Title race will go to the wireposted in DTM20 | 09 | 2010

    BATHGATE'S PAUL di Resta, who won the latest round of the DTM Championship at Oscherslaben at the weekend, believes this year's battle for the title will go to the final race in Shanghai on November 28.

    The 24-year-old Scot, who has won the last two races and finished second in the previous two, flew back in to Edinburgh this morning and took time to tell Scotcars how his weekend unfolded in Germany.

    "Winning again so close after Brands Hatch was great, but I know we had to work had for the victory at Oscherslaben. We weren't quite where we wanted to be with the car first thing on Saturday morning, so we had to constantly alter the set-up of the car through the morning runs before we heading into qualifying. But even in Q1 the car didn't feel the way I wanted it to.

    "Thankfully by the time we got to Q2 we were very close to where we wanted to be and in Q3 and Q4 the car was excellent. My qualifying lap on the top four shoot-out was a good one, nothing special but fast enough. I made sure I left myself a good safety margin through some of the sections.

    "Starting Sunday's race from pole was good and I knew I had to concentrate and get a good start off the line. I managed that but then I got nudged off on to the grass at the first corner by Bruno; I don't know whether he was hit first, I've still to see the re-run of the race on TV, but thankfully I was able to keep the car going forward.

    "Through the first section of the race I was very comfortable and managed to open up a gap of about five or six seconds, but that then all disappeared at the first pitstop. I don't know exactly what happened yet, but I know the guys had a problem with the right-rear wheel and as a result I came out and my lead had disappeared.

    "I caught Bruno up and I was getting held up by him but once he pitted for his second pitstop I was able to take advantage of the clear air and put in six or seven very, very fast laps. Thankfully my second pitstop went smoothly — I had been a bit worried we might have the same wheel problem again — and I came out in the lead and held it to the end of the race.

    "Of course, Bruno still leads the championship by seven points with three races remaining and it's impossible to predict what's going to happen. What I know is I've won two of the last four races and finished second in the other two; and really I was fast enough to have won them too, so I know we're quick enough.

    "All I can do now though is concentrate on doing the very best I can in the three remaining races and be in the position to take full advantage of any mistake Bruno makes. The title's going to go down to the wire again."

    Jim McGill

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