“It kind of gets to a stage in January when you're thinking ‘ok, I've had a rest now, I've been training hard, now I want to drive again'. You have to wait until February, but it's so nice to get back in the car for the first test and just get everything going again and see all the familiar faces.
“For me personally [being given a 2007-spec machine] is a huge step forward; the fact that Mercedes-Benz slimmed down their team by one car but that I was still given an '07-spec car was great for me, and I was very proud to get it. It looks like an awesome racing car and I'm very, very happy to be in just a one-year-old car this year.
“Last year I said my aim was points, but as we all know to score points in the DTM is not an easy feat. This year, instead of putting pressure on myself and saying ‘I want points', I think the first aim is to be on a par with my team-mates and do the best possible job that I can. If that brings me points then that's great, and for sure that is my overall aim.
“It will be interesting to see how it pans out with the new pit-stop windows – it's going to be slightly different this year, so I think it will be interesting for the fans as well. The DTM is at such a high level now, and the most important thing for me is to be close to my team-mates because they're in the same machinery as me and the same year of car. That's what I'm focussing on.”
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![Mercedes' leading lady DTM racer Susie Stoddart [pic credit: DTM Media]](http://pix.crash.net/thumbs/346802.jpg)
