DTM 2004
Mattias Ekström

The DTM has returned to Germany, and Mattias Ekström is reaching for the top of the table. The Audi driver goes to EuroSpeedway Lausitz merely two points behind the leader of the overall standings. Mattias Ekström comments on the 4.534-kilometre track that still owes him something: having finished either third or second in all of his previous races at this circuit, only the top of the podium is still missing in the 25-year-old Swede’s collection of exploits.

This is your fourth race at the EuroSpeedway. How would you describe this circuit?
Mattias Ekström:
“I like the EuroSpeedway. It’s a very fast and flowing track and – unlike Adria for example – not only consists of straights and hairpins. It has some difficult combinations of five consecutive turns through which you need to drive very swiftly.“

What is particularly important at the EuroSpeedway?
Mattias Ekström:
“The crucial point is to tackle these combinations of turns in an optimum manner. It’s a little like skiing: if you don’t manage to swing into the first turn properly, you’ll miss the rest of them as well. It’s the same at this circuit: as you’re entering the first turn, you already need to be thinking about how you’ll get out of the third one.”

Where do you see the best possibility for overtaking at EuroSpeedway?
Mattias Ekström:
“Generally speaking, it’s not easy to overtake on this track. Still, I’ve found a few places and have some ideas how it could work – but to be honest, I’d like to keep that to myself.“

How important is the start at EuroSpeedway?
Mattias Ekström:
“Because overtaking is so difficult, the start proved to be very important, if not to say decisive for the outcome of the race, in previous years. So, clearly, you must aim for be a good grid position and swift takeoff.”

Dry or wet – what kind of weather are you hoping for on race day?
Mattias Ekström:
“If it has to be wet, I’d personally prefer snow – this would be a lot of fun to be sure. Seriously, though: “I wouldn’t mind rain, because I enjoy driving on a wet track. Let’s not just think about me, though, but of the many fans in the grandstands. And for them, naturally, I’m hoping for sunshine without a single drop of rain.”