[quote]Mika Häkkinen will continue in the DTM

Mika Häkkinen will race again in the 2007 DTM driving the AMG-Mercedes C-Class, Mercedes-Benz Motorsport announced today. Mika will drive the DTM version of the new C-Class, which has seen its world premiere at Stuttgart on 18th January.


In the season opener at the Hockenheimring on 22nd April, Mika Häkkinen, 38, will start into his third DTM season. In 2005, in his first year, Mika achieved his first DTM victory in the third race at Spa-Francorchamps. In the new DTM's history, only one rookie won a race as early as the two-times Formula One World Champion from Finland. This was Jean Alesi, who made his DTM debut in 2002 after 201 Grand Prix starts. Mika also achieved one pole position and three fastest race laps during his first DTM year and ended that season fifth overall. Last year, Mika scored three podium finishes and two fastest laps and was sixth in the Drivers' Championship. The likeable Finn enjoys great popularity among his fans and is the best known driver personality competing within the DTM field. The reasons for this were not only his Formula One successes, but also his commercials with Mercedes-Benz and his many fights for Formula One race victories with Michael Schumacher.

Mika Häkkinen had retired from Formula One at the end of the 2001 season. During his 11-year career, he had won 20 Grands Prix with Team McLaren Mercedes, achieved 26 Pole Positions, 25 fastest race laps and scored 420 World Championship points. In 1998 and 1999, he clinched the Drivers' titles and finished runner-up in 2000.

Mika Häkkinen: "It's nice to continue being part of the Mercedes-Benz Motorsport family further on. Everybody at Mercedes-Benz and HWA has supported me very much during the last two years, and I feel absolutely comfortable here. My results in 2006 don't reflect our true potential and my target is to rectify that this year. However my three podium finishes and two fastest race lap times indicate that the speed is there and that I can fight for victories if everything runs without problems. I also want to show what I am capable of in the DTM. It is important for me to continue my long standing, successful partnership with Mercedes-Benz and to have a long-term prospect with them. In my view the DTM is the best touring car series in the world and I want to achieve the best results there. For this I will prepare myself intensively to create the best possible conditions as I ready myself for the start of the season."

Norbert Haug, Vice President Mercedes-Benz Motorsport: "It's good news from three view points, that Mika will continue in the DTM: First of all, he will strengthen our team and remain a great and worldwide well-known ambassador for our brand. Secondly, Mika's continued involvement will boost the entire series and thirdly, Mika has been in the spotlight of all media and spectators interest since his first lap in the DTM. I am convinced that in 2007 his fans will see the best of Mika."

Yeah great news for dtm, they need to keep some of these big names

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Couldn't agree more, these are the kinds of names that the series needs if it is going to attract big crowds outside of Germany.

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Come On You Stones - Maidstone United FC
DTM @ Brands Hatch - 31st August 2008

Good to see Mika staying with the Mercedes-Benz family.
I think the current DTM field already puts on a good enough show. They are stars, even the drivers who didn't come from Formula 1

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22Lewis Hamilton
23Heikki Kovalainen
Pedro de la Rosa
Gary Paffett

Must I agree with you Mclaren Fan, and as a motorsport fan I appreciate that all the current drivers are great and they usually provide great racing. It's just that the casual motorsport fans probably have only heard of a few drivers and people like Hakkinen are known the world over and their pulling power must be a lot higher than some like Timo Scheider, who, no offence to Timo, isn't exactly a household name.

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Come On You Stones - Maidstone United FC
DTM @ Brands Hatch - 31st August 2008

Have you seen the new C-class?
Looks nice, the front has gotten fatter.
If it doesn't work out, then Gary will be there to take the wins in last year's car.

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22Lewis Hamilton
23Heikki Kovalainen
Pedro de la Rosa
Gary Paffett

That would be good, come Gary, Jamie and Suzy in 07

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Yep saw a picture of the new C-Class this morning and was very impressed. Hopefully it will mean another title for Mercedes and hopefully this will perhaps be Jamie's year. And I'm sure Susie and Gary will be pushing hard throughout the season as well.

Rumour is that Danny Watts has got a drive for Audi this year which would be good if this is the case.

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Come On You Stones - Maidstone United FC
DTM @ Brands Hatch - 31st August 2008

More of an Audi man myself but i'd like to see all the brits do well, that will obvoiusly include Danny if he's in

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