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Youngsters ready to win, says Fassler

DTM sensation Marcel Fassler believes that the series' youngsters are ready to knock experienced championship leaders Manuel Reuter and Bernd Schneider off the top step of the podium at the Norisring this weekend

The Mercedes driver, who lies third in the title chase after three podium finishes in the first four rounds, claims that the elder statesmen of the series are showing signs of cracking under pressure after seeing both men make mistakes in the championship's opening races.

"It is possible for a young guy to win this weekend, but it is going to be hard," he said. "We saw that Reuter made a mistake at Hockenheim and Schneider went off the track at Oschersleben, so the experienced guys are feeling the heat.

"I am feeling confident because I have had two good races, but I know this is a hard circuit and it is going to be very competitive. We have seen already in qualifying that you need to be right on the limit because otherwise you will start far down the grid.

"Saying that, though, this is an easy track to overtake on because there are high-speed straights followed by tight hairpins, so you can gain places through the race. If your car is set-up well, then I think you can win, even if you start from 10th on the grid."

Rain showers are feared for Sunday's double header, which takes placed around the remains of Adolf Hitler's infamous Nuremberg stadium, although Fassler is not worried about the prospect.

"I like the wet conditions, so I don't mind racing in the rain," he added. "At Hockenheim, the Mercedes cars were a bit better in the rain than the Opels, but this is a high-speed circuit and the Opels have shown already that they have better top speed than us. I don't think we have a big advantage over the Opel cars."

Opel proved they were well-suited to the Norisring track by setting the top four times during Friday's roll-out session. Jo Winkelhock led the way by 0.142 seconds from Eric Helary, with Reuter third and Michael Bartels fourth. Klaus Ludwig was the leading Mercedes driver in fifth spot.

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