 in five years as "special," after a dominant display at Hockenheim.){kind=link}
Team Phoenix’s Timo Scheider was able to finally end a five year winless drought in the Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters (DTM) at the penultimate round of the 2015 season.
The Austria-based driver, who secured back-to-back titles in 2008 and 2009, led from the early part of the race, having overtaken BMW’s Maxime Martin before the Safety Car was deployed, following the incident between Miguel Molina and Gary Paffett.
“After such a difficult year, so many downs, troubles and discussions, it feels really nice to back on the top of the podium,” explained the 36-year-old at the post-race press conference.
“I think we had a lot of bad moments to deal with, but this one is special, with it being on the final race weekend. To come back to victory lane is really special for me and for Team Phoenix and my engineer. He gave me all the support I needed, so overall, I must say that I am really proud of this one.”
Scheider, whose previous best finish of the season was fourth at the second race at the Lausitzring, has not had the best of luck over the past few seasons, and admitted that he didn’t like “sitting on the sofa,” during the Moscow Raceway weekend.
This was as a result of the “scheib ihn raus” controversy in Austria that saw Scheider replaced by Formula 3 star, Antonio Giovinazzi.
“We have struggled for quite a long time now to be back on top, but like I said, this one is for sure, special. I won my two titles here in 2008 and 2009 at the final race, so it seems that Hockenheim is a place is good for me.
“But on top of this, I have to say congratulations to Mercedes and Pascal, as they deserved it. I think that they have been the most consistent this season, as well as having good teamwork, which worked out.”
Schneider currently sits 18th in the drivers’ standings on 41 points, and will be looking to further his success this weekend to end the season on a positive note.