Photo: DTM Media

Bernd Schneider vs. Tom Kristensen

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Prior to the start into the season, the motto for the 2006 DTM season was obvious and simple: Audi vs. Mercedes-Benz. And it was clear right from the start that this battle would be a volatile one. After a couple of races it stood clear that it was going to stand between Tom Kristensen and Bernd Schneider.

Bernd Schneider started the season with two wins at the Hockenheimring and the EuroSpeedway Lausitz. In both events, Tom Kristensen finished runner-up and when he prevailed in round three, at the Motorsport Arena Oschersleben, the Dane even took the championship lead.

For Schneider, however, the fifth place in the race held in the Magdeburger Börde region represented the low of his season so far. In the following rounds, the German succeeded in consistently scoring a lot of points by finishing third once and securing another four runner-up finishes.

Kristensen’s season, however, took another course. Following his Oschersleben triumph, he had to cope with a first setback, in the following round held at Brands Hatch. Due to a technical failure, he had to leave the British venue empty-handed – and Schneider was back in the lead. Afterwards, the Dane finished fifth at the Nuremberg’s Norisring and the Nürburgring before clinching his second win, at Zandvoort.

The situation with three more races to go: ten points behind Schneider – championship chances still healthy. But just as it had been the case in summer, Kristensen again failed to score points in the race following his win. His ninth place in the Barcelona round represented a major disappointment and possibly may turn out to have been the crucial race of the season.

Still, Kristensen isn’t ready to give up before the final two rounds of the season are over. The Audi driver is fiercely determined to try to fight back, particularly at the French track that has been the venue of so many of his triumphs. “I haven’t won at Le Mans, this year, therefore, I want to compensate for that at the wheel of the Audi A4 DTM,” he claims.

While his Motorsport Director, Dr Wolfgang Ullrich, underlines: “We won’t give up fighting as long as there is anything to fight for.” And Schneider also is aware that he mustn’t feel too safe despite his 18-point lead. “The season isn’t over yet. Anything can happen in two races.”