What a fantastic premiere! At the Hockenheimring, DTM made a thrilling and spectacular start into the 2018 season. And the thriller will be continued this weekend at the Lausitzring’s longer version. At the circuit located further to the east than any other permanent German racetrack the drivers once again want to present themselves in the best light. Enthralling overtaking manoeuvre, spectacular chases and pure motor-sport at its best – that’s what the fans in Brandenburg may look forward to. Following the impressions gained in the first DTM meeting of the year, the Lausitzring visitors and the fans at home in front of their TV sets and mobile devices once again will be thrilled to the max. The racing will be very close and so, nuances will be crucial in the battle for the win. So, the spectators better fasten their seat belts.
This year, DTM will race for the first time since 2004 at the Lausitzring’s 4.534-kilometre GP circuit. With a total of 14 corners and a well-balanced mix of slow and fast sections, this version represents a particular challenge. And the drivers are provided an additional overtaking opportunity at the end of the back straight.
For the first time, Timo Glock travels to a DTM meeting as championship leader For the first time in his DTM career, Timo Glock will travel to a DTM race meeting as championship leader. With 44 points on his tally, the lead of the BMW driver over Mercedes-AMG’s Gary Paffett amounts to just one point. The two old-hands proved to be the chief characters of a memorable race weekend. Particularly in the second race, on the Sunday of the Hockenheim meeting, they thrilled the crowds with a battle like it couldn’t be witnessed for decades. At the end of this unique race, the BMW driver got the upper hand. « This was perfect advertisement for our sport in general and DTM. The battles truly stunned the crowds. This was absolutely positive, » said Glock and explained his emotional radio message: « For years, we drivers campaigned for cars with less downforce and smaller rear wings that would allow us to provide better motor racing. And now, the result was such a great race. Therefore, I just had to say some words about it via the radio. »
Meanwhile, Glock’s memories of the Lausitzring aren’t too fond. The 11th and 15th places he had to cope with last year weren’t satisfying. « Everybody will have to begin from scratch, » Glock adds. « This has nothing to do with what happened at the Hockenheimring. It goes without saying that it was nice to start into the season in such a great style. And I hope that we also will be better prepared for the Lausitzring, this year. We definitely had our weak points, here, in the past. Consequently, I still regard Mercedes-AMG as clear favourites, in this race meeting. Their car is mechanically very good and has got good traction, particularly in the first sector. I had a lot of time for watching their strengths, on the Sunday at Hockenheim. »
Paffett: « The best race I contested in my life » Gary Paffett who finished third in the Sunday race also was hailed by the crowds, after the Sunday race. In the end, finishing third was disappointing but it was worth wile. This was my best race ever. Such an amazing battle for the win – just incredible, » said the Mercedes-AMG driver who couldn’t prevent Audi’s Mike Rockenfeller from passing him in the closing stages. « After the fantastic Hockenheim weekend I truly am looking forward to the Lausitzring. And even more so as I already secured three race wins, there. »
Mercedes-AMG the most successful brand at the Lausitzring With 18 points on his tally, Audi driver Rockenfeller is tied for third position with the Mercedes-AMG drivers Lucas Auer and Pascal Wehrlein. « We still are behind although the Sunday race was great. Due to the battle at the front, the field moved closer together. But there still is a difference. Last year we had the best car. This year, we lost our aero advantage due to the altered regulations and therefore, we now have to do some catching up, » admits ‘Rocky’. At the Lausitzring, the Audi RS 5 DTM for four of the previous six races. While Mercedes-AMG are the most successful Lausitzring brand with 13 wins on their tally. Last year, Auer and Jamie Green (Audi) crossed the line as race winners. For BMW it was a difficult race meeting, with Maxime Martine, the best driver representing the Munich based manufacturer, finishing fourth and eighth.
With Gary Paffett, Paul Di Resta, Pascal Wehrlein and Lucas Auer, four Mercedes-AMG drivers already secured at least one win at the Lausitzring – and Di Resta, Wehrlein and Auer even celebrated their maiden DTM wins, there. « I have fond memories of the Lausitzring where I secured my first DTM win, in 2014, » reveals DTM returnee Wehrlein who was really happy with having finished fifth and sixth in the season kick-off. « I enjoyed Hockenheim a lot. I had a competitive car that suited me well. I still have to work on my qualifying performance on cold tyres. I learned a lot at Hockenheim and hope that I will be able to make further progress, now. »
Killer beats by ‘Gestört aber GeiL’ In addition to the thrilling motor racing provided by the second race meeting of the season, the Lausitzring crowds also may look forward to a special live act. On Saturday evening, the DJ pairing ‘Gestört aber GeiL’ will entertain the crowds for an hour with killer beats and driving basses. The Erfurters Nico Wendel and Marcel Stephan are some of the most popular DJs in Germany. Their single ‘Unter meiner Haut’ achieved platinum and three-time gold, the tunes ‘Ich & Du’ and ‘Wohin willst du’ also made it to gold status – and the same applied to the album ‘Gestört aber GeiL’. Holders of DTM tickets including paddock tickets will have free access to the concert premises. The attractive support programme will be completed by autographing sessions with all the 18 drivers, the ‘RoboKeeper’ football module including a competition of the Football-Bundesliga club RB Leipzig and – on Saturday evening – the big public screening of the German FA Cup final Bayern Munich vs. Eintracht Frankfurt.
Tickets can be ordered via the official DTM website www.dtm.com/tickets.
Press release DTM
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