Vanina Ickx not returning to DTM in 2008

Belgian driver Vanina Ickx will not be racing with Audi in DTM next year. The 32 year old has driven her last race in the Audi A4 at Hockenheim. Ickx has driven with Audi in DTM for two years, and feels it’s now time to return to sportscar racing. She has driven succesfully befor in the LMES.

“It was something very special. I finished in the same lap as the winner, Audi won the championship and I had a very special feeling. It was my last DTM race”, Ickx said after the race. “It have been the two hardest en most demanding years of my carree. It’s also the end of my membership in a big family and the end of a beautiful dream”, she continues.

Her contract with Audi is not being renewed, and Ickx also doesn’t know yet what she’s going to do in the future. “I’d like to go back to sports car racing and long distance racing. That has been fun and still is”, she said. “It’s hard to drive fast constantly with these Touring Cars. They react very strong to changes in the setup, changing conditions on the track or changing weather conditions. You have to adapt to the car and to the conditions all constantly. That makes it very hard for me. A sports car on the other hand is more shallow. It’s a bit like driving a go-kart. It lies harder and deeper on the road and isn’t so turbulent.”