June 28th, 2009
Jamie Green wins thrilling DTM race at Norisring
DTM
Nuremberg. British driver Jamie Green wins an absolutely thrilling DTM race at the Norisring for Mercedes-Benz and thus continues the winning streak of the brand from Stuttgart in the only race on a street circuit on the DTM calendar. Since 2003, a Mercedes-Benz driver has been on the top step of the podium every year. For Green, it was the fifth victory of his DTM career and the second in a row at this circuit. ?I just can?t find words to express my joy. Timo has closed the gap very well and I wasn?t sure as to what strategy I should take. I was in a new car for four years, and now, with a year-old car, it all went so well. Being back here again and facing all the critics was nice?, the 27-year old said. His fellow Mercedes-Benz driver Bruno Spengler (CDN) completed the 1-2 for Mercedes-Benz by finishing second. Swede Mattias Ekstr?m finished third, which made him the best-placed Audi driver. ?The race was good and fair, although I am sorry that Audi hasn?t won. I am looking forward to the upcoming races?, the DTM champion of 2004 and 2007 said.
What a great finale for the DTM weekend at the Norisring, that attracted a total crowd of 132,000 spectators. On the final four laps of the 80 laps? race, the fans saw three different race leaders. Driving his Audi A4 DTM, defending champion Timo Scheider was ahead of Spengler and Green until four laps before the end. At times, the trio were less than 0.6 seconds apart. On the penultimate lap, Green takes the lead from Scheidetr after a door-to-door battle. Spengler and even Mattias Ekstr?m, who had been running in fourth place up to that point, also overtake Scheider, claiming second and third place with less than four kilometers remaining. Scheider still scores five points in the battle for the championship by finishing fourth and thus remains on top in the points? standings.
There was a reason to celebrate for Mercedes-Benz driver Ralf Schumacher, too. The former F1 driver scored his best result in a DTM race so far in sixth place. As the chequered flag was out, he was only 0.31 seconds down on his fellow Mercedes-Benz driver Gary Paffett, the winner of the second season round at the EuroSpeedway. Dane Tom Kristensen (Audi), who had won the season opener of this year?s DTM, ended up eighth behind Scottish driver Paul Di Resta (Mercedes-Benz).
British lady racer Katherine Legge was unhappy after the race. Having started from fifth place for the third round of the season, the 28-year old had a rather poor start and finished only twelfth after 184 kilometers. The second lady in the field, Susie Stoddart (GBR/Mercedes-Benz), ended up tenth.
In the points? standings, Scheider remains in the lead with 17 points from Spengler (16) and Paffett (14). The fourth DTM round of the season will be held at Zandvoort in The Netherlands from July 17th till 19th.
Mercedes-Benz motorsport director Norbert Haug: ?That was an incredibly exciting race and already our seventh victory at the Norisring. I thought that we would be able to secure the points earlier on, but neither during the first nor during the second pit stops, we were able to catch up. Timo has taken a lot of risk with his line and he will be disappointed now, but that is normal. Jamie is a real specialist at this track. This was one of the best touring car races we have ever seen, and we have had many good races.?
Audi-Motorsportchef Dr. Wolfgang Ullrich: ?We were all very close together with our performance and that surely was one of the most thrilling races of the last few years. Timo has always made the best out of every situation. And he looked all set for victory until the very end. Too bad that he couldn?t make it onto the podium eventually. But now we have third place with Mattias and fourth with Timo, that is what races are like. Today, one can see what can be achieved with year old cars. And one can also see, that our ladies aren?t there just to make up numbers, they are true and genuine racers. In spite of her poor start, Katherine still set the fastest race lap. That really is good promotion for the DTM.?
