Optimistic Audi preview Brands Hatch

Audi have good cause to be optimistic as the Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters makes the journey to the Brands Hatch Indy circuit next weekend. Not only do they have two drivers in the lead of the drivers championship, but the Audi teams are also very well placed in the teams classification.

Audi dominated the previous two rounds of the championship, as they claimed a 1-2-3 finish at Oschersleben, which was followed up by 1-2-3-4 at the Nürburgring These results meant that Timo Scheider leapt into the lead of the championship.

Scheider, the 2008 champion, currently has 35 points but he is tailed closely by fellow Audi driver Mattias Ekström. The Swede lies a single point behind Scheider despite having not won a race in 2009. The best placed Mercedes driver is Gary Paffett in third. He is five points behind Ekström.

In 2008 Scheider won the race at Brands Hatch as he moved on to seal the championship later in the season and he is understandably full of confidence heading to Brands Hatch, “Last year I won at Brands Hatch, so that’s a nice track for me. With 88 laps, and Paul Di Resta on my heels with a tenth-of-a-second gap, it was arguably the toughest race in my career”, he said.

“Our performance at Oschersleben and at the Nürburgring shows that our work over the past few weeks has paid off”, Scheider added.

Ekström took the top step of the podium in 2006,. claiming what was his only victory of that year, and clearly has an affinity with Brands Hatch, “I’ve got fond memories of Brands Hatch” said Ekström.

The break in the Audi victory chain was in 2007 when Mercedes driver Bruno Spengler took victory. The Canadian currently lies fourth in the standings.

The top four drivers in the championship are separated by nine points, with three of them having won at Brands hatch in the past three seasons. This will surely mean that the Brands Hatch meeting will provide some close and exciting racing, especially as it is utilising the shorted Indy circuit configuration.

“The Brands Hatch Indy circuit is a very short track and you feel like you’re in a tumble dryer” is how Tom Kristensen describes the shorter circuit. The Dane added words that will evoke great emotion in every British motorsport fan, “I think the British motorsport fans are the best audience you can imagine”.

Fresh from claiming a solid 4th place at the Nürburgring, Markus Winkelhock is hoping to build on that at Brands Hatch. “The track suits me perfectly and particularly after my performance at the Nürburgring I’m looking forward to the race. I’m hoping for things to continue this way”.

Martin Tomczyk who won at the Nürburgring is understandably positive after securing his first race of the 2009 season. He also raised the point that the weight advantage Audi had possessed at the last two races, due to success ballast being imposed on the Mercedes cars from early season form, which is now eradicated. This will mean a more level playing field.

“It’s a good feeling arriving at Brands Hatch with the first victory of the season in my pocket. Now, the weight distribution is neutral again and recent years have shown that the fight was pretty balanced. So, as far as this goes, we’re expecting Mercedes to fight back a bit more than they did at the last two races”, said Tomczyk.

The British contingent at Audi, Oliver Jarvis and Katherine Legge, are eagerly awaiting their home race.

“I can hardly wait to be competing on my home circuit at Brands Hatch. I’m very much looking forward to the event and am expecting a great race. And I’m hoping we’re quick and can score a few points”, sad Jarvis.

Legge is glad to have her family and friends supporting during the race, “I’m very excited already, after all, this is my home race. I will meet my family and friends there, who will be watching me”, she said.

The Head of Audi Motorsport, Dr. Wolfgang Ullrich, also raised the issue of the weight advantage being over, but remains confident that his cars will perform well at Brands hatch.

“Brands Hatch, we’ll have weight parity between the 2009-spec vehicles of Audi and Mercedes. That means the competition will be very close. I’m confident that we’ll also be able to show a good performance at Brands Hatch. Of course we want to convert that into a good racing result”, said Ullrich.

After Brands Hatch, the DTM continues with two more fly-away races at Barcelona and Dijon, before the season finale at Hockenheim in late October.