DTM Nürburgring 2011: Preview

Preview: Sixth round of the 2011 DTM Season at Nürburgring



• Mercedes-Benz have won half of the races (i.e. 29 out of 58) staged at the Nürburgring since 1988

• Last year, Bruno Spengler, Paul Di Resta and Gary Paffett claimed a one-two-three finish for Mercedes-Benz

• As we move into the second half of the 2011 DTM season, Bruno Spengler (Mercedes-Benz Bank AMG C-Class) leads the drivers’ standings on 39 points, three ahead of his closest challenger





Comments on the sixth race of the 2011 DTM season from:



Bruno Spengler (27, Canada, Mercedes-Benz Bank AMG C-Class):

- won the 2006 and 2010 DTM races at the Nürburgring

- started from pole position in 2006 and set the fastest race lap at the Nürburgring in 2006, 2007 and 2010



“The Nürburgring has been one of my favourite tracks ever since I made my debut there in Formula 3. It offers an interesting combination of slow turns, where you need to get your exit just right, and fast corners. The weather is a special factor – I’ve won at this track in bright sunshine, but also in rain and mixed conditions. I’m always impressed by the fantastic atmosphere generated by the fans in the Eifel. They are totally crazy about motor racing, so I’m thrilled to be continuing the season there after taking the overall honours at the DTM show event in Munich.”



Ralf Schumacher (36, Germany, Salzgitter AMG Mercedes C-Class):

- finished sixth at the Nürburgring last year and in the points

- won the 2003 European Grand Prix at the Nürburgring

- comes from the nearby town of Kerpen, making this his ‘home race’



“Despite the often unpredictable weather in the Eifel, I have fond memories of the Nürburgring, especially my Grand Prix victory in 2003 of course. But I’ve also notched up some good results in DTM at this circuit. In the 2008 season, I scored my first DTM championship point at the Nürburgring, and every year since, I’ve been raising my performance here and collecting more points. So I would like the trend to continue this year too.”



Jamie Green (29, England, AMG Mercedes C-Class):

- took third place on the podium in the 2008 DTM race at the Nürburgring

- won the second race of the 2004 Formula 3 Euro Series at the Nürburgring



“I had a good race at the Nürburgring last year, despite starting third and finishing fifth. I’ve been on the podium once at the Nürburgring in my DTM career so far. That was back in 2008, so I would dearly love to be up there again this season. The track is known for its changeable weather conditions – you can normally expect it to rain at least once during the race weekend. The section ahead of the back straight consists of several medium-speed downhill corners, which is tremendous fun. The rest of the circuit is comparatively slow and technically demanding.”



Gary Paffett (30, England, THOMAS SABO AMG Mercedes C-Class):

- won the 2004 DTM race at the Nürburgring

- started from pole position in 2004 and 2005, also setting the fastest lap in both races



“The Nürburgring is very much to my liking – even in the rain, which never comes as a total surprise in the Eifel. I’ve already had one win here plus some other good results, and I’ve always been fast at this track, even in the wet. There are not all that many fast corners but there is a sequence of medium-fast and slow turns and some hard braking points. The Nürburgring is by no means an easy track – in fact, it’s quite demanding. I’ve got off to a rather mixed start to this season, and before my accident at the Norisring, it was shaping up to be my best result so far this year. Now I’ll be doing my best to make up for that at the Nürburgring with my first podium, or maybe even win, of 2011.”



David Coulthard (40, Scotland, Deutsche Post AMG Mercedes C-Class):

- started from pole position in both the 1995 and 2000 European Grands Prix at the Nürburgring

- finished his first DTM race at the Nürburgring last year in tenth position



“The Nürburgring is one of the highlights of the racing calendar and a true classic. I know the Grand Prix circuit very well from my many years in Formula One, but when I started driving in the DTM series last year, I had to learn various things from scratch – and not just because the track layout is different. One particular problem is the infamous weather changes: one moment the sun is shining, the next it may be raining or even snowing. The circuit offers a good mix of medium-fast and slow corners, making the setup something of a challenge.”



Norbert Haug, Vice-President Mercedes-Benz Motorsport:

“The DTM race at the Nürburgring is the last before the summer break – the next one will be in four weeks’ time at Brands Hatch. This season is as fiercely competitive as ever and, during this final year of the existing technical regulations, has undoubtedly reached a new peak in terms of quality and the number of drivers who are capable of winning races. Traditionally, we get a good turnout at the Nürburgring for the DTM, and we hope that will be the case this weekend too, although rain has been forecast, which is fairly typical in the Eifel mountains. Our objective at the ‘Ring is to achieve a repeat of last year’s victory.”



Source: Daimler AG



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