Present:
Thed Björk, Polestar Cyan Racing, Opening Race winner
Nicky Catsburg, Polestar Cyan Racing, Main Race winner
Mehdi Bennani, Sébastien Loeb Racing, Opening Race second position
Norbert Michelisz, Castrol Honda World Touring Car Team, Main Race second position
Rob Huff, ALL-INKL.COM Münnich Motorsport, Opening Race and Main Race third position

Q: 
Turning first to Thed Björk, the winner of the Opening Race for Polestar Cyan Racing. Congratulations on that excellent performance, just talk us through the race please.

TB:
Thank you. I had really good start and I could jump from sixth to third position and then the car worked really well. I just kept pushing, working and using the slipstream on the straight, nice first race and nothing more actually. A good start and a good race.

Q:
What about your overtaking move on your team-mate?

TB:
As I said already the slipstream works all the way, it's really good. Néstor helped me a little bit but it was really nice to do the slipstream on the outside. But it’s an amazing race to win, so good, such a demanding track, really happy to win a race here.

Q:
We come next to your team-mate Nicky Catsburg, winning of the Main Race, your first for Polestar Cyan Racing and your second victory in the World Touring Car Championship. How satisfied are you with that?

NC:
Yes, it was a fantastic race. In the Opening Race we did some learning of the car for the Main Race as it was important we would focus on the Main Race. Not lose any points in the Opening Race and don't do any damage. And we got the car perfectly set-up for the Main Race. Lap one we had to keep up and then lap two I managed to pull a little gap and after that it was just bringing it back to the flag. It was really awesome to be racing in front on the Nordschleife and there are already a lot of fans around the track, some Dutch flags as well and it was really really enjoyable.

Q:
Live pictures from Eurosport showed contact between you and Rob Huff at the first corner. Could you give us your version of events please?

NC:
In Turn 1 I braked a little bit too late. Rob went on the inside and turned in for Turn 2 like he'd normally do and unfortunately I couldn't disappear – I was totally on the curbs on the inside. I couldn’t have done anything else otherwise I would have been in the wall. So it was unfortunate for him that I touched him. I saw that he lost some positions, that was obviously not my intention but luckily for me I could continue and win the race.

Q:
By winning the race you lead the World Touring Car Championship for the first time in your career. What does that mean to you?

NC:
Yes, that means a lot. So far this season we have been quite consistent and Tiago has been very strong as well. And this is the first weekend that he had some difficulties. To be in the lead now is the goal and now we need to stay there and bring it to the end of the season.

Q:
We come next to Mehdi Bennani, second place in the Opening Race following a great drive, a good result and good WTCC Trophy points of course?

MB:
Like Thed said it’s an amazing track and we know we cannot do any mistake and we need to drive on the limit because it's really high-level championship, all drivers pushing on the limit - all the cars. So for me the goal was to see the chequered flag in both races. The game was on and to finish second here it's very nice because every time you race at the Nürburgring Nordschleife it’s very nice. And now it’s also nice to score points and to keep fighting with the top drivers in the championship.

Q:
The Opening Race was quite dramatic. You must have seen Néstor Girolami having a problem in front of you. What do you say on that?

MB:
Yes, it’s a shame for him because I think he was very close to finish the race. I think he crashed. I'm sorry for him to have that happen and it's a shame for us to have something like this happen with the tyres. It's also giving us less confidence. When I see a crash I think maybe it will happen also to me in a few metres but it’s finished now [the races], it’s behind.

Q:
We now come next to the second placed driver in the the Main Race Norbert Michelisz. You started on the DHL pole but couldn’t quite convert that into victory. What happened at the start Norbi?  

NM:
I had some troubles, maybe clutch. Already while finishing the Opening Race I wasn't really able to put the car in neutral and then I was really close to do a false start. It wasn't a perfect start but still good enough to keep second. I'm quite happy with that and then after the first corner I really tried to cut back on Nicky after both him and Rob had contact, but wasn't really able to do that. So after that I really tried to manage the tyres. I was struggling with understeer. From my feeling it wasn't really possible to do anything more than that today.

Q:
So after the high of that pole yesterday it's more of a low today. How frustrating is that for you?

NM:
It's not frustrating. It's really nice to be so many times on the podium. I really wanted to win here today but I knew even with a perfect start it’s going to be difficult. Because Nicky and Rob had the pace, Nicky had the edge on the straight line and also he was doing really well in sector four so P2 was probably the maximum for us.

Q:
We come next to Rob Huff. Two podiums here for your team based in Germany. Obviously the Main Race was a frustration for you. Can you give your version of what happened at the first corner?

RH:
Very frustrating. We had two great starts today. Obviously I was trying to make the most of that. I managed to quickly take the lead into Turn 2. Nicky was obviously alongside me a little bit, I thought he would give me some room but in the end he’s just driven into the side of me and put me down to fourth place. But I had some great moments side-by-side through a few corners, very enjoyable. And to get two third places for my German team here at the Nürburgring is very special for us, we’ve taken the lead in the WTCC Trophy and obviously the main championship has closed right up. It was obviously unfortunate that Tiago had some bad luck this weekend but it’s made for a much more exciting championship. The Opening Race for me was probably one of the best races of my life, going flat through Tiergarten side-by-side with two other drivers who you know you can trust but you’re not quite sure when you’re going to come out the other side, at 271kph that’s quite intense. But it was an amazing first race and great points all round.

Q:
Vila Real's next, obviously you haven’t won yet this season but you’re a street circuit specialist. Can Vila Real be the first place where you get that first win?

RH:
Last year we were very close. We were P1 in Q2 and then through my own mistake in Q3 we definitely lost the pole but it's a circuit I really enjoy because it's a street circuit and I’m looking forward to seeing what my Citroën is made of round there.