Audi comes as championship leader to home race

Another huge event is on the Audi Sport race schedule only 14 days after the Audi R10 TDI prototype’s magnificent victory in the 24 Hours of Le Mans: The Norisring race in Nuremburg, the Audi team’s "home race".

Thousands of Audi fans and employees from Ingolstadt and Neckarsulm flood year for year to the exceedingly popular DTM race. Last season a total of 141,000 spectators followed the only street race on the DTM calendar. They last celebrated an Audi victory in 2002 when Frenchman Laurent Aiello overtook Mercedes driver Bernd Schneider on the last lap in a heart stopping manoeuvre on his way to winning the championship.

The best Norisring result posted by the Audi A4 DTM since then comes from the 2005 season. Then, Christian Abt and Mattias Ekström took second and third places respectively. However, this should change on the last weekend in June: The first Audi A4 DTM victory in Nuremberg is the goal targeted by the Audi squad.

The foundations for this were already created last year: During development of the new A4 DTM, which bears the project name "R14" internally, the unique demands of the mere 2.3-kilometre street circuit in Nuremberg, specifically a low Cd value, good traction and stable brakes, were taken into account. In addition, suspension and aerodynamics must master the bumps which change from year to year and which traditionally make life for the drivers difficult.

To prepare perfectly for the race in the Franconian metropolis the circuit was simulated on an airfield. Two current A4 and a year old car were in action for this purpose. The test results confirmed the Audi wind tunnel values and the computer simulation.

Nevertheless, the team under Head of Audi Motorsport does face an difficult task: Opponent Mercedes is traditionally very strong at the Norisring. As a rule, qualifying boils down to hundredths and thousandths of seconds. Barely a single Norisring race finishes without spectacular incidents and Safety Car periods.

It will be particularly difficult for the year-old Audis, which must weigh-in with five kilograms more than the 2008 cars from Audi and Mercedes following the excellent results in the previous races.

In spite of the final of the European Football Championship being played on the same weekend, the organisers expect a full-house again next to the Dutzendteich this year. Practice in Nuremberg starts on Friday. Qualifying starts on Saturday at 1:28 p.m. local time, the race on Sunday at 2:00 p.m. local time. ARD broadcasts qualifying and the race live on "Das Erste". Free practice is broadcast on dtm.tv on the internet. Highlights and background stories can be seen on audi.tv.