The sandy dunes of Zandvoort next up for DTM
The dunes of Zandvoort hosts the second Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters race of 2011 this weekend. The two last seasons has seen Gary Paffett winning at Zandvoort for Mercedes. But looking further back, Audi and Mercedes are equal on success at the Dutch track.
Both manufacturers have won five races in the last ten years at Zandvoort, meaning that this year, when the series visits the Dutch track for the eleventh time, will crown a new “champion of the dunes” among the two German manufacturers.
As virtually all drivers stated in their pre-race releases, the main issue for the race this weekend is how the new Hankook tyres are going to cope with the special surface of Zandvoort.
The sandy surroundings and the high speed character of the track provides demanding conditions for the new tyres which easily could turn the table in favor of either Audi or Mercedes.
The opening race of the season saw Audi and Mercedes evenly matched, with a slight advantage for Mercedes. Audi hopes to reinstate their dominance of Zandvoort, with fond memories from 2008 when Mattias Ekström headed the field in an Audi 1-2-3-4 with the closest Mercedes driver over 20 seconds behind.
But with the strong performance of Mercedes at Zandvoort in 2009 and 2010, combined with the dominant season of 2010, Audi are far from having an easy match this weekend.
