in briEF - Mundo Motorizado

DTM
GREEN SETTLES IN
Ex-Mercedes driver Jamie Green officially began life as an Audi
driver last week as he paid a visit to the Ingolstadt factory and
had a seat fitting in the A5 he will race in the DTM in 2013.
DTM
Kubica to test DTM Mercedes
Grand prix winner to drive C-coupe at Valencia test as he continues his recovery. By JAMIE O’LEARY
Robert Kubica is set to test a
DTM Mercedes at Valencia next
week as he continues to push to
return to circuit racing in the future.
The grand prix winner has not
raced a car since severely injuring his
right hand and arm in a crash on the
Ronde di Andora Rally two years ago.
His competitive driving has been
limited to selected rally outings
during the second half of 2012. Now,
however, he is ready to take the next
step on the road to recovery.
Mercedes would not comment
on Kubica’s participation in the
test, which is due to start at the
Spanish circuit on January 25.
A spokesperson for the German
manufacturer would only confirm
that lead HWA driver Gary Paffett
and 2012 DTM rookie Roberto Merhi
would be driving.
RACE SEAT UNLIKELY
Whatever the outcome of the test,
a DTM race seat would appear
unlikely for Kubica. As reported in
AUTOSPORT (December 13, 2012),
the Polish driver is set to undertake
16 autosport.com January 17 2013
a 10-round programmme of events
in the European Rally Championship
during 2013, most likely in a Ford
Fiesta RRC, prepared and run by
Malcolm Wilson’s M-Sport squad.
He is set to join the series from the
Canaries Rally in March.
Although only three of the 12
remaining ERC events clash with
DTM races, one of these is Kubica’s
home event, Rally Poland, which
Kubica will drive
latest Mercedes
takes place on the same weekend
as the DTM’s Zandvoort round on
September 27-29. It is understood
that missing the Polish event is
not an option for Kubica, while
Mercedes would be unlikely to want
a driver intent on skipping races.
The other date clashes involve
the Brands Hatch (May 17-19) and
Norisring (July 12-14) DTM rounds
taking place at the same time as,
respectively, the Corsica and San
Marino rallies.
ELECTRONICS A FACTOR
Since returning to competition
last year, Kubica’s hand injury has
restricted him to using cars with
gearboxes aided by an electrohydraulic
shifting mechanism, such
as old-spec WRC machinery similar
to the Citroen C4 he drove on the
2012 Var Rally.
The new generation of DTM
cars that was introduced last year,
including the Mercedes C-coupe,
also uses a paddle-shift system.
This will be of great benefit to
Kubica while his right arm remains
weak as he continues to recover
from his injuries.
l AUTOSPORT understands that
Mucke Motorsport, which has run
Mercedes machinery in the DTM
since 2005, will receive greater
technical support from Gerhard
Ungar’s crack HWA squad this year
than in previous seasons. The team
could even be renamed the HWA
Junior Team to reflect this.