Audi Sport tries six young drivers at Jerez

Audi Sport took part in the DTM ‘Young Driver Tests’ held at Jerez this week. The Ingolstadt manufacturer gave six young hopefuls the opportunity to drive the RS 5 DTM which won ten out of 18 races in the 2015 season.

Audi Sport Team Abt Sportsline’s drivers Mattias Ekström and Miguel Molina were on duty to supervise and coach the participating drivers, who took turns of half a day and 300 kilometres each. The work included qualifying and race simulations and practice starts.

Dieter Gass, Head of DTM for Audi Sport, and five-time Le Mans winner Emanuele Pirro were also present in Jerez to monitor the tests

The first in line to drive the RS 5 DTM was Matthew Brabham, grandson of Formula1 legend Jack and son of Geoff, 1993 Le Mans winner. The Young American enjoyed his time in Jerez: “The ‘real’ DTM, racing is great and entertaining as well. I’ve been watching the races on television for years. For me, having the opportunity to drive one of these cars has made a dream come true. The Audi RS 5 DTM is really fantastic. It’s been an outstanding experience for me.”

Next on track was 2012 GP3 Champion Mitch Evans, now competing in GP2. The New Zealander was impressed by the general performance provided by DTM cars, and didn’t hide his intention of finding a works commitment: “I don’t have a lot of experience with a roof above my head and was surprised about how much downforce and grip the Audi RS 5 DTM generates. It’s breathtaking to see how fast you can attack in the fast turns. Braking power is fantastic too. My goal is to work together with a manufacturer. I hope that I’ve been able to impress Audi a little in this test.”

Antonio Giovinazzi was on duty on Wednesday morning. The Italian, who filled in for Timo Scheider in Moscow this year, after the German was excluded because of the ‘pushgate’, thanked the Ingolstadt squad for the chance to be at the wheel of the RS 5 DTM one more time: “I’m very grateful to Audi for giving me another opportunity to test a DTM car. Driving these cars is really huge fun and I’ve been able to further refine my driving style. It’s been an intensive morning, but I tremendously enjoyed it.”

Ben Hanley was next on the list. The 30-year old Briton won the FIA European Karting Championship, and Jerez represented his first opportunity to drive an actual touring car. Hanley commented: “Being able to test a DTM car has been a unique opportunity for me. I’m receptive to any form of motorsport. Motorsport is my passion. Obviously, I’d love to drive DTM. The races are very close and consistency is important. As a driver, you can still make a difference there.”

GP3 driver Alex Palou was invited to the ‘Young Driver Test’ for the second consecutive year. The Spaniard, whose focus remains on single seaters, was grateful for the opportunity: “I was delighted to receive another invitation. Even though my goal is to race in Formula One, I’m happy that I was able to test the Audi RS 5 DTM a second time. The DTM is one of the best championships that exist in racing.”

Arthur Pic was the last driver to get behind the wheel for Audi Sport. The Frenchman didn’t hide his enthusiasm at being able to drive a DTM car: “Not seeing the front wheels was unusual for me at first. I tried to make the best of this opportunity as I’ve been waiting for this chance for a long time. I’ve been pursuing this goal ever since I watched a test at Aragon a few years ago. I have followed the DTM with great interest. It’s fantastic that you can watch the races live on YouTube. The DTM is a tremendous series with really good drivers. If an opportunity to race in the DTM presented itself, I’d immediately grab it.”

Dieter Gass highlighted the importance of the ‘Young Driver Tests’: “The Young Driver Test has become a tradition at Audi Sport. A number of our current factory drivers proved their prowess in these tests in the past. The young drivers’ characters differ a lot from each other and it’s always interesting to see how they tackle a task like this.”

Audi Sport has already confirmed their 2016 DTM line up, retaining all its eight 2015 drivers, with only Adrien Tambay and Nico Müller swapping teams.