Audi “factory” driver Mattias Ekström wins “Race of Champions” in Beijing
- Third triumph for the Swede after 2006 and 2007
- Victories against Jenson Button and Michael Schumacher
- Compensation for disappointing 2009 DTM season
Audi “factory” driver Mattias Ekström again proved his exceptional talent: In Beijing the Swede won the “Race of Champions” for the third time after 2006 and 2007. In the competition of the world’s best race and rally drivers the two-time DTM Champion defeated the new Formula 1 World Champion in the semi-finale, and Michael Schumacher in the finale.
“This is a very special day for me,” beamed the 31-year-old after his triumph in the Olympic Stadium in Beijing. “I was not particularly fortunate this year in the DTM. To end the season with a victory against Michael Schumacher is fantastic.”
Ekström showed an impressive performance on the 1.074-kilometer track in the famous “Bird’s Nest”: The Audi driver was the clear winner of the qualifying rounds. At the subsequent head-to-head races in identical cars he first beat his team-mate Tom Kristensen and subsequently Formula 1 World Champion Jenson Button. In the finale he did not give Michael Schumacher the slightest chance and with two wins secured the prestigious title which he had won twice before, at the Stade de France in Paris in 2006, and at Wembley Stadium in London in 2007.
“Mattias (Ekström) has proved in the past that he is one of the world’s best, both on the circuit and in rally racing,” says Head of Audi Motorsport Dr. Wolfgang Ullrich. ”This is a very rare combination in motorsport. Walter Röhrl was such an exceptional driver and Sébastien Loeb was one of them too. We know Mattias’ value to Audi and are happy that he is with us. After the 2009 DTM season that was disappointing for him and in which he had an incredible amount of misfortune, this marks an end on a high note on which everyone at Audi extends their cordial congratulations to him.”