The EuroSpeedway as seen by Mattias Ekström
- A very demanding circuit
- First sector crucial for clocking a good time
- Overtaking possible only at great risk
With the race at the EuroSpeedway, the 2005 DTM is definitely entering the finish straight. The situation could hardly be any more thrilling than this: the current championship leader, Gary Paffett (Mercedes), and the defending champion, Mattias Ekström (Audi A4), are separated by merely one point in the ninth of eleven rounds. After the first event in May the DTM has returned to the venue in the “Niederlausitz” region for the second time this season. Audi driver Mattias Ekström comments on the 3.422-kilometre circuit.
How would you describe the EuroSpeedway?
Mattias Ekström: “The EuroSpeedway is a very demanding track – particularly the first sector with its tight combinations. And because lap times are very fast, even the slightest mistake has ‘brutal’ consequences. But that’s nothing unusual in the DTM, really.”
What are the crucial places for you at the EuroSpeedway?
Mattias Ekström: “The entire first sector, definitely, which is like a ‘total work of art’: you have to handle the first corner perfectly in order to make it through the second and third on the best line. If you miss the perfect braking point as you enter, this may have consequences all the way through to the sector on the opposite straight.”
Where do you see the best opportunities for overtaking?
Mattias Ekström: “If you ask me, there really aren’t any good opportunities for overtaking. You either need the guy in front to make a mistake or you just have to take a slightly higher risk than on other tracks if you want to pass.”
The first corner after the start is a tight left-hander. Is this a dangerous turn?
Mattias Ekström: “This corner is extremely tight and has often seen very close and thrilling manoeuvres in recent years. The good thing is that, unlike other starting turns, there’s enough room for two cars to get through side by side – though only one of them on the optimal line.”
Weather conditions have been changing constantly this weekend. What conditions would you prefer on race day?
Mattias Ekström: “For me, the changing track conditions are okay. Driving on a slightly wet track with slicks, if the strategy should require it, poses a challenge to all the drivers and results in a lot of action for the spectators. For race day, the weather forecast has predicted changing conditions as well. That’s why I wouldn’t be surprised to see a tactical race with as many as three pit stops per car.”