Audi 2007 Annual Report Download - page 121

is Mattias Ekström’s
favorite number. At
last, he’s won it back –
on the hood of his Audi.
This is his second Ger-
man Touring Car Mas-
ters (DTM) victory,
after 2004. He tri-
umphantly brought the
title back home. His
body is honed to per-
fection, his reaction
times are far above those of an average Joe,
and he is well known in motor-racing circles
for his outstanding stamina. But right at the
moment of his triumph, the Swede’s knees
gave way. Minutes after crossing the finish line,
the new DTM champion slowly sank down
behind his Audi A4 DTM and waited for the
adrenalin levels to return to normal. After the
final race in Hockenheim, the Swede struggled
to put his feelings into words for the benefit of
a good 1.6 million TV viewers. “I was fighting for
my life,” he said into the microphone, exhausted.
And he won – beating his opponents, his teammates,
and himself.
Those who saw Mattias Ekström during the days
after the thrilling final race found him to be relaxed and
just plain happy. “The minute I open my eyes in the morning,
I’m in a good mood,” chirps the 29-year-old. The whirl of
appointments and requests now being pelted at the titleholder
is doing nothing to affect his good mood. He is the golden boy
that his fans have known and loved for years.
He kept another side well hidden during the weeks leading
up to the great showdown. Right up to the last race, three
drivers were still in with a chance for the title. Never before
had the pressure on Mattias Ekström been so great, and never
before had he had so much time to reflect. To an outsider,
everything seemed so easy – but just how easily everything can
be thrown away was demonstrated to perfection by the aston-
ishing end to the Formula One season. Having stayed the
course and battled against this pressure, and having hit the
target so accurately all makes this 2007 title win the greatest
moment of his life.
Yachts, parties, Monaco … none of these motor-racing clichés
fits him, not even remotely. What counts for Ekström are com-
pletely different values, ones that have nothing to do with ma-
terial things. Lou and Moss are two of the most important fig-
ures in his life, two sprightly and seemingly inexhaustible
Jack Russell terriers.
For Mattias Ekström, life off the track is a slow-paced,
sleepy world. Long walks around Lake Constance with the
dogs and with friends. An important factor in his move to
nearby Switzerland was being close to Audi Sport in Ingolstadt
and the Audi Sport Team Abt Sportsline in Kempten. Another
factor was the wonderful view from the terrace of his home,
decked out with modern, comfortable rattan furniture and a
huge barbecue. Not too many flowerbeds in the garden – that
might mean too much work. This is where the new champion
comes to recharge his batteries for his next mission. Quite
often, incidentally, his teammate Martin Tomczyk will join
him. This year, this driver from Rosenheim, who like Ekström
made his DTM debut in 2001, was also one of his rivals, al-
though this never put any strain on their friendship.They raced
each other openly and honestly, and neither of them would
begrudge the title to the other. Sounds like “team spirit” is not
just an empty phrase.
The harmony ends the moment Ekström puts his helmet on.
On the track, the Swede battles it out right to the last lap, with
all the tricks up his sleeve, driving right to the limit, but prac-
tically never over it. His opponents acknowledge as much. The
champion does not want victory at just any price, but rather to
play fair even in the most difficult situations under the most
severe pressure.
There is a motto that has accompanied Mattias Ekström
throughout his career: “Go hard or go home,” emblazoned on
the back of his helmet. The slogan, which is a memory of a
childhood squabble, has become both his motto and his yard-
stick. On the evening before the last race at Hockenheim,
Ekström’s mechanics, one after the other, crawled underneath
his Audi A4 DTM bearing the race number 3, and as a symbolic
gesture scribbled their hopes for the crucial event on the car’s
underside. One wrote: “Now show how hard you can go.”
And he duly did. •
Thomas Voigt has been covering DTM racing since its inception in
1984. The founder of online magazine racing1.de, he works as a
TV commentator for DSF and is editor of the official DTM year books.
Master class: In the final event, Mattias
Ekström drove the race of his life.
Photos: Ronald Wi/dpa Picture-Alliance, ExSpo/imago