Bruno Spengler Column: A podium in Dijon

Auto123.com is a partner of Canadian driver Bruno Spengler, official DTM driver for the Mercedes-Benz team. We are proud to bring you, exclusive to our site, his exclusive column. Here’s what Bruno had to say about his third-place finish in Dijon, France.

Hello everyone!

Here’s something different for this column. I decided to let you know what my weekend was like in Dijon for this important DTM ace.

Thursday, October 8

7:15 am: I left my apartment in Strasbourg and headed toward Dijon with my very own C-Class.

10 am: I arrived in Dijon where I was scheduled to take part in a promotional event in front of city hall. Alexandre Prémat was there, too (he's the local guy). We raced miniature Porsche Carreras on an electric track. I even beat the national champion Jean-Philippe Frys, who invited me to a round of the world championship!

1 pm: Pre-race press conference inside city hall. Once again, Alexandre was there and we answered questions from international and local journalists. The DTM race is a major event for Dijon and, throughout the weekend, fans came in waves despite the inclement weather.

Bruno Spengler with pop signer David Guetta.

3:30 pm: As I arrived at Dijon-Prenois, I remembered that the last time I drove here was during a pre-season practice in April. I had only one day out but I managed to post the fastest time despite the rain. Since then, the kerbs have been modified to reduce the number of flat tires. With my team, we inspected the track.

8 pm: After a quick detour by the hotel, I returned to city hall for a cocktail with all DTM drivers. The people of Dijon really know how to make strangers feel right at home…

10:30 pm: I grabbed a bite and went to bed, totally focused on the next day.


Friday, October 9

8 am: I woke up and had my breakfast at the hotel. As I peeked through the window, clouds were covering the sky, but the day still looked promising.

9:30 am: The crew and I once again performed a track inspection with a special attention to the new kerbs. Race officials were also on hand.