After a weekend at the Nürburgring, Thierry Vermeulen is already preparing for the next race in the DTM. This coming weekend, the Zandvoort circuit is on the schedule, a home race for the Dutchman. Although Vermeulen is looking forward to the weekend in the dunes, he knows one thing for sure after his performance during the 24 Hours of Nürburgring. “Don’t crash at Zandvoort,” Vermeulen says.
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For Vermeulen, the weekend at the Nürburgring went wrong. The driver took part in the 24-hour race, but his race ended during his first stint behind the wheel. The Venlo native lost control of the steering and crashed hard into the guardrail. Due to his crash, the team could not continue and the race weekend was over immediately. “It was of course a difficult race for me. We had a crash early on. I want to avoid a crash at Zandvoort,” Vermeulen said during a media moment.
‘Hopefully a podium finish’
Despite the setback at the Nordschleife, Vermeulen looks positively ahead to the race weekend in Zandvoort. The Dutchman calls the circuit one of the coolest tracks on the DTM calendar, although he also knows how small the differences in the championship are. According to Vermeulen, this makes it difficult to have clear expectations beforehand. “It’s always great to race at Zandvoort, with exciting qualifying sessions. Everyone has a chance to race at the front, so you have to wait and see how it goes. You have the performance of the cars, the teams, and yourself. All these factors can change quickly,” the driver explains.
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Still, Vermeulen mainly hopes to deliver a stable weekend and take important points home. The Dutchman is not only focusing on a good race but secretly also on a spot on the podium. “It’s important for us to concentrate on the car. I try to maximize my own performance for some nice points and hopefully a podium finish,” emphasizes the Emil Frey Racing driver.
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‘Amazing to see’
In addition, Vermeulen notices that interest in the GT class and the DTM has grown significantly in the Netherlands in recent years. According to the driver, Max Verstappen plays an important role in this. Especially now that Verstappen recently took part in the 24 Hours of Nürburgring himself, Vermeulen notices that more and more Dutch fans are also finding their way to the DTM. “GT racing has never been as big in the Netherlands as in Germany, but interest has grown strongly in recent years, with of course the help of Max. More and more fans come to the circuit, but there is also more interest around the circuit. That is amazing for us as drivers to see,” Vermeulen concludes.
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The DTM will be in action at Circuit Zandvoort from May 22 to 24.
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