DTM is heading to the beach this weekend for the sixth round of the touring car championship in Zandvoort, Netherlands. As the drivers prepare to put down their buckets and spades to get behind the wheel, we run through those looking to make their mark...
Mattias Ekström (Sweden) – Audi
The two-time DTM champion will be hoping to build on his three wins at the Zandvoort circuit – the last of which came in 2008. Ekström will be hoping he can get the win to kick-start his challenge for a third title. Despite winning the second round in Valencia, Spain he finds himself 19 points off the pace and down in fifth before this weekend’s race.
Bruno Spengler (Canada) – Mercedes
Victory last time out at the Nürburgring was Spengler’s second in three races and handed the Canadian a 16-point lead in the drivers’ standings. However, despite having what many see as an unassailable lead, the 2006 and 2007 championship runner-up is keeping his feet firmly on the ground where the title is concerned and is taking each race as it comes.
Martin Tomczyk (Germany) – Audi
Tomczyk is still looking for his first podium of 2010 after a season dominated by technical difficulties. The German enjoyed a race to forget at the Nürburgring, qualifying in 11th before finishing in a lowly 13th. He will be hoping to turn his season around in the Netherlands, on a track he enjoys having finished in the top four on all if his previous four appearances at the track – including a win in 2007.
Jamie Green (Britain) – Mercedes
With one victory to his name – his second in a row at the Norisring – so far in 2010, Green lies second in the overall standings ahead of this weekend’s race. Despite being 16 points behind Spengler, Green is the highest placed driver of a previous-season car after five rounds. However, sixth place in 2008 remains his best finish in the Netherlands.
David Coulthard (Britain) – Mercedes
Despite racing in just his sixth DTM race, Coulthard does have some experience on the Zandvoort track. The former-F1 driver won the Formula 3 Masters there in 1991, and it seems he has fond memories of the venue. “Being right next to the beach, the track has something of a holiday atmosphere, but we have no time for any relaxation,” he said.
Gary Paffett (Britain) – Mercedes
The winner of the season-opener in Hockenheim has found points a little harder to come by since then. However, his third-place finish at the Nürburgring last time has put the Briton within a point of compatriot Green. Paffett has form at Zandvoort though, and will be out to repeat his 2009 success by the beach.
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