DTM Oschersleben: Advantage Audi
The brand with the four rings has won four of the last seven DTM races at Oschersleben since its return to the series with a manufacturer’s commitment. Five times an Audi A4 DTM has started from the top grid position and as many as four times the front row belonged only to the brand from Ingolstadt.
The first pole position for the Audi A4 DTM at Oschersleben was clinched in 2004 by a certain Martin Tomczyk. Seven years later the 29-year-old is traveling to the circuit in the flatlands around Magdeburg as the leader of the standings and three-time winner this season. The driver from Audi Sport Team Phoenix scored points at all seven races in 2011, was on podium five times and never finished below fifth place. If the driver from Rosenheim, Bavaria, who is living in Switzerland continues this way, then he will have excellent chances of becoming the third German champion in the “new” DTM that has been held since 2000, following Bernd Schneider and Timo Scheider – and, what’s more, as the driver of a “used car.”
Mathematically, seven drivers still have chances of winning the prestigious title: Martin Tomczyk, his immediate rival Bruno Spengler, Mattias Ekström, Timo Scheider, Jamie Green, Mike Rockenfeller and Ralf Schumacher. From a realistic perspective, however, the title fight has narrowed down to the duel between Tomczyk and Spengler who before the last three rounds are separated by only one point.
As was most recently the case at Brands Hatch, positioning as many Audi A4 DTM cars in front of Spengler will be a crucial factor. So the fact that Tomczyk’s brand colleagues like the Oschersleben circuit as he does comes in handy – first and foremost Timo Scheider, who won at the Motorsport Arena in 2008 and 2009 and who missed a possible hat-trick in 2010 only due to a puncture. His team-mates from Audi Sport Team Abt Sportsline, Mattias Ekström and Mike Rockenfeller, have previously mounted the DTM podium at Oschersleben too. Rahel Frey managed this feat in Formula 3. Edoardo Mortara, who achieved a strong third-place finish at Brands Hatch, secured the title in the Formula 3 Euro Series at Oschersleben in 2010. Filipe Albuquerque even lived at Oschersleben for a while. And Oliver Jarvis and Miguel Molina like the track as well.
So the Audi squad has good prerequisites for raising the score in the prestige duel against Mercedes-Benz to 6-2 and to extend its overall lead. Mercedes, a strong competitor, of course will do everything within their means to strike back after two consecutive defeats. ARD will broadcast the third from last DTM race of the year live on Sunday, September 18, starting at 1:45 p.m., CEST.
