Continuous improvement, hardly any mistakes – Rahel Frey delivered a compelling performance in her DTM debut season. At the wheel of the Glamour-Audi A4 DTM from Audi Sport Team Phoenix the young Swiss not only managed to convince her team boss Ernst Moser: “She was beaten below value,” says Moser. In an interview the Audi factory driver talks about her first DTM season, about 2012 and her most recent tests in the new Audi A5 DTM.
Looking back, how do you assess your debut season in the DTM?
“There were many new things for me, both on and off the track. Great sport, a lot of PR work, an incredible number of fans – that was fantastic! I think I was a bit surprised by the dimensions of all this. I received a lot of support from all sides at Audi and in Audi Sport Team Phoenix. That was huge fun. I’m already looking forward to my next opportunity of sitting in a DTM car.”
What were the major learning effects for you, compared with Formula 3 in which you raced before?
“The battles on track, qualifying, the race, the meetings with your own engineer and with Audi – naturally, all this takes place at a much more sophisticated and professional level. The number of staff members involved is much higher. I really enjoyed that. You keep being challenged anew. The development throughout the season has shown that you can do an increasingly better job of implementing such information from race to race.”
You received another sign of confidence by being allowed to test...
“At the end of November I had the chance to test for two days in Spain. This shows that everyone at Audi Sport is backing me and has faith in me. That gives me additional motivation for next year.”
What will you change about your preparations for the 2012 season compared with last year?
“I want to become a bit cooler yet and continue my development curve in the 2012 season. I want to improve in qualifying, particularly on the first laps after the start I’ve got to put up a stronger fight against the competition. Head of Audi Motorsport Dr Wolfgang Ullrich and my team boss, Ernst Moser, are giving me really outstanding support. I’m happy to have already experienced a notable development this year. I’m hoping for this to continue.”
When Phoenix Racing travels to Australia in February to compete in the famous Bathurst 12 Hours with two Audi R8 LMS cars this won’t be the team’s first overseas commitment. In 1999, the debut year of Ernst Moser’s squad, the team embarked on its first big journey after the end of the Super Touring Cup (STW) season. The destination: Macau.