Audi's Le Mans quartet are eagerly anticipating this weekend's Italian round of the DTM at Mugello, optimistic the Tuscan circuit will be one that very much plays to the Ingolstadt marque's strengths.
Tom Kristensen returned to the series at the Norisring last month, having missed three races while convalescing from his injuries sustained in the opening round smash at Hockenheim back in April. Although he concedes the title is now all-but a foregone possibility with just four points on the scoreboard from the first half of the season, the Dane is nevertheless confident of getting some good results in the bag over the remaining five races.
“After my comeback at the Norisring turned out to be somewhat strenuous, I've had the opportunity to work more on my fitness which had suffered a little during my nine-week lay-off,” the recently-turned 40-year-old explained. “I'll be fitter than I was at the Norisring. Mugello is a fabulous track in a beautiful area, and with Zandvoort a fortnight later we are going to two circuits I'm really looking forward to!”
The manufacturer's other three tin-top rookies turned endurance stars Mike Rockenfeller, Lucas Luhr and Alex Prémat are similarly enthusiastic about the championship's second foreign adventure of 2007, and all keen to improve their positions on the drivers' leaderboard as the season heads into its second half.
“I can hardly wait to get to Mugello!” Rockenfeller enthused. “We had the opportunity to test there during the winter. It's a very fast, flowing circuit – a real driver's circuit! I think we'll start with a good set-up there, and I hope Team Rosberg and I will once again be rewarded with a good result.”
The German's compatriot and Team Rosberg team-mate Luhr has yet to get his maiden DTM campaign off the mark in 2007, with a best result of two eleventh places in the curtain-raiser at Hockenheim and later on British soil at
Brands Hatch.
![Lucas Luhr - Audi Sport Team Rosberg [pic credit: Audi motorsport]](http://pix.crash.net/thumbs/308581.jpg)
