Subscribe

Sign up for free

  • Get quick access to your favorite articles

  • Manage alerts on breaking news and favorite drivers

  • Make your voice heard with article commenting.

Autosport Plus

Discover premium content
Subscribe

Dumbreck: DTM exceeds expectation

Peter Dumbreck will forever be known as the man who escaped that spectacular flip at Le Mans last year. However, the Scot has put that traumatic event behind him, and is busy forging a new career in the revived DTM with Mercedes. The decision to go tin-tops was not taken lightly, for Peter had successfully carved a niche for himself in Japan, where he won the F3 championship and was starting to find his feet in Formula Nippon, the category which propelled Ralf Schumacher and Pedro de la Rosa into F1. However, he is convinced that the DTM is the way ahead. Adam Cooper spoke to Dumbreck before he headed to Germany for this weekend's race on the fabulous Norisring street circuit

"Very much so. I think it's even exceeded my expectations. It's a really good series, and I'm really enjoying it. Driving the cars is a lot different to single-seaters; it's really back to basics driving."

"Not really. I went back to Japan and was racing Formula Nippon out there. I'd really got quite far in negotiations for another seat, which involved staying in Formula Nippon and driving GT. Then the chance came to come back to Europe to do DTM. Those two things were basically stronger than the thing which was holding me in Japan. Which was basically the nightlife! Seriously, I felt I had to get back to Europe and make my name big again, because if I'm every going to do anything, it's going to be in Europe, because that's the home of motor sport really."

"I suppose there's always that chance. But at the end of the day I might have stayed in Japan and raced Formula Nippon for the next five years, and never made it any further."

"Yes, the marketplace has changed. There are a lot of Japanese drivers and maybe not the call for the European drivers, so it's getting more difficult out there. I'm driving for one of the biggest manufacturers in the world, and at least this way even if I don't make it back to single-seaters I'm driving a fantastic car and maybe there's a chance to stay in DTM."

"There are no aids, no ABS, no traction control, no self-levelling ride height. It's all down to the driver. They're big and heavy, they feel heavier than a single-seater. They're quite 'taily' cars, they want to oversteer in all the corners, but they're very predictable. They're not like a single-seater, where if it snaps on a quick corner it's likely you're going to spin off. There's a larger window for error in these cars. If you get it sideways you can hold it sideways and there's no problem. I guess that's what makes it good for the spectators as well, because they see these cars getting out of shape but staying on the track."

"They're said to be even!"

"It has been. Obviously it's been Bernd Schneider and the lead Opel of Manuel Reuter who've been doing most of the running at the front. Fundamentally the cars are the same, but maybe AMG have had more time to develop the cars, because at Persson we haven't had any testing really. So we basically arrived at the first race having had a day and a half, and I managed to get two fifth places, so I was pretty happy with that. In the next race I had a fifth and an 11th. Qualifying didn't go so well there, and the Opels managed to jump up to the front. The Opels have really found something - I think it's either down to their aerodynamics and/or their engine, because they were about 9kph faster on the straights than us. And on a circuit like the long Hockenheim, that's really going to benefit them I would think."

"Yes, I'm enjoying being involved with the DTM circus. Everyone remembers the old days, and everyone wants it to happen again, and so far it's lived up to expectations, and it's great to be involved."

"Not at all - I was almost glad we were in Oschersleben!"

Be part of the Autosport community

Join the conversation
Previous article DTM hits jewel in the crown
Next article Youngsters ready to win, says Fassler

Top Comments

There are no comments at the moment. Would you like to write one?

Sign up for free

  • Get quick access to your favorite articles

  • Manage alerts on breaking news and favorite drivers

  • Make your voice heard with article commenting.

Autosport Plus

Discover premium content
Subscribe