Quick Off the Blocks: Interview with Mattias Ekstrom

With just two manufacturers in the DTM, the one who finishes second doesn't have much to shout about. For Audi, losing the title to Mercedes-Benz two years in a row has been a nightmare, but it's not like they don't know how to get the job done.

Mattias Ekstrom won the title for Audi in 2004 and came close to retaining it the following year. Yet in 2006, the Swede was only eighth in the standings, and the lowest of the Audi drivers in 2006-spec cars.

He manage only one victory, at Brands Hatch in July, and apart from that he only finished in the top five once all year. However, Ekstrom is not downbeat after a relatively poor season, because in his opinion the lack of results was not due to a lack of speed.

"I was always on the pace, but I didn't get the flow you need to go for the championship," says Ekstrom. "In the first race of the year I was third and the suspension broke, in the next race I was second and I ran out of fuel, and in the third race I messed up in qualifying."

The point Ekstrom is making is that a championship challenge is all about rhythm, and after a poor start to that season he was too far out of touch to turn his season around. But just because things went wrong for one season doesn't mean he's forgotten how to win a title.

"To win the championship you need to be spot on from the first race, that is key," he says. "If you start on a high, then you are well-prepared for the rest of the year. Then you just need to be consistent, and you can focus on collecting points."

Mattias Ekstrom (Audi) leads Bernd Schneider (Mercedes-Benz) © XPB/LAT

That strategy is exactly what Bernd Schneider did in the DTM last year. The German won the first two races of the year, then spent the rest of the season collecting top five finishes to bring home the title.

In Ekstrom's title year, he started the season with a third place, and followed it up with a second and two wins. He used that momentum to take two more wins, and he finished the season 17 points clear of Gary Paffett in second place.

Paffett turned the tide a year later though, when he took 18 points from a possible 20 in the first two races of the year, while Ekstrom stumbled out of the blocks with a fifth and a fourth place finish - although the Swede closed the gap and fought for the title.

As the pair traded blows at the top of the standings throughout the season the title battle was set to go down to the wire. It did, but only just, as Paffett finished the season on a high while Ekstrom only picked up two points from the last two races.

Despite their scraps, the pair get on well away from the racetrack, and Ekstrom is happy to see his former rival return to the DTM this year, even if he is in a one-year-old Mercedes.

"Gary is one of those guys that belongs in the DTM," says Ekstrom. "His character and his way of driving fits very well. I enjoy driving against him a lot, because we have a very fair way of competing against each other."

Ekstrom admits that things haven't always been perfect between the two, especially when Paffett was first promoted to a drive with the HWA Mercedes-Benz team for 2004.

"In the beginning we had some small discussions, but after that everything was easy going," he says. "He knows me and I know him. If he is behind me I know what he is up to, and it also works the other way round.

"I have a lot of respect for Gary, and it is important to have respect if you want to have a good relationship away from the track. When we are on track, I am Audi, he is Mercedes, and we are rivals. But off track we can have a smile and a chat."

Ekstrom is expecting big things from Paffett this year despite his older machinery, but he won't be concentrating too much on anything other than his own campaign this year - and he believes he is in great shape for the new season.

"I've been preparing myself very well," he says. "Over the winter I did more fitness training than usual, and I have prepared myself in much more detail."

Mattias Ekstrom (Skoda) Rally Sweden © LAT

If you need proof that Ekstrom is taking his DTM duties as seriously as ever before, then it is worth taking note of his rally plans for 2007; there aren't any. In recent years he has often been impressive on selected rally events, but for now they are being pushed aside so that he can fully concentrate on DTM.

"The biggest improvement for myself this year is that I did no rallying over the winter, and I am taking a break from it," he says. "Last year it was a bit too much with rallying, so I thought now it was time to focus on DTM.

"My main focus is DTM, and anything else would never get full attention. I feel more motivated than ever, and I'm really looking forward to the new season."

Ekstrom's only competitive outing in a rally car over the winter came at the Stade de France in December, when he won the Race of Champions event.

"Nobody is better than their last result, and my last result was the Race of Champions," says Ekstrom. "Sure everybody does it for fun, but also for the competition, and we all want to win it."

However, Ekstrom does not have much longer to rest on the laurels of his success in Paris. The first DTM round at Hockenheim is now less than two weeks away, and the 2004 champion is hoping that Audi can spring a surprise at a track which is usually dominated by Mercedes.

The reigning champions have a new car model for this season while Audi will stick with the current A4 shape for one more year, but the whole team is optimistic that they have the tools at their disposal to get the job done.

"Mercedes have always had a big advantage at Hockenheim, but every time we go there we have been improving, so let's see what we have now," says Ekstrom.

"To win at Hockenheim will be tough, but it would be a big one if we managed it. I am convinced we have a strong car, so we have a chance."