DTM Budapest 2016
Mattias Ekström, René Rast

The Audi factory driver about his stint in the Audi RS 5 DTM in the finale at Hockenheim where he will be standing in for Mattias Ekström who, at the same time, will be battling for the title in the World Rallycross Championship at the Estering with his privateer Team EKS.

Your second DTM race is coming up soon. When did you find out about it?

It was discussed following Mattias Ekström’s victory at Barcelona. Even before that, there was hope that “Eki” would do a great job there and I might slip into the cockpit as a result. Obviously, I’m happy about it! I previously had the opportunity to catch a whiff of a few kilometers of DTM air at Zandvoort, but it felt like there was even greater potential.

This time, your preparation and expectations are altogether different, aren’t they? You won’t have to jump into the DTM cockpit overnight…

My preparation is totally different. I’ll have two free practice sessions beforehand, can adjust my mind to it, talk to the engineers, plus look at data and watch videos. Consequently, things should be going a little better than at Zandvoort.

At Budapest, you listened to radio communications and watched the team. Was that beneficial in any way?

I knew how a day in the DTM goes, so that was nothing new for me. But I did gain additional insight. Listening in on Florian Modlinger’s radio, I found out how he works and tried to get a feel for it. That was interesting and a good way to prepare for Hockenheim.

There aren’t many tests in the DTM and now you’re allowed to do a tire test at the Hungaroring on Monday and Tuesday. That’s probably another good opportunity?

Every kilometer helps. An opportunity like this is very rare because there are almost no test days in the DTM. It’s great that I’m allowed to do this tire test.

You’ve been racing a lot in endurance events. Can you imagine a future in the DTM?

Why not? It’s a nice series. Driving the Audi RS 5 DTM is incredible fun. The field is very close and a thousandth of a second is crucial. You always have to do a perfect job. But it’s a fantastic challenge I’d like to accept.