and cheered us in the stands – they deserve a special mention,” said Green.
Championship leader Gary Paffett was beaten by Ekström in the semifinal but heads the championship as Nürburgring is next up on the 19th of August.
“Third place twice, in the team competition and then in the individual contest, plus the relay victory for Ralf and Jamie yesterday and Jamie’s second place today – yes, it was a very successful weekend for Mercedes-Benz in Munich. Of course, I would really have loved to have won, but the track on my side was slightly wetter than on Mattias Ekström’s. But still, I’ll be going into the summer break and the next race at the Nürburgring with a real sense of achievement. Even after the rain, the track afforded a surprising amount of grip and we had plenty of speed – it was a whole lot of fun!” said Paffett.
