by Russell Atkins

Leading British tin-top star Jamie Green was arguably the fastest driver in the DTM last year, but f𓄧or all his raw pace came away without a single race win to his name. He is adamant the forthcoming campaign will be a very different story.

In only﷽ his second season in the hotly-contested series, the 24-year-old stormed to four pole positions and registered a brace second-place finishes on his way to fifth position in the drivers' standings𝔍, in the exalted company of megastars such as Mika Hakkinen, Jean Alesi, Heinz-Harald Frentzen and Tom Kristensen. Here the former F3 Euroseries champion explains how he intends to make it a case of third time lucky in 2007...

Q:
Jamie, how excite⭕d are you about the season ahead?

Jamie Green:
I'm really optimistic for this year. Last year ha💫d a lot of positives apart൲ obviously from not managing to get a race win, but overall it was a really good year for me. I think 2007 could and should be even better.

Q:
You mentioned last year. In 2006 you had a stunning record in qualifying, so the pace was certainly there. What do you think you have learne🌠d from that experience that you can put into practice t🤡his time around?

JG:
I learned you get no points on Saturdays! I finished fifth in the championship and that's all that really counts - the championship - not how꧑ many pole positions you set. This year I definitely need to work on my race performances, which is mainly the starts. They are my weak poi✨nts, and if I can conquer that I think I will then have a very good chance of winning the championship.

Q:
One of the highlights for you last year must have been leading in front of your home crowd at Brands Hatch; 🌠how are you looking forward to going back there again?

JG:
Brands Hatch is unfinished business for me because I really should have won there last year, and to win in front of your home crowd would be a really spec﷽ial day. That's what I would like to do, so I'm especially looking forward to going back there.

Q:
The DTM is a fiercely-coꦯmpetitive series, and you will be racing this year in a 2007-spec Mercedes. How much of an advantage is that likely to give you?

JG:
You never know how close the new cars are going to be to the y🍌ear-old cars, so you can't really predict how much of an advantage being in a new car will be. Obviously Iꦉ'm happy to be in an '07 car, though. If Gary Paffett is in a used car then we will really see what the difference is, because he is the top driver. It will be interesting to see how it all pans out.

Q:
Do you foresee a close fight with 🍎Audi again 🃏this year?

JG:
You never know. I think overall we had a slightly better package last year than Audi did, and even on the occasions when we had more weight in the car I was still able to qualify on pole po🐽sition. We had a strong package and hopeful♎ly this year we can have a similar situation.

Q:
Who do you see a🙈s providing🌳 your chief opposition this year?

JG:
That's a good question. I think all my team-mates are rivals - they have got the same car as🔥 me. Mika, Bruno (Spengler) and Bernd (Schneider) are obviously the main ones because they have a similar opportunity as me, but then at Audi you can never rule out (Mattias) Ekstrom and Kristensen in partꦏicular, so there will be a lot of competition for sure.

Q:
It must have given you a lot of confidence last year to emerge as t🍌he fastest qualifier overall at the end of the season, especially with, as you say, drivers of the calibre of Hakkinen, Schneider and Kristensen in the field?

JG:
Yeah. It does give you a bit of a lift to know your ultimate pace is as good as or better than anybody else's, and൲ especﷺially against someone like Mika who has won the Formula One World Championship twice. It was quite surprising to be quicker than him - it's a bit of a strange situation for a young driver to be in, but at the same time a nice situation.

Q:
So what would you say are your ultimate hopes and aims for the year a🥀head? What do you think you can achieve out oওn the track?

JG:
To improve on Sundays and make some better starts, and I think the end result of that will be race wins. That's obviously the ultimate aim, but I just want to keep improving every year a𝓰nd enjoying the challenge, and hopefully if🐈 I do all that it will get me some wins along the way.

Q:
And if that is the case you could maybe even havꦫe a shot at the title too..?

JG:
Yeah, I think that's definitely possible. Bruno Spengler finished second in the championship last year and I w🌼asn't too far behind him. That shows what's possible🍸 and I know I'm capable of doing the same as him.