Phoenix Racing

Ernst Moser: "A dream has come true"

Ernst Moser, have you already awakened from the dream, has the fact that Audi Sport Team Phoenix with Martin Tomczyk has won the DTM title early really hit home yet?

Ernst Moser: “This is definitely like a dream; and it’s such a nice dream that I’d almost rather not awaken from it. But seriously: it’s simply wonderful. All of us are overjoyed that we’ve achieved this exploit. This is a fantastic, unique feeling. I’m enjoying it and the whole team’s enjoying it. And we’re also a bit proud. But I think we’ve got every right to feel that way.”

When was the first time that you dreamt of winning the title?

Moser: “When, in the 2000 season, Phoenix was battling for the DTM title up to the penultimate race and and finished as the runner-up with Manuel Reuter and Opel, that was the first time I dreamt of clinching the DTM title. In the meantime we’d been able to celebrate a few special exploits, won the 24 Hours at the Nürburgring and at Spa-Francorchamps plus the European GT3 Championship. But the DTM title has a special significance. It’s simply fantastic that this dream has now come true.”

And when was the first time that you actually believed that it would be possible?

Moser: “Well, we weren’t actually shooting for the title. When Martin Tomczyk joined our team we set some aims. We wanted to win races and thought about where we’d have the best chance of doing so. And we wanted to win the classification of the year-old cars. Those were ambitious but realistic goals. But we’d have never thought about the title. Then we won the race at the Red Bull Ring in Austria and that meant we’d actually achieved our goal at an early state. The second victory followed at the EuroSpeedway Lausitz, a track on which Audi had never been really good before. That was the point at which I – and not only I – began to realise that we might actually have a chance of being in contention for the title. But it was only after the victory at Brands Hatch that I seriously thought it would be possible.”

What does this title mean to you?

Moser: “It means a lot, really! When I founded Phoenix Racing in 1999 I definitely took a big risk. I had my own ideas of how this team should be, how it should work. I’ve actually stuck to these ideas to this day. So as far as that goes, this title confirms that our approach was right. And naturally the DTM title is the reward for a strong performance by the whole team across the whole season at all races.”

What are the hallmarks of your team?

Moser: “We’re a very close and highly motivated squad with a lot of experience. Everyone is totally committed to success. And everyone knows how important they are and how important their job is. It can only be done together, when everyone delivers top performances, in other words teamwork.”

Did the team do anything differently in 2011 than in the years before?

Moser: “Yes and no. We prepared as best we could, for the season and for every single race. A new thing we did was travel to France for a few days at the beginning of the year to have fun together in the snow and to further improve the way we interact through team building activities, in order to identify and eliminate weak areas. Furthermore, we optimised our fitness. Before the season, all the team members – me as the boss included – would regularly go to the gym in Adenau. In addition, we optimised our pit stop practice and are carefully analysing who or what is good or not so good. I think that all three of these things have had a very positive effect. And our really good pit stops prove it.”

What is your opinion of the new DTM Champion Martin Tomczyk?

Moser: “I’ve come to know him closely in 2011 and have formed a different picture of him than I’d had before. First of all, he’s a very pleasant person, very likeable and with very good manners. And he knows what he wants, works in a highly focused manner and, above all, very professionally. We welcomed him with open arms, as we did any other driver before him. The chemistry between us was immediately right, particularly with his vehicle engineer, Jürgen Jungklaus, and his data engineer, Jörg Baldes. You could feel that even at the first test before the season at the EuroSpeedway Lausitz. It’s a very close and open relationship. We discuss all issues very frankly, accept mutual criticism and have pushed ourselves throughout the season in order to achieve the best results together. It’s really very enjoyable to work with Martin.”

And what is Rahel Frey’s part?

Moser: “Unfortunately, she’s not receiving appropriate visibility. And above all, she’s being underestimated. I can only say that Rahel has made a remarkable development in her first DTM year. She drove a few really strong races, but Lady Luck wasn’t always on her side. I’m absolutely convinced that she’ll be moving forwards and soon score her first points.”

How will things continue in the DTM?

Moser: “First of all, we’ll be travelling to Hockenheim now and look forward to the season finale. We’re in the fortunate position of being able to race without pressures. But to keep from being misunderstood: Martin and the team want to win this race. And to achieve this aim, we’ll be giving everything, as we always do. Afterwards, we’ll celebrate together with everyone who’s had a part in winning this title! After all, the title win is a team achievement. As team boss I can only say ‘thank you’, firstly to Martin Tomczyk for his fantastic performances and the perfect collaboration with us, and then of course to Audi Sport and to Head of Audi Sport Dr Wolfgang Ulrich for the long-standing trust and unique support, to Audi Teams Abt and Rosberg for the good interaction with us, to all partners and sponsors and – last but not least – to all the fans who have done such a wonderful job of keeping their fingers crossed for us. Only after that event will we start looking towards 2012 when the cards will be reshuffled. As Audi Sport Team Phoenix, we want to again give our very best, and preferably with Martin Tomczk and Rahel Frey again.”

Unlike your track record with the Audi A4 DTM the one with the Audi R8 LMS is not quite as positive, is it?

Moser: “That’s basically correct. As a team, we naturally want to be part of the front of the field in any race we contest and be in contention for victories and titles. What we managed to do in the DTM this year wasn’t easy to put on track in GT racing. By taking two victories in the ADAC GT Masters, one victory at the VLN Endurance Championship and the podium finish at the Nürburgring 24 Hours we showed how good our drivers and the team are. The so called balance of performance, in other words the vehicle ratings, slowed us though. In our point of view the R8 has not been given a fair rating. And the few exploits we achieved can be attributed to exceptional driving performances on the one hand but partially also to lucky circumstances such as rain at the Sachsenring or retirements of rivals such as at the Hockenheimring. We want to compete with the Audi R8 LMS again in 2012, but the prerequisites for doing so must change.”