Ekström on pole for the first race

Audi driver Mattias Ekström will start tomorrow’s first race of the 2009 DTM season from pole position. The Swede dominated qualifying and was fastest in almost all of the four parts of the qualifying session. Ekström wasn’t the only fast Audi driver. The top five positions on the starting grid will be occupied by the manufacturer from Ingolstadt.

Tom Kristensen starts his last season in DTM from the front row. He qualified in second place, ahead of Martin Tomczyk and Oliver Jarvis. Jarvis was the fastest man in a one year old car. Last years champion Timo Scheider will start from fifth tomorrow.

Fastest Mercedes driver was Paul di Resta, down in sixth. He and Maro Engel were the only Mercedes drivers to make it into the third part of qualifying.

Gary Paffett, Ralf Schumacher and Susie Stoddart had to end their hopes in the second part. Paffett struggled for grip and will start from eleventh tomorrow. Ralf Schumacher blamed himself for his lack of speed, leaving him in twelfth on the grid for tomorrow’s race.

Biggest disapointment was for Bruno Spengler. The Mercedes driver saw his first set time cancelled because he drove outside the track. On his second attempt, he encountered electronical problems, leaving him without a timed lap. He will have to start the race from the last row tomorrow.