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Norbert Haug: DTM entering a new era

Ahead of the 2012 Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters season at the Hockenheimring this weekend, Mercedes-Benz Motorsport Vice-President Norbert Haug expresses his belief that the German series is entering its most important era yet.

“In 2012, the DTM starts a new era – indeed, its third and most important era,” said Haug. “The fact that Audi and Mercedes-Benz stayed the course for six years, putting on fascinating races in competition with each other, created the stable platform for a fresh start with new momentum. We are now welcoming BMW as a new competitor to the DTM.

“Thanks to Audi, Mercedes, the ITR and its board plus the DMSB and its officials, this unique, outstanding motorsport series has been preserved. Now, the world’s three best and best-known premium car manufacturers are competing against each other in the DTM, with a new and exciting generation of vehicles.”

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In 2012 Mercedes will be fielding an eight-car line-up, with all drivers using the new Mercedes-Benz C-Class Coupé. Mercedes is fielding cars for Jamie Green, Ralf Schumacher, Gary Paffett, Christian Vietoris, David Coulthard, Robert Wickens, Roberto Merhi and Susie Wolff in the coming season. Amongst them, British driver Green is expected to be close to the front to challenge for the title.

“I’m really looking forward to the new DTM season,” said Green, 5th in last year’s championship. “We’re in for an interesting and thrilling year with our new Mercedes AMG C-Coupé. The fans can look forward to seeing spectacular cars in action and to witnessing some close-fought encounters on the track. For myself, I’m obviously hoping that I can start the new DTM era in the same way that I finished the old one – namely with a win. The DTM field is so strong and well matched that it is vital to lay down a marker in the first race and to build on that basis by consistently finishing at or near the front.”

The runner-up in the 2010 season, British driver Paffett, is also anticipating a significant degree of unpredictability for the forthcoming season.

“New cars, new drivers, new teams – it promises to be an exciting and intriguing start to the season,” said Paffett, 31. “During the tests, I’ve thoroughly familiarised myself with our new Mercedes AMG C-Coupé and got used to the different handling of the car. It’s hard to predict the result of the first race, but I’m happy with our level of preparation and hope that we can get the season off to a solid start.”

Now entering his third season in the DTM is Scot David Coulthard, who will be hoping to build on his from from previous seasons which has seen him claim a best result of eighth on one occasion in each of his two years.

“It’s hard to believe it, but I’m just about to start my third DTM season,” said Coulthard. “As always, I’m immensely looking forward to the season opener at Hockenheim, a contributory factor being the part played by the fans in our home race. They really get behind us and generate a fantastic atmosphere in the Motodrom and in the Mercedes-Benz grandstand.

“I am aiming to improve on my first two seasons in the DTM, especially in qualifying and at the start of the race. If I can do that, I should be able to post decent results this year.”

The second-youngest driver in the Mercedes-Benz camp is 23 year-old Christian Vietoris, who is entering his second season in the German series. The Junge Sterne driver scored a best result of 5th last year.

“Here we go again – at last! I just can’t wait for the start of the season,” added Vietoris. “Our preparations have been very good, and I learned a lot in my rookie season. I intend to build on this and convert the lessons from last year into respectable results. The conditions are perfect: I think I’ve slotted in well with Mercedes-Benz in the DTM and I feel at one with my Mercedes-Benz Bank AMG C-Coupé. I got to know the car well during testing and worked with the engineers on getting the setup right. The Hockenheim circuit is technically very demanding; it requires both good brakes and massive straight-line speed. It’s all about finding the right balance.”

Like so many, Ralf Schumacher isuncertain as to who the pace-setters will be this weekend, and despite Mercedes topping the times in the recent pre-season test expects that the competition will be close.

“The winter testing has left us none the wiser as to the balance of power in the new DTM era – we’ll only find that out at Hockenheim,” said Schumacher, 36. “All the same, we’re coming to Hockenheim well prepared for the new season. I’m expecting an exciting race and – hopefully – a good result for myself.”

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