Di Resta fired-up for Shanghai shoot-outposted in DTM26 | 11 | 2010
BATHGATE'S PAUL di Resta warmed up for Sunday's DTM Championship decider in Shanghai by finishing fastest of the three title contenders in the opening practice.
While Audi driver Martin Tomczyk topped the timesheets with a best time of 1min 00.858secs round the 1.5-mile street circuit in China, 24-year-old Di Resta was just 0.029s further back in second.
"Yeh, it's been a good session," admitted the Scot, who starts Sunday's 60-minute race three points behind Canadian Bruno Spengler, and six ahead of England's Gary Paffett. All three drive identical Mercedes.
"We've another session on Saturday morning ahead of qualifying, but certainly today the car went well and I like the street circuit. It flows well and there are a couple of exciting overtaking opportunities."
Paffett, the 2005 DTM champ and outsider to lift the 2010 crown, was third-quickest while Spengler could only manage sixth, but just 0.138s off the pace set by Tomczyk.
The DTM Championship still uses the old Formula One points scoring system, with the winner getting 10 points, then 8-6-5-4-3-2-1.
Di Resta know he must score at least three points more than Spengler; the Scot — runner-up in 2008 — would take the title having won more races this season than his team-mate.
Paffett meanwhile knows he must win the race and hope both Di Resta and Spengler finish outside the points.
"It's going to be a hell of a weekend," Di Resta, who won three races back-to-back earlier in the season, continued. "We've seen today how tight it is, and I think it's just going to get closer and closer as we head into the race.
"I'm comfortable where I am. I know what I have to do, and that's all I can concentrate on; I have to focus on what I can do and not look at what the other guys are doing.
"My first objective is to qualify on pole position on Saturday. If I achieve that, then hopefully I can get a clean start on Sunday and dominate the race. After that the outcome of the championship is in the hands of fate."
Keep up-to-date with all the latest news by following us on twitter.com/scotcars
Jim McGill