DTM Norisring 2011: Preview

OFFICIAL PRESS RELEASE

Stuttgart, Germany, Jun 29, 2011

Preview: Fifth round of the 2011 DTM Season at Norisring

• Mercedes-Benz have won the last eight races in Nuremberg and Mercedes-Benz drivers have scored a total of 13 victories on this track
• Jamie Green has won the last three DTM races at the Norisring (2008, 2009 and 2010)
• Three members of the current Mercedes-Benz DTM driver line-up have won at the Norisring: Jamie Green (3 wins), Bruno Spengler (2 wins) and Gary Paffett (2 wins)


Comments on the fifth race of the 2011 DTM season from:

Bruno Spengler (27, Canada, Mercedes-Benz Bank AMG C-Class):
- has won twice at the Norisring (2006 and 2007)
- scored his first DTM victory in Nuremberg at the age of 22 years and 334 days, which makes him one of the youngest winners in DTM history
- started the 2007 and 2008 races in Nuremberg from pole position

“The Norisring is one of my favourite tracks – I’ve won here twice and had five podium finishes. That’s why I’m thrilled to be racing again in Nuremberg. As always, I’ll be preparing thoroughly for the weekend and going all out to get a good result. In the overall standings, I’m only one point behind Martin Tomczyk. With such a competitive field as we have in this year’s DTM, the situation at the top can turn around very quickly, so I don’t feel under any pressure. Instead, my team and I are focused on the job in hand and we’ll be on the attack again in Nuremberg.”

Ralf Schumacher (35, Germany, Salzgitter AMG Mercedes C-Class):
- claimed his first DTM pole position and his first DTM fastest lap in last year’s race at the Norisring
- finished the 2009 race in Nuremberg in sixth position
- celebrates his 36th birthday on Thursday 30th June in the run-up to the Norisring weekend

“I have fond memories of the Norisring which is always a highlight on the DTM calendar. Obviously, I had hoped for more in last year’s race, but in retrospect it was a good performance to get my first pole position and my first fastest race lap in DTM. So if I carry on making similar progress this year, it will be great. With my two podium finishes at Hockenheim and Spielberg, I’ve shown that I’m comfortable driving the C-Class and that I’ve made the adjustment to DTM racing. After my pole last year at this circuit, I want to be battling it out at the front again in this year’s race.”

Jamie Green (29, England, AMG Mercedes C-Class):
- has won the last three races at the Norisring (2008, 2009 and 2010)
- started the 2006 race in Nuremberg from pole position

“I always feel like I’m in my element at the Norisring – and my three wins in the last three seasons would seem to bear that out. This year, I’m no longer in the same C-Class which I won with from 2008 to 2010, but that shouldn’t make a difference. Now I’m aiming to celebrate a victory in my current AMG Mercedes C-Class. In the past eight seasons, a Mercedes-Benz driver has always won in Nuremberg, and that gives me the confidence that we’ll be competitive again this year. I’m really looking forward to it.”

Gary Paffett (30, England, THOMAS SABO AMG Mercedes C-Class):
- won the 2004 and 2005 races in Nuremberg
- drove the fastest race lap on the Norisring in 2005
- won both races in the 2002 German Formula 3 Championship at the Norisring

“In the last race at the Lausitzring, I got closer to the front than in the first three races of 2011. That’s a good sign for the rest of the season because it means we are heading in the right direction. This is a trend we want to continue at the Norisring, where I’m hoping for my first podium finish of the year. I like the street circuit in Nuremberg with its very special characteristics, and I’ve already won there twice. However, my two wins date back to 2004 and 2005, which was quite a while ago, so it would be great if I could add my first win of the 2011 season here. That would also be a nice way of saying ‘thank you’ to my sponsor THOMAS SABO in their home race, as their headquarters are located close to Nuremberg.”

David Coulthard (40, Scotland, Deutsche Post AMG Mercedes C-Class):
- will compete at the Norisring for only the second time
- has crossed the finish line in all four races of the 2011 season
- won the Monaco GP in 2000 and 2002 (also staged on a street circuit)

“Even after one and a half seasons in DTM, the series still keeps springing surprises. I’m learning from one weekend to the next, and understanding more and more how to set up the C-Class for optimum performance. In Nuremberg, you especially need good brakes and a good front end to cope with all the cornering. The Norisring is quite unlike any other track we drive on – almost like a DTM version of Monaco. This brings back good memories for me, because after all, I won the Grand Prix there twice. But actually, I can’t think of a circuit that I don’t feel good at. If my team and I can find the right car balance, we’ll hope to reward the fans with a good result.”

Christian Vietoris (22, Germany, Junge Sterne AMG Mercedes C-Class):
- is driving the AMG Mercedes C-Class that won the last three races at the Norisring
- won the 2008 and 2009 Formula 3 Euro Series races in Nuremberg

“It’s nice to know that Jamie won each of the last three races at the Norisring driving the C-Class car that I’m in now. Of course, that doesn’t automatically mean that I’m set to continue the sequence this season, but maybe driving the legendary Norisring winner will bring me a bit of luck so that I can score my first DTM points. I know the Norisring from my time in the Formula 3 Euro Series – I’ve even won here twice. The track layout looks pretty straightforward, but as a street circuit, it has a bumpy surface, and the race is usually staged in very hot conditions. Anyone aiming to make their mark here needs to be fully focused and in top physical shape. I feel confident on both those points.”

Norbert Haug, Vice-President, Mercedes-Benz Motorsport:
“The Norisring is one of the highlights on the DTM calendar. With the sheer quality of the current field, it may well be that the difference between the fastest and slowest lap times in Nuremberg this year is down to less than half a second. We have won at the Norisring eight times and, most recently, Jamie Green triumphed three times in succession, driving the same C-Class. That achievement is unique in the history of the DTM. This time, we’re trying for win number nine, but I’m sure that more than half a dozen of our competitors will be doing their best to prevent us from achieving it. They have a realistic chance of doing so, but that doesn’t diminish our chances at all.”

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