As to talk of going back to La Sarthe and the Le Mans 24 Hours, though, he is more circumspect, pointing to the death of former team-mate Michele Alboreto as a turning point in his attitude towards open-top machines. The Italian was tragically killed when he crashed as a result of a high-speed tyre failure whilst testing an Audi R8 at the Lausitzring, in preparation for the 2001 edition of the round-the-clock French classic.
“I will never drive an open car again,” the final German Supertouring Championship STW title-winner asserted. “I did so for two years, but after what happened to my team-mate Michele Alboreto I finished my career in open cars. Maybe I can drive there [Le Mans] in 2009 with a GT1 or GT2 car.
“My plan in the DTM was never to win races or championships as a driver; for me it was always about building a good team and Abt Sportsline doing a good job for Audi. I was never the number one in the team; at the beginning it was Laurent [Aïello], then in 2004 Mattias came in, and now there's also Kristensen and Tomcyzk. Ok I missed out on victories in my DTM career, but I finished ten times on the podium which was not so bad.
“I have so many highlights. I won the title three times with Audi – when we won with Laurent in 2002 we were just a private team, and that was for me the biggest highlight in the DTM.
“I think this was the right point to stop my career. I spent eight years in the DTM and drove for Audi as a factory driver for ten, and I think you should always finish at the point where you still have the chance to win races.”
