Rain stops DTM qualifying ? pole for Tom Kristensen in the Eifel
N?rburg. Qualifying for the seventh season round of the DTM on Saturday evening was stopped early after torrential rain. After the first of three sessions had been completed, the second heat had to be interrupted following an accident by Mike Rockenfeller. Because of the continuing heavy rain, the clerk of the course decided not to continue qualifying for safety reasons. According to article 48.5 of the sporting regulations of the DTM 2008, the result of the first qualifying heat is now the basis for the starting grid positions for the race on Sunday.
Based on this result, Danish Audi driver Tom Kristensen will be starting from pole position for the 43 laps? race. His time for the 3.629 kilometres was 1.38.346 minutes. ?Indeed, it is a little bit strange to be on pole after such a qualifying. But that is what the rules are like?, Kristensen said after the sixth DTM pole of his career. Surprising second is his fellow Audi driver with a year-old car, Mike Rockenfeller, who scored his best DTM qualifying result to date at Oschersleben in 2007, where he also was second on the grid. Martin Tomczyk set the third fastest time. The pole-sitter and winner from last year at this venue completed the Audi trio in front. Brit Gary Paffett was the best-placed Mercedes-Benz driver in fourth place with his year-old car, followed by the Swedish winner from Zandvoort, Audi?s Mattias Ekstr?m. Behind sixth-placed Bernd Schneider (D/Mercedes-Benz), Ralf Schumacher celebrated his best DTM qualifying result to date in seventh place with his AMG Mercedes C-Class. Points? leader Timo Scheider will be starting ninth into Sunday?s race behind Maro Engel (D/Mercedes-Benz). British drivers Jamie Green and Paul di Resta (both Mercedes-Benz) are third and fourth in the points? standings behind Scheider and Ekstr?m. Di Resta will be starting twelfth on Sunday, Green is 13th. The most prominent ?victim? of the difficult conditions was Canadian Bruno Spengler. The Mercedes-Benz driver ended up 16th in qualifying.
Before the race on Sunday, Scheider is leading in the DTM points? standings with 40 points from Ekstr?m (35) and Green (34). Because of the TV broadcast of the Tour de France, the race will start on Sunday at 17.30 h.
Tom Kristensen (1st grid position, Audi Sport Team Abt): ?Indeed, it is a little bit strange to be on pole after such a qualifying. But that is what the rules are like. I wouldn?t mind either to go out again and finish qualifying.?
Mike Rockenfeller (2nd grid position, Audi Sport Team Rosberg): This is only the second time in my DTM career that I am starting from the front row. I am very happy with that ? even though the way it happened was rather unusual. The rain really suited my year-old car and I honestly got myself this second place in the first qualifying heat.?
Martin Tomczyk (3rd grid position, Audi Sport Team Abt Sportsline): ?In fact, in the first qualifying session, it was good to drive. In the second heat, the rain got stronger and stronger. Even at 60 kph down the straight, I had heavy aquaplaning and problems getting back to the pits. The decision to stop qualifying was entirely right.?
Gary Paffett (4th grid position, stern AMG Mercedes): ?Actually, I was rather happy when the rain set in, because in the dry, it is not so easy to make it up to the front. At the start of the second session, conditions were still okay. When the rain got stronger, it was too dangerous to continue.?
Audi motorsport director Dr. Wolfgang Ullrich: ?It certainly was a difficult situation, but qualifying is over when it is over. Everyone had a chance to give their best. The stewards have looked into the regulations and then made a decision. We have to accept that as it is. Of course, it is something very extraordinary, but that is the way it ended. We are starting into the races with good positions, but tomorrow, there can be heavy rain as well and many things can happen.?
Mercedes-Benz motorsport director Norbert Haug: ?At the time of the red flag during the second qualifying heat, the order was different from the starting grid we have now. The order at the time of the red flag reflected the level of the sporting performance in the field in the most difficult circumstances. The current starting grid doesn?t do this at all, and of course, it is a huge difference whether you have four cars in the top six, like we had when the red flags were out, or you have one car in the top four, like on the current starting grid. In the sporting regulations of the DTM, it says: When qualifying is stopped, the starting grid for the race is being determined by the sections run and ended up to that time?. It was section two that was ended by the red flag after about three quarters of the scheduled ten minutes, and therefore, according to our judgement, and we are by no means alone in this, the order in the second qualifying section at the time when red was shown applies.?
