Tom Kristensen at UCI World Cycling Tour
Audi Sport legend Tom Kristensen was a welcome guest at the UCI World Cycling Tour in Denmark on Thursday. In Hobro, the home town of the nine-time Le Mans winner, Kristensen opened the event as an official ambassador. Obviously, the fitness freak would not miss the opportunity to personally ride the 18.2-kilometer distance of the amateur world championships on a road bike. He covered it in 29m 52s at an average speed of 37.37 km/h.
Rallycross guest run by Timo Scheider
Following Mattias Ekström and Markus Winkelhock, another Audi driver is making a foray into rallycross. Between the two DTM weekends at Oschersleben and at the Nürburgring Timo Scheider will be running as a guest in the World Rallycross Championship on September 19 and 20. At the Circuit de Catalunya near Barcelona, the two-time DTM Champion will be competing in an Audi S3 RX Supercar of the German privateer team ALL-INKL.COM Münnich Motorsport.
Hans-Joachim Stuck ‘back to the roots’
The 1990 champion is returning to the race track: Hans-Joachim Stuck will be driving the race taxi for Audi during the seventh DTM race weekend at Oschersleben. And it won’t be just any taxi, but the RS 5 DTM sporting the retro design in which Mattias Ekström contested the races at the Norisring in late June. The 25th anniversary of Audi’s first Norisring victory had been the occasion to inspire the change in livery. The driver at the wheel of the victorious V8 quattro in 1990: Hans-Joachim Stuck.
Tom Kristensen at Hamburg Stadtpark-Revival
Fans of classic race cars got their money’s worth in Hamburg on the first weekend in September. Audi Sport legend Tom Kristensen entertained visitors at the Stadtpark-Revial with demo laps in the pre-war Auto Union Type D on Saturday and Sunday. The audience in the north enjoyed our show,” said the pleased nine-time Le Mans winner. “Many fans asked for autographs and were visibly impressed in personal conversations.” The line-up of the four rings was rounded off by a former Audi Sport engineer. Timo Witt drove a rally version of the Audi 80 GTE through the city park.
A word from … Mattias Ekström
The Swede is leading the DTM drivers’ standings and currently has a busy schedule.
The DTM weekend in Moscow had quite a bit to offer: retirement in the first race and then your fifth podium this season, plus the lead of the drivers’ standings. How would you sum up the event?
It’s great that we’re contesting two races again on a DTM weekend this year. Following my excursion into the tire stack on Saturday, it allowed me to make up for this poor result by taking third place just a day later. The result and the lead of the standings speak for themselves, but there are still six more races coming up. The crucial part is who will be in front in the end.
Next week, you’re traveling to Oschersleben. What are your expectations?
I’m very much looking forward to the two races. In April, we did a DTM test at Oschersleben and I had a very good feeling. It’s a track where you drive a totally different set-up than in most other races – more on curbs, a little wilder, all-out attack. The complete opposite of Moscow where everything is flat and without bumps.
Your excitement notwithstanding, you have a pretty busy schedule at the moment. In addition to the DTM, commitments in the World Rallycross Championship are on your agenda. Seven consecutive weekends of racing. How do you cope with that?
Quite simply: I’m living my dream. Racing is tremendous fun for me, especially if I can do it in the DTM and in rallycross. There’s nothing better than this combination. I look forward to my little S1 in the World Rallycross Championship every time. And when I return to the DTM I notice that I keep getting better because my stress level behind the wheel is clearly lower due to my experiences from rallycross. Consequently, I can enjoy my time in the Audi RS 5 DTM a lot more and clinch better results.
Coming up next week
11–13/09 Sandown (AUS), Australian GT Championship, races 9, 10 and 11
12–13/09 Oschersleben (D), DTM, races 13 and 14
12–13/09 Oschersleben (D), Audi Sport TT Cup, races 7 and 8
12–13/09 Vallelunga (I), Italian GT Championsip, races 9 and 10
12–13/09 Bira (THA), Thailand Super Series, races 5 and 6
13/09 Laguna Seca (USA), Pirelli World Challenge, round 20
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