The newcomer from Audi Sport Team Abt Sportsline barely missed the best time posted in the tests by ex-DTM Champion Bruno Spengler in a BMW by only 45 thousandths of a second. “That was a strong lap by Robin,” said Andreas Roos, Project Leader DTM at Audi. “The chase for the ultimately fastest lap, though, was not our top priority this week. We rather tried to make the best possible use of these four days to adapt to the new aerodynamics and the changed setup options, and did so successfully. We tried out a lot of different things. Now we need to draw the right conclusions from the data for the season opener at the beginning of May.”The three Audi Sport Teams Abt Sportsline, Phoenix and Rosberg, used five race cars and one test car at Hockenheim. “The test was promising,” said Robin Frijns. “Following rain during the night from Tuesday to Wednesday, the track was fastest on Wednesday morning. I benefited from this during my qualifying simulations, but the long runs, starting practice and pit stops were very profitable for me too.”
The new DTM season will start – at the Hockenheimring as well – on May 5 and 6. Tickets are available via ABT Sportsline. In Germany, the series new TV partner, SAT.1, will air live coverage of the season opener.
Before the season kicks off, the two race cars will be thoroughly checked and equipped with the race engines for the 2018 season. Pit stop practice sessions and final functional checks are scheduled before racing starts in earnest at the Hockenheimring in early May.
