| Mattias Ekström | |
|---|---|
| Nationality | Swedish |
| Born | July 14, 1978 Falun (Sweden) |
| 2012 DTM | |
| Debut season | 2001 |
| Current team | Audi Sport Team Abt Sportsline |
| Car no. | 8 |
| Starts | 112 |
| Wins | 17 |
| Poles | 15 |
| Fastest laps | 10 |
| Best finish | 1st in 2004, 2007 |
| Previous series | |
| 1997-2000 1995-1996 |
STCC Renault 5 Junior Sweden |
| Championship titles | |
| 2004, 2007 1999 1996 |
DTM STCC Renault 5 Junior Sweden |
Mattias Ekström (born July 14, 1978 in Falun, Sweden) is a racing driver from Sweden. He has been competing in the Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters for Audi since 2001. He is a two-time DTM champion and a three-time winner of the Race of Champions.
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Ekström was the Swedish Touring Car champion in 1999. In 2004, he won the Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters (DTM). Before that, he had finished fourth in the series in 2003 and third in 2002. In the 2005 DTM season he finished second behind Gary Paffett.
Ekström has also been active in rallying and the World Rally Championship. He debuted in the WRC in 1999 and recorded his best result at the 2005 Swedish Rally, finishing tenth in a Škoda factory team Fabia WRC.[1] At the 2005 Race of Champions, Ekström won the Nations' Cup with Tom Kristensen. In 2006, he won the Henri Toivonen Memorial Trophy and earned the title Champion of Champions at the 2006 Race of Champions, by winning over Sébastien Loeb in the individual event finals.
Ekström won his second DTM title in 2007 and went on to win the 2007 Race of Champions, beating Michael Schumacher in the individual finals. In 2009, he won the Race of Champions once more beating the seven-time world champion in the final.
Ekström became the first Scandinavian driver to take part in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series in June 2010. He raced for Team Red Bull at Infineon Raceway, substituting for Brian Vickers in the #83 Toyota Camry, as Vickers was inactive for the remainder of the 2010 season due to blood clots. Ekström was able to finish 21st and lead 7 laps mostly remaining in the top 5 or top 10 the whole day.[2] However he did so ex-aequo with another Scandinavian driver as Jan Magnussen from Denmark also took part in the same race, eventually finishing ahead of Ekström. Ekström also ran the Air Guard 400 at Richmond International Raceway where he started 42nd and finished 31st.
(key)
1 - Shanghai was a non-championship round.
| Sporting positions | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Fredrik Ekblom |
Swedish Touring Car Champion 1999 |
Succeeded by Tommy Rustad |
| Preceded by Bernd Schneider |
German Touring Car Champion 2004 |
Succeeded by Gary Paffett |
| Preceded by Jean Alesi Sébastien Loeb |
Race of Champions Nations' Cup 2005 with: Tom Kristensen |
Succeeded by Marcus Grönholm Heikki Kovalainen |
| Preceded by Sébastien Loeb |
Race of Champions Champion of Champions 2006-2007 |
Succeeded by Sébastien Loeb |
| Preceded by Bernd Schneider |
German Touring Car Champion 2007 |
Succeeded by Timo Scheider |
| Preceded by Sébastien Loeb |
Race of Champions Champion of Champions 2009 |
Succeeded by Filipe Albuquerque |
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