Mattias Ekstrom is hoping for a little peace and quiet this week, but in the world of DTM that's something he's unlikely to get any time soon...
Quite some busy weeks right now. Coming back from the DTM race at Zandvoort it was only some days to recover until I switched from my DTM car into another Audi: I was sharing the Audi R8 LMS with Timo Scheider and Marco Werner last weekend at the Nürburgring to get prepared for the 24 hour race in June.
It’s an event I was really look forward to – in fact it’s one of the highlights of the year. There’s so many fans and spectators there and it’s a real one-off. We’re racing on the Nordschleife, which makes it fun. I don’t think we’d get the same buzz from racing on the modern grand prix circuit; just being on the old 22km 100+ corner track makes it special.
'Just like in football I think it’s a good feeling to have something like a home race'
Of course, it is different. I’ve done the race five times already, and even now I wouldn’t say I’m on the limit all the way around. The track is too long to learn like that, and its conditions are constantly changing, there’s plenty of traffic and it’s difficult. Also, the consequences of going off are huge. In that sense it’s a bit like doing a rally stage. I’ll push hard, but I always think you keep a little bit back, because it’s really not a good idea to go off at high speed.
There’s also the added factor of driving at night. I like it! In the R8 we have great headlights and in general the grip seems to improve and the engine seems to have more power when it’s dark, so normally the best lap times come during the night or in the early morning. Over the years I’ve come to really enjoy it – I think it’s one of my strengths.
Compared to the A4 DTM, the R8 LMS is a little more of a handful to drive. The straight-line speeds are similar, but the sportscar doesn’t have the downforce of the DTM. It also has more weight. The reduction of downforce makes you work a little harder behind the steering wheel because the car drifts a little more when we’re close to the limit. It’s interesting to have the comparison, and it’s great to do something different to DTM from time to time.
Having said that I’m packing my stuff for another highlight: DTM is going to the Red Bull Ring in Austria. I probably won’t get a bonus tenth-of-a-second deducted from my qualifying time because of my sponsor… but seriously: just like in football I think it’s a good feeling to have something like a home race. I’d be delighted if many fans from the area and the name of the race track would give Miguel (Molina) and me extra wings.
Cheerio,
Mattias
Audi Motorsport
Audi Motorsport
Want more?
- DTM - EuroSpeedway event page
- Mattias Ekström profile
- Mattias' personal website
- Official DTM website
- Red Bull Ring
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