Mattias Ekström’s DTM and WRX clash decision to be made at the last minute
Audi Sport driver Mattias Ekström is again competing in two programmes this year, defending his World Rallycross Championship crown and racing in his 17th season in the DTM, both with the Ingolstadt-based manufacturer.
The Swede faces a calendar clash on the weekend from the 30th of June to the 2nd of July, with the DTM racing at the iconic Norisring, and Rallycross (WRX) at Höljes, Sweden, the home round for Ekström.
The drivers for the WRX events have to be nominated 28 days in advance, so fellow Swede and rally driver Per-Gunnar Andersson have been named to compete in Höljes in Ekström’s place. However, an FIA exception would make it possible for Ekström to race at his home round instead of the Norisring.
“The DTM programme has priority over WRX for Audi, so our answer is that Mattias will be at Norisring,” Dieter Gass, Head of Audi Sport, told TouringCarTimes at Hockenheim. “However, with both championships being so competitive and so close, we know that missing one round practically means giving up in fighting for the title.”
After the sixth round of the 2017 WRX season, Ekström lies second in the standings, eight points behind fellow countryman Johan Kristoffersson. In the DTM, the Team Abt driver lies sixth after two rounds, 37 points adrift of Mercedes AMG’s Lucas Auer. The final decision on which event will be contested by Ekström will be made by Audi Sport on June 26th.
Audi Sport hasn’t named a reserve driver for the DTM squad. Dieter Gass remains tight-lipped: “We don’t have a reserve driver, but we continuously evaluate the drivers available and we have a pretty good idea of who we will call in case we need to replace Ecky for Norisring.”
