June 6, 2004
Ekström
clinches DTM lead for Audi
Source: Audi Sport
Mattias
Ekström has clinched the DTM lead for Audi at the
EuroSpeedway. A crowd of 74,000 got to see a highly
spectacular touring car race, with the Swedish driver engaged
in a thrilling fight against the competition. Right in the
first turn after the start, Ekström's Audi A4 DTM fielded
by Audi Sport Team Abt Sportsline overtook Christijan Albers,
who has been leading the drivers' standings so far, on the
outside line. Despite the Dutchman's vehement attack in the
final stage of the race, the Audi driver successfully defended
his position, now equalling Albers' place at the top of the
standings. Ekström and Albers had crossed the finish line in
second and third positions respectively but both of them moved
up one place when the winner was excluded.
Emanuele Pirro, despite running a temperature and being
involved in a collision right at the start that threw him back
all the way to the rear of the field, finished sixth, thus
scoring three more points for Audi Sport Infineon Team Joest.
Christian Abt, Tom Kristensen, Frank Biela and Martin Tomczyk
finished 9th, 10th, 12th and 14th respectively. Kristensen
received a drive-through penalty after a mechanic had gotten
his hand caught while lowering the car on the grid, and the A4
had to be lifted once more. Martin Tomczyk's impressive
fight from the rear to the front of the field - having
started from position 21 he had fought his way up to 12th
place right in the first lap and was ultimately seventh -
was not rewarded either, as a rival pushed him into a spin
shortly before the end of the race.
Quotes after the race
Mattias Ekström (Audi Sport Team Abt / Audi A4 DTM #5)
1st
"When I spotted Christijan Albers and Bernd Schneider in my
rear-view mirror, I knew that I'd have to fight hard to keep
my second place. The duels with Albers were tough but fair -
we've exchanged lots of blue and silver paint. In the DTM,
every millimetre counts. If you want to be at the very front
of the field, you have to drive hard and right at the limit. I
think we put on a spectacular show for the audience today -
even though this may have put quite a strain on the nerves of
my pit crew. To be fair, I have to say that today Gary Paffett
won on the race track. But obviously his team made a
mistake."
Emanuele Pirro (Audi Sport Infineon Team Joest / Audi A4 DTM
#44)
6th, + 28.625s
"I'm very happy about my result, because before the start
I wasn't sure if I'd be able to stick it out. I've been
running a temperature and have had to take medication. The
race was tough and, what's more, it started badly, as I was
flung around right in the first corner. But then I found a
good rhythm and was able to catch up one place after the
other. The Joest Team did a super job. We've taken another
step forward."
Christian Abt (Audi Sport Team Abt Sportsline / Audi A4 DTM
#11)
9th, + 41.665s
"My car was very good, especially while cornering. On the
straights, though, I was lacking a bit of speed, that's
something we'll have to work on. For me it was important
today to finish the race, and I managed to do this. Even
points might have been in it for me, if I hadn't stalled the
engine during my first pit stop. I feel sorry for my team,
because the pit stop was really quick - and I would have
overtaken several cars at once. Still, I'm not unhappy. Now,
we'll be getting ready for the Norisring, my favourite
circuit."
Tom Kristensen (Audi Sport Team Abt Sportsline / Audi A4 DTM
#12)
10th, + 41.976s
"If you start from 18th place and are given a drive-though
penalty on top, you can't expect a better result than this.
My A4 was very good, and I would've liked to score the
points for Audi and the team they certainly deserved today.
Without the drive-through penalty, which I find rather
difficult to understand, I'd have easily scored points. Yet,
I have no choice but to accept this penalty."
Frank Biela (Audi Sport Infineon Team Joest / Audi A4 DTM #45)
12th, + 48.656s
"At least, I finished the race. The car was pretty good to
drive, I was able to keep up with the pace of the cars in
front of me. Overtaking, though, is a completely different
matter, particularly considering that there's still a
certain lack of performance. I lost a few positions when I
stalled the engine during the second pit stop. That was
unfortunate, of course."
Martin Tomczyk (Audi Sport Team Abt / Audi A4 DTM #6)
14th place, + 1m 07.612s
"Today, my capabilities were obvious to everyone. Moving up
from position 21 on the grid to twelvth place in the first lap
was simply a dream. Though I lost a bit of time during my
first pit stop, this wouldn't have kept me from finishing in
seventh place. Unfortunately, some of the drivers do not
always display the level of fairness they should."
Hans-Jürgen Abt (Team Director Audi Sport Team Abt Sportsline):
"Mattias' race today was another top performance. He got
every bit out of the Audi that was possible today. We knew
that the characteristics of the EuroSpeedway would make
today's race difficult. Nevertheless, we might have even won
the race. Most importantly, though, is the fact that we came
on as a very strong contender for the Championship."
Ralf Jüttner (Technical Director Audi Sport Infineon Team
Joest): "I'm delighted that we put on such a solid
performance following the difficult weekend at Adria. Emanuele
was pushed into a spin at the start, causing him to fall back
to the very end of the field and, despite running a
temperature, he managed to score points - that was a
fantastic exploit. Congratulations to Emanuele, and my thanks
to the whole team. The pit stops were good, and the strategy
was right. Today's performance gives us additional
motivation for the Norisring."
Dr Wolfgang Ullrich (Head of Audi Motorsport): "Today's
race speaks for itself: this was motorsport at its best.
Mattias managed to sustain a tough but fair fight all the way
to the end against three competitors, whose cars were somewhat
quicker on the straights today. Mattias has worked hard for
and deserves to lead the standings. Obviously it was not so
nice what happened after the race. However, we also got
already to feel this year how straight forward the rules are
implemented in DTM. This was also the case with today's
penalty against Tom Kristensen. He as well had not gained any
advantage. Despite all of that it is needless to say, the fact
that we're going to the Norisring as the DTM leaders is
simply fantastic, and we'll give our level best to ensure
that Mattias won't start to feel lonely at the top of the
field."
