Ekström confident of strong season despite injury

Mattias Ekström is currently recovering from a broken left wrist after an accident during a volley ball match with his Audi team mates.
“When I was making a smash while playing volleyball I ended up rotating onto my back. On the way down I put my left hand out – and when I hit the ground I knew immediately that something was wrong. It felt like 2000 volts pulsing through the hand,” said Ekström.

Ekström is located at the Swiss Olympic Medical Center, a facility that specializes in sports accidents.

“I’m in excellent hands here. They are familiar with such injuries from other professional athletes and make a very professional impression,” said Ekström.

The injury is forcing Ekström to sit out the first tests ahead of the Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters 2011 season, but he is expected to be fully recovered ahead of the first race.

“Of course it would be good to have a few more kilometers under my belt, especially with the new Hankook tires. However, when I was still a complete novice in the DTM I wasn’’t able to test so much. So, it’s a little like ‘back to the roots’,” said Ekström.

Despite the injury, Ekström’s goals ahead of this season has not changed.

“Nothing has changed – I’m still completely motivated and ambitious, even though I’ve been in the DTM so long. I aim to and I will give 100 per cent in every race to be able to say at the end of the season: my performance was top. Whether or not this was enough to be champion remains to be seen – but this is obviously the target,” said Ekström.

See the latest TouringCarTimes comic for a different “view” of Ekström’s situation by clicking here!