Nürburgring quotes from Audi drivers

Martin Tomczyk, Red Bull Audi A4 DTM (1st place): “From the beginning all the way to the end I had an absolutely perfect car. If you’re never caught up in a fight and find that you’ve got about a seven-second lead over the runner-up you can control the race and take things a little easier. It was a wonderful race and – quite frankly – an easy one as well.”

Mattias Ekström, Red Bull Audi A4 DTM (3rd place): “The start and the first corners were really tough. I overtook Mika (Häkkinen), who remained very fair and gave me enough room to pass. Then there were some great fights which I managed to get through without any problems. My team had prepared a perfect strategy. The car was decent, but the set-up was not the best. Thanks to our strategy and a number of nice overtaking manoeuvres I was able to move forwards. My thanks to the team!”

Timo Scheider, Gebrauchtwagen:plus/Top Service Audi A4 DTM (4th place): “I had a very good start. It was clear that we’d be driving a very aggressive strategy and pit twice in a row within a short space of time – of course taking the risk that the distance afterwards on one set of tyres would be very long. This way we stayed in front of the Mercedes cars. Unfortunately, we didn’t quite manage to ‘survive’ the 30 laps on one set of tyres. Too bad that the podium position didn’t work out, but for Mattias (Ekström) and Martin (Tomczyk) it was great. In the Championship we made another step forwards.”

Tom Kristensen, Siemens Audi A4 DTM (8th place): “A fantastic team performance by Audi. The foundation for victory was already laid in qualifying with grid positions one to three. In the beginning I was driving on old tyres, which was difficult, particularly in the fight with Bruno Spengler. On new tyres, things were going better. Unfortunately, my clutch didn’t disengage properly. During the pit stops the engine stalled once so I was extra careful during the next stop. Everyone did an excellent job but of course I’d have preferred finishing before the three Mercedes cars.”

Alexandre Prémat, Audi Bank Audi A4 DTM (9th place): “I’m definitely satisfied even though we didn’t score any points. We showed a good performance in the race. It was a nice fight with Mika Häkkinen. I drove almost the same times as the 2007-spec cars that were only a tiny bit faster.”

Christian Abt, Playboy Audi A4 DTM (15th place): “With the race I’m basically satisfied. No doubt, the strategy decisions could have been different, but today we all fought for Audi. I’m happy that such a good result came out of this effort.”

Lucas Luhr, Philips Audi A4 DTM (16th place): “I drove a very long first stint. You could see this throughout the year: those who pit early run in front. I did not pit early, so I was running at the rear. I don’t know what we can do to improve. All the 2006-spec Audis were having a hard time here. Unfortunately, that was a weekend without a real result.”

Mike Rockenfeller, S line Audi A4 DTM (17th place): “My race was a disaster. I had a good start and was pulling towards the centre to fill a gap. Suddenly I felt an impact. It was Markus Winkelhock. Of course I’m sorry about that. But I’d definitely like to take a look at the pictures. Our seating position in the car is so low that we almost can’t see anything to the left or right. I’m the last guy who’d want to ruin the race of another Audi driver. I was given a drive-through penalty for the incident. That was it as far as my race was concerned.”

Vanina Ickx, Audi A4 DTM (19th place): “I’m happy about having brought the car home safely across the finish line. It’s been a long time that I finished a race, that was at Brands Hatch. That’s why it was very important for me to finish the race. My position was immaterial. I’m very happy for Audi as well as for Martin (Tomczyk) and Mattias (Ekström) about their first and third places.”

Markus Winkelhock, Audi A4 DTM (Retired): “Unfortunately, this wasn’t a race because after only a few metres it was all over for me. My start wasn’t good. I slightly pulled over to the left when I suddenly felt an impact. Mike Rockenfeller touched me. Unfortunately, my car was turned around – directly into the wall. There was nothing I could do.”

Dr Wolfgang Ullrich (Head of Audi Motorsport): “That was a perfect day for Audi. With a good strategy, quick pit stops and fantastic speed we achieved an outstanding team result that is also very important with a view towards the Championship. We saw an impressive demonstration by the entire Audi squad that displayed great team spirit and fought hard but fair yet again. That was no mean feat. Everybody had to give 100 percent for us to be able to achieve this result.”