I hope Citroën enters DTM!
It is an intense fight for championship this year! Ten points separate the top five drivers, and you don’t get a chance to relax. That’s why it was really nice to have a summer break, which I spent fixing my home in Switzerland. I did all the things you never have time for when you have to exercise, run, go over the car and setup with the engineer as well as prepare for and debrief after the race weekends.
There has been rumours flying around in the Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters during the spring, and I think it looks bright for the future. The biggest rumour is that Citroën are considering entering the DTM. I hope and think that it will happen, because it would be a huge step up for DTM.
In that case I hope Sébastien Loeb will join us too. I met him at Race of Champions and saw him at Le Mans, and I doubt he would make a fool of himself in DTM.
It is probably also time for a change in the DTM regulations! Our cars have become so aerodynamically advanced that being behind another car without losing grip is getting more and more difficult. This in turn makes it hard to get close enough to overtake.
I wouldn’t mind seeing a new set of regulations with less downforce and wider tyres. That would be a fun challenge which would give us a better chance of racing the way you’re supposed to race in touring cars – closely, side by side. We’ll see what happens, but I have a good feeling about it.
Zandvoort and Nürburgring await now before another summer break ahead of the last four races. Trust that my motto is still the same: Go hard or go home!
Who is Mattias Ekström
Mattias Ekström was born and raised in a motorsport family in Avesta in Sweden. His father was a rally cross driver who raced in both Sweden and Europe. Mattias followed his father to the races and took a great interest in them, but when it came to sports he was active in football, ice hockey and tennis. But that all changed when a friend from tennis lent him his go-kart. Since then he has won the Swedish Touring Car Championship and the Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters twice.
In co-operation with www.mattiasekstrom.se.
