Vitaly Petrov writes a new page in the history of the Russian motor sport — in the upcoming season the first Russian Formula 1 pilot will also become the first Russian pilot in the DTM series. The 29-year-old driver and Mercedes-Benz representatives made a relevant statement during the press-conference held in Moscow on February 28, 2014.
Petrov will have his first race in the DTM championship behind the wheel of a Mercedes AMG C-Coupé at the DTM season opener on May 4 in Hockenheim. On January 23, exactly 100 days before his debut DTM start, Vitaly took part in his first Mercedes tests in Portimão, Portugal.
Last year Petrov was driving a “Race Taxi” as part of the Moscow City Racing automobile show which was held near the walls of Kremlin during the first Russian DTM round at the Moscow Raceway track.
In 2009 Petrov became the silver medallist in the GP2 series and next year he was already taking part in Formula 1 races — 57 Grand Prix with Renault and Caterham teams. From 2010 till 2012 Petrov scored 64 points and his best achievement was third place at the 2011 Australian Grand Prix.
Vitaly Petrov: “DTM is a great racing championship and I’m happy that Mercedes-Benz gives me a chance to compete against the best DTM drivers. I know I still have a lot to overcome but I’m ready to fight every hardship and I accept this challenge with pleasure. I had a possibility to meet the team and feel the car during the tests in Portimão which is really important as I can work with maximum performance now. Motor racing is becoming more and more popular in Russia. Last year one of the DTM rounds was held on the Moscow Raceway track and this debut was quite a success. I hope to do my bit in the development of the DTM series making it more popular in my home country”.
Toto Wolff, Head of Mercedes-Benz Motorsport: “Vitaly showed great results during the tests in Portimão driving the Mercedes C-Coupé DTM and I’m definite that he is a real catch for our team. Vitaly is an excellent sportsman and a praiseworthy representative of his country, he has already demonstrated his abilities in Formula 1. Mercedes-Benz will certainly benefit from his presence in the team and especially regarding the Russian market. I’m looking forward to the beginning of the new DTM season”.
Ekaterina Beltsevich, the head of Moscow Raceway project: “We are very glad that the first Russian driver debuts in the DTM series. This truly momentous event gives evidence of a surge in interest of the championship’s promoters and participating manufacturers towards Russia after last year’s successful DTM premier at the Moscow Raceway. Beyond any doubt, participation of Vitaly Petrov will stir up the interest of the Russian enthusiasts towards one of the world’s most prestigious racing series. During the last year’s week-end when Vitaly was driving a “Race Taxi” and taking part in the awarding ceremony there were a lot of his fans in the audience stands and that is why we expect keen interest towards the second Russian DTM round which will be held in the middle of July. Apart from that, we are really excited by the fact that Petrov is going to drive with the factory team of the Mercedes-Benz auto group which is also the strategic partner of our raceway. We wish Vitaly luck in his first DTM season and hope he will show great results at the Moscow Raceway this summer”.
The Russian round of the 2014 DTM series will be held at the Moscow Raceway on July 11–13. The tickets will be available for sale in March on Moscow Raceway website.
Source www.dtm.com