The new AMG-Mercedes C-Class will start the second round of the 2006 DTM at the Lausitzring this coming weekend with an additional weight of five kilograms. Following Bernd Schneider’s victory with the Vodafone AMG-Mercedes C-Class in the season opener at Hockenheim, he and his HWA team mates Jamie Green, Mika Häkkinen and Bruno Spengler have to add five kilograms each to their 2006 cars. The 2006 Audis’ weight, however, will be reduced by five kilograms which provides an advantage of ten kilograms.
In Hockenheim, two Mercedes-Benz from last year finished in the points positions: Alexandros Margaritis (EasyRent AMG-Mercedes C-Class) was fifth and the best driver of a 2005 car ahead of his Persson team mate Jean Alesi (stern AMG-Mercedes C-Class); Daniel la Rosa (TrekStor AMG-Mercedes C-Class) retired from eight place, the last point position, due to a fuel pressure problem.
The new weight distribution in the DTM: 2006 AMG-Mercedes C-Class (Schneider, Green, Häkkinen, Spengler): 1,075 kilograms; 2006 Audi A4 DTM: 1,065 kilograms; last year’s cars like the AMG-Mercedes C-Class of Alesi, Daniel la Rosa, Margaritis, Stefan Mücke: 1,060 kilograms; 2004 cars like the AMG-Mercedes C-Class of Mathias Lauda and Susie Stoddart: 1,020 kilograms.
Facts and figures:
The shortening of the Lausitzring DTM track from 4.534 to 3.442 kilometres last year made racing there even more exciting. In the second Lausitzring race of 2005, which took place in September, the fastest lap times of all 20 drivers were within one second. On the longer track a year previously the gap was more than two seconds.
Seven DTM races have been held at the Lausitzring so far. The first race in 2000 was cancelled after eight laps behind the Saftey Car due to heavy rain. Mercedes-Benz drivers won four of the other six events: Bernd Schneider in 2002 and 2003, Peter Dumbreck in 2001 and Gary Paffett in May 2005. The Englishman was also first in 2004 but was disqualified afterwards and Mattias Ekström (Audi) was declared the winner. The Swede also won in September 2005, 0.4sec ahead of Paffett.
The Lausitzring was built in a lignite open-cast mining area between Berlin and Dresden. Construction commenced in June 1998 and the circuit was launched two years and two months later. The centre of the facilities is a two-mile tri-oval super speedway which includes a further six track variations from 3.4 to 4.5 kilometres.
Audi, DTM, AMG, oneighturbo
