27.08.2004 "We are determined to give Lamborghini some fine trophies & to do them honour by presenting a beautiful team" Jean-Denis Deletraz looks forward to the debut of the DAMS Lamborghini

Jean-Denis Deletraz will be back in the driving seat at Imola, with DAMS and the new Lamborghini Murciélago.

A part of the Championship since the very beginning, his best year was in 2002, when he and Andrea Piccini won four races with the Ferrari 550 Maranello, a programme with which he was involved from the start.

Now he is once more involved in bringing a new, exciting car to the Championship.

"It was very difficult to get the programme up and running. But now, we have both cars, extremely well prepared, and we want to show what we can do. 

"We are sure our team is among the most professional in the paddock, also as far as the decoration of the cars is concerned, with a single, coherent design scheme for the whole team. It was very important for us  to present a very strong image."

The car took its first podium at Valencia, in the hands of development team Reiter Engineering. That was also Lamborghini's first international podium. So what about the first win?

"That is obviously our aim. But we do not expect Imola to be a particularly favourable circuit for us. But as for Oschersleben - we should be very strong there."

After a few podiums for Lister Racing last year, Jean-Denis announced his retirement from motorsport.

"I decided to stop because I was not enjoying racing any more; I was getting no pleasure from it. But during the winter, various opportunities came up, including this project with the Lamborghini. I have always enjoyed being at the start of programme; I was involved with the Ferrari 550 from the beginning, and to collaborate with a factory like Lamborghini was an opportunity not to be missed.

"I am also very pleased to be bringing Jean-Paul Driot and DAMS back to the Championship; it is an excellent, extremely professional team, and I think the Lamborghini/DAMS/Michelin combination, along with Andrea Piccini and myself, will make a very strong team."

With plans to challenge for the title?

"We have started too late for 2005, but these last four races will give us an opportunity to get our bearings, before going for an all-out attack in 2005. The car is already very good, although there are two or three areas where progress can still be made.

"Quite sincerely, I believe that we have a combination that can go for the title next year. We might not be fast on all circuits, such as Monza, for example, but for Oschersleben, or Donington, we will be very fast.

"A championship is not won over one race, but over the whole year, on average, we will be competitive. We are determined to give Lamborghini some fine trophies, and to do them honour by presenting a beautiful team."