Photo: DTM Media

Audi aim to top table after Nürburgring

By

With the second half of the DTM season due to get under way next weekend, Audi are seeking to build on their clean sweep of the podium places at the last round in Oschersleben. They are well placed in all of the championship standings, and are aiming to lead after the Nürburgring meeting.

Double DTM champion, Mattias Ekström, has started from the front row of the grid three times in 2009, and from pole position twice. He is currently tied on 28 points with Mercedes-Benz driver Gary Paffett.

Ekström will be looking to run well at the Nürburgring, and attempt to claim his first victory of the season. He was set for victory in the season opener at Hockenheim, but a late puncture forced him down the order. He eventually finished seventh, and since then has consistently finished no lower than third.

Audi’s challenge on the driver’s title is strengthened further by the fact that Audi Sport Team Abt driver Timo Scheider is only a single point behind Paffett and Ekström. He heads to the Nürburgring fresh from claiming his first victory of 2009 at Oschersleben.

In every race so far this season an Audi has started from pole position, but their qualifying dominance has not translated to race victories as often as they would have hoped.

Out of five races, Mercedes have taken victory three times, with one of those being Jamie Green’s victory in a 2008 car at Norisring.

The two Audi wins to-date are that of Tom Kristensen at Hockenheim, who profited from Scheider’s misfortune, and then at Oschersleben where the roles were reversed, and Scheider claimed victory.

Statistically Audi have led a considerable number of laps more than Mercedes. Audi have led 169 racing laps to Mercedes’ 91 laps, and they have used there more consistent points finishes to enjoy a 5 point lead in the manufacturers points standings.

Audi will be looking to use the foundations they have laid in the first half of the season, to push towards the driver’s and manufacturer’s titles.

Never before has the Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters been in a situation where two drivers have been tied after five rounds, and bearing in mind a third driver is only a point behind, will make for an exciting second half of the season.