Mercedes-Benz contest the DTM with one girl driver and seven male drivers. The HWA team will be represented by: 22-year old Paul Di Resta (AMG Mercedes C-Class), 2008 DTM runner-up and 2006 Formula 3 Euro Series Champion; 33-year old Ralf Schumacher (Trilux AMG Mercedes C-Class), the second most successful German Formula 1 driver with six grand prix wins; 25-year old Bruno Spengler (Mercedes-Benz Bank AMG C-Class), DTM runner-up in 2006 and 2007; 28-year old Gary Paffett (Salzgitter AMG Mercedes C-Class), 2005 DTM Champion and Formula 1 test driver for Vodafone McLaren Mercedes.

At the wheel of 2008 AMG Mercedes C-Class will be: 26-year old Jamie Green (Junge Sterne AMG Mercedes C-Class), 2004 Formula 3 Euro Series Champion; 26-year old Susie Stoddart (TV Spielfilm AMG Mercedes C-Class); 23-year-old Maro Engel (GQ AMG Mercedes C-Class) and 28-year old Mathias Lauda (AMG Mercedes C-Class).

With 66 wins secured in the 127 races it contested up to and including the 2008 season (1994/1995 and since 2004 in DTM as well as in the DTM successor ITC, International Touring Car Championship, in 1996), the C-Class is the most successful car to ever have raced in the meanwhile 25-year-old history of the DTM. More than 45 percent of the 146 race wins Mercedes-Benz could celebrate in the 311 races contested have been secured by the C-Class which, since 1994, has been entered in the totally three generations built. 30 wins were clinched with the CLK (from 2000 to 2003) and 50 with the 190 (1988 to 1993). From 1997 to 1999, DTM and ITC respectively weren’t held.

Like no other touring car series, DTM stands for thrilling motor sport. In 2008, DTM was covered in 175 countries all around the world. In Germany alone, more than 580 millions of TV contacts were generated during last year’s more than 82 hours of reports, and the ARD TV coverage of each of the 11 DTM rounds was watched by an average TV audience of 2.02 million viewers. Compared to this, the Formula 1 coverage (by RTL) reached 6.8 TV viewers per weekend – that means, the DTM recorded almost remarkable 30 percent of the Formula 1 figure. World wide, the DTM could be seen on TV for 3,163 hours; 48 TV stations covered qualifyings and races live or re-live.

Norbert Haug, Vice President Mercedes-Benz Motorsport: “In Stuttgart, we are very proud that we have again significantly increased our sponsorship budget despite difficult economic conditions, a set of circumstances which has worked in favour of the DTM series. At the same time, we have undergone a rigid efficiency and cost reduction programme during winter. On this occasion, I want to thank our entire team, be it drivers, technicians, organisers, media, controlling or marketing colleagues for their efforts which made this possible.

Now, we all look forward to the new season and with our driver team and the C-Class we want to provide the fans with exciting races.”