Audi has it hands full this weekend. Heading into Round 8 at Oschersleben, they need points bad. Mattias Ekstrom has been robbed of scoring valuable points after perfect qualifying positions. He is still a factor but those losses were big. Timo Scheider has been coming on strong in the later rounds, enough to overtake Ekstrom in the standings. Audi does have the history with 4/6 wins and it will take one from either of these drivers going into the last set of races. We will bring you full coverage here and on twitter.
At the eighth DTM round to be held at the Motorsportarena Oschersleben on September 19 (starting at 1:45 p.m. – local time – live on “Das Erste”) Audi is determined to do everything within its means to prevent an early decision in the fight for the title. Timo Scheider, who last clinched two consecutive wins at Oschersleben, has good chances of achieving this goal.
- DTM enters crucial phase at Oschersleben
- Timo Scheider aims for third consecutive Oschersleben victory
- Miguel Molina shows strong trend
The race at the venue situated in the plains near Magdeburg will be an exciting one: after what has been an unusual DTM season the title fight appears to be coming to a head as early as four rounds before the finale. With third-place finishes in both of the most recent races at Zandvoort and Brands Hatch and the fastest time in qualifying in the Netherlands Timo Scheider, the 2008 and 2009 champion, has clinched his best results of the season so far.
Now the 31-year-old German is returning to the venue of some major exploits: at Oschersleben, in the 2008 season, Scheider celebrated his first ever victory in a DTM race. And 2009 again saw him finish as the winner.
“It’s high time to get back on a winning track,” says the Audi racer, obviously ready to attack. “My form curve has been pointing upward lately. And I’ve always felt comfortable at Oschersleben. I like the characteristics of this circuit.”
With 29 points to his credit, Scheider is one of seven drivers who still have mathematical title chances four races before the season ends – and he is just one of three drivers in the field to have scored points in all of the previous seven rounds of the season. If Scheider clinched his third consecutive win at Oschersleben, he could, in the best case, reduce his gap in the standings to 13 points. “And if that happened, then the decision would suddenly be completely open again,” knows Scheider.
But Scheider is not the only Audi driver in the contest for the title who could turn the tables once more. Mattias Ekström, his team colleague in Audi Sport Team Abt Sportsline, who finished last year’s round at Oschersleben as the runner-up, is traveling to the venue full of energy as well.
“Mattias is ranking just one point behind Timo,” says Head of Audi Motorsport Dr. Wolfgang Ullrich. “We all know that his score could be a lot better. Twice this season he’s been deprived of finishing in the points due to accidents in which he was not at fault. Most recently, at Brands Hatch, he was knocked out of the race by a rival right in turn one. That’s particularly painful.”
Everyone in the Audi camp is aware that Oschersleben will offer the last chance for the brand with the four rings to achieve a turn-around in what has been an unfortunate 2010 DTM season so far. Four times in the past six years since its return to the DTM with a manufacturer’s commitment Audi has won the round at Oschersleben. The statistics of the current season, as well, show that the Audi A4 DTM basically possesses the requisite performance capability: in the contest of pole positions, the score between Mercedes-Benz and Audi is at 4:3, with respect to the fastest laps it is at 3:4.
Strong trend by Miguel Molina
Miguel Molina most recently made a remarkable contribution to this tally. The newcomer who runs for Audi Sport Rookie Team Abt looks back on two excellent weekends: the two circuits, Zandvoort and Brands Hatch, which are regarded as tracks that particularly test the drivers’ skills, were new territory to the Catalonian who is merely 21. By finishing fifth in the Netherlands and fourth in the United Kingdom he not only delivered his personal best performances of the season. At Brands Hatch, he even managed to set a new track record. Now, at Oschersleben, the young talent will compete on a circuit he is familiar with from his previous career.
Topics of the weekend
- Will Timo Scheider be able to shine at Oschersleben again, as he did in the two past years?
- Will Miguel Molina retain his top form?
- Will Audi Sport Team Phoenix, after good performances in the previous races, be able to fight for points with both cars?
- Will Audi’s used cars again be clearly outperforming the Mercedes-Benz vehicles with the corresponding specifications?
- Will Oliver Jarvis, after consistently showing good qualifying performances, be able to clinch an adequate race result at Oschersleben for the first time?
Quotes by the officials
Dr. Wolfgang Ullrich (Head of Audi Motorsport): ”The track characteristics at Oschersleben require a lot of downforce and the circuit does not have a really long straight. At Brands Hatch we managed a decent team result and improved our performance. Our aim is to continue to work like this. We want to use Oschersleben to perhaps turn the championship around after all. With a victory there we’d have every reason to look ahead positively.”
Hans-Jürgen Abt (Team Director Audi Sport Team Abt Sportsline): “We should set our sights on what’s ahead. We know that it’s very difficult in the championship. But our mission should be to look at the individual events in a positive light. We’ve got to try and improve in qualifying some more in order to show the performance in the race and to be able to stay at the front. That’s possible. The important thing is that we don’t lose motivation. I will personally fight for us to get within the reach of exploits together because we have a common goal: to be at the very front.”
Ernst Moser (Team Director Audi Sport Team Phoenix): “Oschersleben has traditionally been an Audi track. It suits the car well, both the old and the new car. We need to begin with the best set-up for the start and then be quick from the outset. Our aim must be to get our drivers on a good mental track. And then we’ll take off with momentum.”
Arno Zensen (Team Director Audi Sport Team Rosberg): “I’ve got fond memories of Oschersleben because that’s where we clinched our first podium result three years ago with ‘Rocky.’ The circuit is relatively angular and should actually suit us well. We’re still chasing after our first points of the season. I’m hoping it’ll finally work out at Oschersleben.”
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