Motorsport News Audi Achieves Hat-Trick in the DTM with Third Championship in a Row
By source: Audi Sport
Oct 25, 2009, 14:50
• Timo Scheider clinches title with second place at Hockenheim
• 155,000 spectators witness thrilling finale
• AUDI AG writes another chapter of motorsport history
Ingolstadt/Hockenheim – Befitting its 100th anniversary, Audi has written another chapter of motorsport history. The brand is the first ever automobile manufacturer to achieve a title hat-trick in the prestigious international touring car racing series: After 2007 and 2008, Audi has clinched the coveted trophy for the third consecutive time.
In the thrilling finale at the Hockenheimring in front of a magnificent turnout of 155,000 spectators Audi driver Timo Scheider stayed on the heels of his only remaining rival for the title, Gary Paffett, during the entire 39 laps and successfully defended his title from last year by finishing in second place.
"Every Audi employee can be proud of the performance which the DTM squad delivered this year – or better said, has been delivering for three consecutive years,” commented Rupert Stadler, Chairman of the Executive Board of AUDI AG. "In the DTM we compete with one of the toughest rivals you can imagine. On behalf of the entire executive board I would like to extend sincere congratulations to everyone who had a part in this feat. Audi Sport could not have given the Audi brand a nicer gift on its 100th anniversary.”
For Audi, after 1990 (Hans-Joachim Stuck), 1991 (Frank Biela), 2002 (Laurent Aiello), 2004 (Mattias Ekström), 2007 (Mattias Ekström) and 2008 (Timo Scheider), this marks as much as the seventh DTM title and the fourth since the brand returned to the series with a manufacturer’s commitment in 2004. "No automobile manufacturer has ever consecutively won three titles in the DTM,” said Head of Audi Motorsport Dr. Wolfgang Ullrich. "Audi has managed to do it – despite a very strong opponent. After two hat-tricks at Le Mans, now we’ve also achieved a hat-trick in the DTM. This third title no doubt was the most difficult one. But I’m sure that next year it’ll be even more difficult. ‘Thank you’ to everyone who made this great exploit possible for Audi. And congratulations to Timo (Scheider) – like last year, he won the title again on his own power.”
After his triumph, the old and new DTM Champion was speechless at first. "Now I’ve been able to experience this dream, for which we all worked so long and hard, for the second time in a row – and thanks to the Audi squad, the Abt team and my family,” said the 30-year-old obviously moved and with tears in his eyes. "Gary Paffett was a strong rival and won four races. But for as long as I’ve been contesting the DTM the driver with the highest points score has always been the one to become champion ...”
Scheider won twice in the 2009 season and mounted the podium at six of the ten races. He was the most consistent driver and in the end had an advantage of five points over Mercedes driver Gary Paffett. Audi’s track record is impressive as well: The brand with the four rings won four races, started from the pole position eight times, posted six fastest race laps, scored ten more points than its competitor, led 325 of 548 laps and clinched 17 of 30 possible podium places. On four occasions, Audi even claimed the entire podium.
In the finale at Hockenheim the first two laps in particular were a real thriller when Mattias Ekström, who had started from the pole position and Gary Paffett fought an extremely tough duel and touched each other several times. The radiator of Ekström’s Audi A4 DTM was damaged in the process. After four laps the Swede, who was leading the race at that time, was forced to retire and thus lost third place in the standings to Paul Di Resta.
After a start at lightning speed, Timo Scheider watched the duel between Paffett and Ekström from a choice position and only drove his conservatively set up A4 as fast as necessary to stay close to Paffett and keep Paul Di Resta in third place at bay. Scheider managed doing this again when, shortly before race end, the safety car was deployed and unexpectedly pushed the field together once more. When the race was re-started Scheider got everything right as well and crossed the finish line after 39 laps just 1.043 seconds behind Gary Paffett in second place.
By finishing fourth, Alexandre Prémat achieved his best result of the season in a strong race and was also the best driver of a year-old car. With Oliver Jarvis and Markus Winkelhock on places six and eight, two other Audi drivers, who had been fighting a captivating duel throughout the race, finished in the points. Mike Rockenfeller in ninth position just barely missed scoring a point.
In his 60th and last DTM race Tom Kristensen was struck by misfortune not just once but twice: The Dane was hit in the rear right on the first lap in the hairpin and dropped to the back of the field. After a remarkable recovery Kristensen was turned around once more after a safety car period. Martin Tomczyk, as well, became the victim of a collision on the starting lap, which forced him to retire. As a result, Timo Scheider was the only driver of an 2009-spec Audi A4 DTM to score a points finish at Hockenheim.
With the title win in the DTM, another successful motorsport season has come to an end for Audi, which will also enter the annals of partner ABT Sportsline’s company history: After the triumph in the Formula ADAC Masters by Daniel Abt and in the ADAC GT Masters by Christian Abt with the new Audi R8 LMS, the squad from the Allgäu managed a hat-trick as well.
2009 SEASON STATISTICS:
Victories: Mercedes 6; Audi 4.
Pole positions: Audi 8; Mercedes 2
Fastest laps: Audi 6; Mercedes 4
Leading laps: Audi 325; Mercedes 223
Points: Audi 200; Mercedes 190
QUOTES:
Dr. Wolfgang Ullrich (Head of Audi Motorsport)
"It was a race that, particularly on the first few laps, was as thrilling as we’d expected it to be. Timo (Scheider) acted in a similar way as last year. He drove at a very good pace and stayed clear of all trouble. This enabled him to finish in second place, which was a very comfortable result for him. That had been his goal as well. It was obvious that Mattias Ekström could have achieved more today. Unfortunately, he was again deprived of the chance to finish and celebrate an exploit. Gary (Paffett) showed a very strong performance. In the beginning there were some tough fights but I think that’s part of touring car racing. I’m very happy for the whole team that worked very hard. Like last year, we should stress the fact that Timo himself managed the situation in the final race. That shows his strength. He’s a worthy champion — and for the second time in a row!”
Timo Scheider (GW:plus/Top Service Audi A4 DTM 2009 #1), 2nd place
"My start was very good. After that, it was a feast for my eyes to watch how Gary (Paffett) and Eki wrestled with each other. They really went all out in their duel. With a little more courage I might have squeezed myself into the leading position, but that seemed too risky to me. That’s why I restrained myself and tried to keep everything that produces performance intact on the car. I managed doing that. It’s true that Gary won four races and I just won two – but ever since I’ve been in the DTM the driver who had the highest points score in the end was the one to win the championship. And that’s me. It’s great that we managed winning the title again. I’ve been able to experience this dream for as much as the second consecutive time – thanks to the Audi squad, my Abt team and my family. It’s been a fantastic season!”
Alexandre Prémat (Audi Bank A4 DTM 2008 #14), 4th place
"A fantastic race! Starting from twelfth on the grid and finishing fourth is great – especially in the finale, because my season was very, very rough. Today, everyone was able to see my potential. I’m personally very pleased but I’m also very happy for Audi.”
Oliver Jarvis (Audi Cup A4 DTM 2008 #15), 6th place
"A race to really enjoy! Many fights, many overtaking maneuvers. Everything was going well in the first third of the race but the first pit stop was poor. After that, I pushed to recover. There were great duels with Markus Winkelhock, Bruno Spengler and at the end with Jamie Green too: A result in the points and the title for Audi – a fantastic weekend. Congratulations to everyone at Audi and of course to Timo Scheider.”
Markus Winkelhock (Playboy Audi A4 DTM 2008 #12), 8th place
"The start was super. I started from position 13 and after the first lap was among the top six. The car worked very well in the beginning. After the first pit stop the pace was pretty good as well. After the second pit stop the car was almost impossible to drive on the brakes. At times, I had to brake almost 50 meters earlier. The rear axle was clearly worse than in the first and second part of the race. I was no longer able to keep the pace; otherwise sixth place would have been possible.”
Mike Rockenfeller (S line Audi A4 DTM 2008 #11), 9th place
"Congratulations to Timo (Scheider) and Audi. I’m incredibly happy for them. It’s been a fantastic season, ‘well done.’ I could have done better today but, unfortunately, it was over for me again as early as after the first lap. I had a super start but someone hit my car. Down in the hairpin Martin Tomczyk spun off in front of me. I had to get out the way and was almost running in last place after the first lap. I did a good job of pushing to make up ground again and finished ninth in the end. Unfortunately, that was all that was possible.”
Tom Kristensen (100 Jahre Audi – A4 DTM 2009 #2), 15th place
"A hat-trick for Audi, that’s fantastic. I enjoyed my last race even though there were a few challenges. As early as on the first lap I was turned around, and then it happened again later. But I did enjoy all the other laps a lot. The car was good. But that’s not what counted. The main thing was the fantastic time with Audi Sport Team Abt Sportsline. In every race and in every year the mechanics did a brilliant job. They never built any defects into the car. My car was always perfectly prepared. Many thanks from me to Audi for giving me the chance to enjoy such a racing series — although I drove a lot more formula and sports car races before. I’m very, very happy. I’ll miss working with everyone here. I’ll also miss the fans. The 24 Hours of Le Mans are my race. I’m already looking forward to preparing for it.”
Katherine Legge (Audi Collection A4 DTM 2008 # 21), 17th place (retirement)
"At the start I tried to stay clear of any trouble because I knew that I had a fast car. We were competitive, but apparently some people didn’t like that. There were a lot of close fights. I was hit too. The situation got worse and worse and in the end I was forced to give up because the aero components were scraping my tires.”
Mattias Ekström (Red Bull Audi A4 DTM 2009 #5), retirement (radiator)
"Unfortunately, I had a hole in the radiator as a result of the duels on the first lap. There were a few incidents of minor body contact with Gary (Paffett) and at some point I had to drive across the grass. It’s really too bad not to be able to finish. But I’m happy that the race went so well for Timo (Scheider).”
Martin Tomczyk (Red Bull Cola Audi A4 DTM 2009 #6), retirement (accident)
"My race started very well on the grid. After turning into the hairpin behind Tom (Kristensen) and reaching the apex I was hit hard in the rear. As a result, I turned Tom (Kristensen) around and pushed Maro (Engel) off the track.”
Hans-Jürgen Abt (Team Director Audi Sport Team Abt Sportsline)
"The day was simply a dream. I’m proud of the entire brand, the entire team and the entire ‘Allgäu,’ and of Abt, because we clinched three titles in one season. That’s a unique feat and, to top it off, on Audi’s 100th anniversary. And we clinched a DTM title three times in a row. Three, again and again – I don’t know, but I guess that three’s my lucky number.”
Ernst Moser (Team Director Audi Sport Team Phoenix)
"I congratulate Audi on the championship, which has been achieved with a commanding performance. Both of our drivers were super-fast as well. Alex (Prémat) had a clear track the whole time and moved forward as a result of the pit stops. Oliver’s performance was okay too. He pushed and clinched places on the track. I’m totally happy. We’re in the points with both cars – a super ending of the season!”
Arno Zensen (Team Director Audi Sport Team Rosberg)
"That was a sensational race. First of all, a huge ‘well done’ to Timo (Scheider) and his squad. Becoming champion twice in a row is a sensational job! I’m not happy with our own performance. We didn’t really pull the right tricks out of our bag today. Markus (Winkelhock) was actually running well but, toward the end, had heavy understeer. That’s too bad because our potential was higher. But we’ll definitely celebrate the exploit with Audi.”
RESULTS & POINT SCORES:
Hockenheim (D), October 24, DTM round 10
1 Gary Paffett (Mercedes) 39 laps in 1h 06m 01.702s
2 Timo Scheider (Audi A4 DTM) + 1.043s
3 Paul di Resta (Mercedes) + 1.792s
4 Alexandre Prémat (Audi A4 DTM) + 5.234s
5 Jamie Green (Mercedes) + 5.994s
6 Oliver Jarvis (Audi A4 DTM) + 7.737s
...
8 Markus Winkelhock (Audi A4 DTM) + 9.847s
9 Mike Rockenfeller (Audi A4 DTM) + 10.355s
11 Tomas Kostka (Audi A4 DTM) + 16.744s
12 Christian Bakkerud (Audi A4 DTM) + 20.574s
13 Johannes Seidlitz (Audi A4 DTM) + 23.587s
15 Tom Kristensen (Audi A4 DTM) + 2m 23.250s
17 Katherine Legge (Audi A4 DTM) - 9 laps
