Statements from Jamie Green, Ralf Schumacher, Bruno Spengler and Norbert Haug, Vice President Mercedes-Benz Motorsport, concerning the fourth race of the 2009 DTM season on Saturday 18 and Sunday 19 July 2009 in Zandvoort:
Jamie Green, winner of the previous DTM race at the Norisring on 28 June 2009:
?As the racetrack is only separated by the quay from the sandy beach of the North Sea, the sand blown onto the track by the wind often makes the surface slippery, leading to constantly changing conditions. I love driving here, also because a win at Zandvoort saw me become champion of the Formula 3 Euro Series four years ago. However, apart from my pole position in 2006 and fastest lap in 2007, I haven?t yet managed to add much to my DTM points tally here. So it?s about time. Although my win at the Norisring is no guarantee of success for the upcoming races, it does motivate me more.?
Ralf Schumacher, recorded his best DTM result to date at the Norisring:
?After securing my best DTM race result to date at the Norisring, of course I want to move further up the field in the next races. Even if we don?t exactly ?own? the circuit at Zandvoort based on previous results, I can assure you we won?t be sticking our head in the sand dunes and will be in attacking on the day. My 19th place in qualifying at Zandvoort last year was a disaster, but I still managed to climb seven places during the race. I have learned from last year?s mistakes.?
Bruno Spengler, after three DTM races with a single point deficit in second position, the championship?s highest-ranking Mercedes-Benz driver in the 2009 eason:
?Zandvoort is a racetrack with lots of fast curves and the high-speed section of the season. At the end of the starting and finishing straights, we?re hitting just under 270 km/h before braking into the Tarzan curve. It?s vital to secure a good position during qualifying here as overtaking on this track with its numerous drawn-out curves is virtually impossible. The fact that we are now 10 kilos heavier than our competitors after two wins in the previous three races doesn?t make our task any easier ? but I see this challenge in an extremely positive light.|
Norbert Haug:
?We haven?t won in Zandvoort since Gary Pafett's victory in 2005. Our speed during the races compared to the competition was mostly better than it was during qualifying ? what can also be proved by our five fastest race laps so far in eight of the ?new DTM? races since 2000. However nowhere is the grid position more important than in Zandvoort ? as overtaking opportunities there are almost as rare as a track without a single grain of North See sand on the asphalt.
After two wins in the last three races of the current season, our weight handicap for the 2008 and the 2009 cars is 10 kg, which puts us at a disadvantage of over two tenths per lap. As a result, what lies ahead will be far from a pleasant Sunday drive through the dunes. But we are approaching this challenge in a motivated and focussed manner.?
