Apr.14 (GMM) Ralf Schumacher finished fourteenth as he made his debut in the premier German touring car series (DTM) on Sunday.

At Hockenheim, the venue for this year's German grand prix in July, the former grand prix winner, was a midfield competitor in his year-old Mercedes-Benz.

The German newspaper Bild am Sonntag pointed out that the 32-year-old finished narrowly in front of the race's two female competitors, Susie Stoddart and Katherine Legge.

Reigning champion Mattias Ekstrom won the race, ahead of another Audi driven by Timo Scheider.

"It was okay," Schumacher said, "I made no major mistakes and I knew that I would not begin right at the front."

He also confirmed that he would happily return to formula one with a top team, but excluded becoming a test driver.