Photo: DTM Media

Ten questions to Gary Paffett

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With the British round of the DTM beginning tomorrow at Brands Hatch, TouringCarTimes caught up with last year’s winner, Mercedes’ Gary Paffett, to discuss cars, favourite corners, and the contents of his iPod.

1: What’s the best racing car you’ve ever driven?

That’s a great question! The best racing car I’ve ever driven for sheer speed is the 2005 McLaren MP4/20. It’s a V10, that’s why!

2. What’s your favourite track?

I’ve been to too many, so it’s difficult to pick one. Probably the one I look forward to most of all is Zandvoort.

3. How do you spend your free time?

I spend time with my family, but I also like cycling and playing golf.

4. What do you like about Brands Hatch?

The fact that it’s two hours from my house, or maybe less! No, it’s just a very challenging circuit and I like that.

5. What’s your favourite road car and what do you drive?

My favourite road car and what do I drive? that’s a bit political! I suppose my favourite road car is either the Mercedes SLS AMG, which is ridiculously fast, or the McLaren MP4/12c. I don’t have either of them, though. But what do I drive? I drive a diesel Mercedes E Class estate, actually. I’m a family man…

6. If you could race any car from any era, what would it be?

Being part of McLaren, I obviously like the Senna cars and I got to drive the MP4/4 at the launch this year, but I wouldn’t want to race it as it’s too dangerous. It was scary. What car would I want to race? That’s a great question. I think staying with DTM and looking at the old touring cars, when I was growing up I used to watch Bathurst and things like that, so I’d say one of the old Texaco Ford Sierra Cosworths. They always looked great fun, so something from that sort of era. No, actually! I’m lying! The ones I like the most and I think are the most impressive, are the ITR cars from the mid ‘90s. They were incredible and I’d love to drive one of those things. They were just amazing.

7. What’s your favourite corner on the DTM calendar?

I think probably Paddock Hill bend at Brands Hatch.

8. What’s your best racing memory?

My best is probably winning here last year.

9. What’s your worst racing memory?

My worst? Well, there’s two. Obviously there’s the last race at Hockenheim in 2012 where I lost the championship… no there’s three actually, and they all came in the same year. They were when I got taken out at Zandvoort and Norisring last season, too.

10. What’s on your iPod at the moment?

There are two songs I really like at the moment. There’s ‘Attracting Flies’ by Aluna George and ‘Radioactive’ by Imagine Dragons.