Bathgate’s Paul Di Resta bids to kickstart his miserable season when he tackles the latest round of the German Touring Car Championship at Oscherslaben this weekend.
The 22-year-old Scot, heralded as the Wonder Kid last year after missing out on the title in a final race shoot-out with Timo Scheider, has so far failed to score a podium this year and trails championship leader and fellow Mercedes driver Gary Paffett by 10 points.
“So far things just haven’t worked out for me this season,” Di Resta who, at the end of last season was also tipped to graduate to the Force India Formula One team for 2009, said today.
“We’ve struggled with the balance of the car this season and that, combined with a lack of pace in qualifying and some bad luck in race strategy means I haven’t had the start to the season I had hoped for.
“This weekend is crucial for me. Oscherslaben marks the halfway point in the season and I’ve got to kick-on from here. I finished fourth in the corresponding race last season and ideally I have to do better than that on Sunday.”
Englishman Paffett, already a double winner this season at the EuroSpeedway and in the last time round at Zandvoort, leads Canadian Mercedes driver Bruno Spengler by four points. Di Resta meanwhile trails a distant and disappointing seventh.
JM