Ludwig could call time

The 51-year-old three-time Le Mans winner lies in third place in the championship standings for AMG Mercedes going into this weekend's series finale at Hockenheim. He is tipped to exit the sport while still at the top of his game, just as he did in 1998 when he first 'retired' after winning the FIA GT Championship with Ricardo Zonta.

"If I finish third in the championship it might be a nice ending for me," said Ludwig. "The standard in the DTM is very high, I don't know whether I'll do it again."

But the German, who has won the DTM twice with AMG Mercedes in the Nineties, might decide to go for the title one last time - especially in light of the expected calendar revisions for 2001.

"There are a couple of tracks where I'll have a slight advantage if we go there," he said. "I know circuits like Spa and Helsinki very well. Everyone tells me that it's important for the DTM that I stick around, but I've not decided about next year just yet."

Only his AMG team-mate Marcel Fassler, who is 14 points behind, and Opel's Joachim Winkelhock can wrest third place in the final standings from Ludwig this weekend.