After 11 years in the Formula 1 World Championship, Ralf Schumacher will race this year with the Trilux AMG Mercedes C-Class in the DTM, Mercedes-Benz Motorsport announced on Monday, the German’s DTM debut taking place at the season opener in Hockenheim on 13th April 2008.

Ralf Schumacher tested the AMG Mercedes C-Class during four and a half test days in Estoril, Portugal for about 490 laps; which was more than 2,000 kilometres or approximately 12 DTM race distances.

It was his first outing with an AMG Mercedes since 20th July 1997 when he was a guest driver in a race of the FIA GT Championship in Spa-Francorchamps, Belgium with an AMG Mercedes CLK-GTR. This was also Schumacher’s last opportunity to drive a race car with a roof.