Audi Press Release
- Title battle in the DTM launched with successful opener
- Challenging circuit near Magdeburg promises thrilling race
- Dieter Gass: “Set on continuing Hockenheim performance”
Next weekend (May 16 to 18) the DTM is entering its next round at Oschersleben near Magdeburg. The DTM season opener at Hockenheim gave a good foretaste of what the fans can expect this year: thrilling action until the checkered flag is waved, door-to-door duels for positions and extreme competitiveness of the drivers at the front of the field.
Events in the DTM are following each other in quick succession. The first three races are held at two-week intervals, with the 3.696-kilometer track at Oschersleben marking the next stop. While aerodynamic efficiency at high speed played a crucial role on the long straights at Hockenheim the fast turns and chicanes of Oschersleben primarily call for downforce. Taking short-cuts across the curbs challenges the drivers to be careful in the process and the engineers to provide a perfectly set-up car.
The Audi squad managed both feats on many occasions in the past. Five times an Audi driver has won the round on the circuit near Magdeburg. Mattias Ekström most recently clinched victory there in 2011. In 2013, all eight Audi RS 5 DTM cars finished in the top ten and thus in the points at Oschersleben – marking a premiere. So it comes as no surprise that several drivers have special memories of the circuit. Timo Scheider celebrated his first-ever DTM success there, Champion Mike Rockenfeller his first podium finish in his debut year of 2007 and newcomer Jamie Green, on clinching the pole position and a podium place last year, showed that he had finally arrived at Audi.
In 2014, Audi is traveling to Oschersleben with tailwind gained from a pole position and the two podium places by Mattias Ekström and Adrien Tambay. Four drivers in total finished in the points at the Hockenheim season opener. With six Audi RS 5 DTM cars in the top eleven Audi had previously managed a strong start of the season in qualifying.
The circuit at Oschersleben is an institution in the DTM and was on the calendar back in 2000 when the DTM made its comeback. The notorious, tight left-right combination at the end of the start-finish straight makes for thrilling action especially at the start and provides good overtaking opportunities throughout the race. The fast triple left-hand turn in the first section is particularly popular with the race drivers. Ideal for the fans is the fact that several grandstands offer a view of this section as well as the whole infield, which means that they will not miss out any of the DTM on-track action.
‘Das Erste’ airs live broadcasts from Oschersleben on Saturday and Sunday. Tickets for the 2014 DTM can be purchased online at www.audi-motorsport.com/dtm or by phone on +49 (0)841 8947777.
Photo credit: Audi Media
