Audi 2015 Annual Report Download - page 108

“You have to show that you can drive, that you can fight and you
want to win. But it is also important to be present in the media and
a popular figure in the social web.”
He knows what he is talking about : // It was di erent when I
was starting out. If you had enough sponsors, you drove. If you
didn’t have any, you didn’t drive. There wasn’t the support from
the manufacturer like there is now with the Audi Sport TT Cup.
The package is great : a state-of-the-art race car, support from
a coach, mechanics and support o the track. Everything a pro-
fessional racer would also get. //
The driver becomes part of the large Audi family. Drivers who
perform well here can make it to a higher class, maybe even all
the way to the DTM or Le Mans. But the road is a long one.
Even though all of them have already spent a lot of time on
the track, being really good is hard work, as Mikaela knows all
too well : // We talk about what the ideal line is. But out on the
track, you’re on your own. The smallest mistake can cost you a
good fi nish. That means full concentration. The coaches give
you important tips, of course. If the track isn’t completely dry,
for example, you have to really heat up the tires to have good
grip. And you have to heat them up as evenly as possible,
be cause if the rear tires aren’t warm enough it can quickly
lead to oversteer. After all, this automobile is a real race car ! //
Mikaela Åhlin-Kottulinsky
PHOTOS : Frank Kayser