Joel predicts this weekend’s DTM round at the Norisring will be “incredibly, incredibly close”, as he prepares for his maiden DTM outing at Nuremberg’s famous street venue.
At just 2.3 km, the Norisring – laid out on everyday roads close to Dutzendteich lake in southeast Nuremberg – is the shortest track on the calendar. Featuring just four corners, it is also comparatively simple on paper, with the layout basically consisting of three straights broken up by two hairpins and the sweeping right/left Schöller S.
Furthermore, the short lap times (the DTM record stands at 47.846s, set by BMW’s Bruno Spengler in 2017) mean drivers will be racking up more laps at the Norisring than at any other event of the season, taking them closer to the limit and further bridging the gaps in what is already one of the most fiercely contested championships in motorsport.
“It’s going to be so incredibly, incredibly close this weekend,” says Joel. “If you’re half a second off in qualifying, you’ll be at the back, simple as that. There really will be no room for error; you have to nail the lap 100 per cent if you want to be up there. It will be down to the final thousandth, and I think that’s how racing should be. I’m sure I will learn a lot as I try to reach that final limit in this field.”
Exemplifying the extreme proximity that has recently come to denote the Norisring DTM meetings, last year’s two qualifying sessions saw pole position being sealed by a gap of just 0.005s and 0.004s respectively. 15 cars were covered by less than three tenths of a second.
Opening DTM practice at the Norisring takes place on Friday afternoon, lending an initial indication as to what can be expected from the weekend ahead.
READ THE FULL preview for this weekend’s races here.
TIME TABLE
All times local (GMT+02:00)
DTM | Round 4
Norisring (Germany)
Friday 22 June
Free Practice 1: 16.30-17.00
Saturday 23 June
Free Practice 2: 08.30-09.00
Qualifying 1: 10.20-10.40
Race 1: 13.30-14.30
Sunday 24 June
Free Practice 3: 08.30-09.00
Qualifying 2: 11.10-11.30
Race 2: 13.30-14.30
CHAMPIONSHIP STANDINGS (top five)
DTM | After 6/20 races
1: Timo Glock (GER), BMW, 90 p.
2: Gary Paffett (GBR), Mercedes, 79 p.
3: Paul Di Resta (GBR), Mercedes, 67 p.
4: Lucas Auer (AUT), Mercedes, 55 p.
5: Marco Wittmann (GER), BMW, 51 p.
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10: Joel Eriksson (SWE), BMW, 23 p.
FURTHER INFORMATION
Entry list: DTM 2018
Rules: how the championship works
FOLLOW JOEL (IF YOU CAN…)
Website: www.joelerikssonracing.com
Facebook: JoelErikssonRacing
Instagram: JoelEriksson
Live streaming: www.dtm.com/live
