Special DTM weekend for Audi Sport at the Nürburgring

In 2001, the Frenchman Laurent Aiello clinched the first DTM success of the compact Audi TT at the Nürburgring. At the same time, this marked the first DTM triumph of today’s Audi Sport Team Abt Sportsline that could be celebrating its 50th victory in a DTM race this weekend. The most recent Audi victory at the Nürburgring was achieved a year ago by Miguel Molina. The Spaniard in his Teufel Audi RS 5 DTM also holds the track record on the 3.629-kilometer sprint circuit used by the DTM (1m 21.732s).

This is another reason why, following the difficult weekend at Moscow, the Audi squad is traveling to the Eifel with confidence. “We intend to come back with renewed strength,” says Dieter Gass, Head of DTM at Audi Sport. “The championship race is intensifying. Everything is still open, and our aims are unchanged. We’re expecting a balanced field at the Nürburgring. And, obviously, we have to be prepared for anything in terms of weather there.”

The question of why things were not going according to plan for Audi on the most recent race weekend at Moscow has been resolved. “The Moscow analysis has confirmed our original assumption that we didn’t get the tires to work in qualifying,” says Dieter Gass. “We’ve come up with corrective actions.”

Jamie Green, trailing leader of the standings Marco Wittmann (BMW) and Robert Wickens (Mercedes-Benz) in position three, is currently the best Audi campaigner in the drivers’ standings in terms of points. “I’ve never won in the DTM at the Nürburgring before,” says the Briton from Audi Sport Team Rosberg. “I’d like to change that and I think we’ve got good chances of making that happen. Our car should be competitive at the Nürburgring. Following the disappointment at Moscow, we need to regain our form and score as many points as possible.”

At the end of the summer break, the Briton returned to Monaco, his adopted home, from a family vacation in England and is equally motivated as Edoardo Mortara (Audi Sport Team Abt Sportsline) who is trailing Green by only four points in the drivers’ classification. “I’m very much looking forward to the Nürburgring,” says the Audi driver. “It’s one of my favorite tracks on the DTM calendar. I had many good results there in the past and have been on podium several times. I feel comfortable on the track and am confident that we’re going to deliver a good race. We’ve still got title chances – it’s make or break now.”