Double victory for Audi at Hockenheim DTM season opener
Hockenheim. The DTM started into the new season with a double win for Audi at the Hockenheimring Baden-W?rttemberg. In the season opener, Mattias Ekstr?m drove his Audi A4 DTM to victory ahead of his fellow Audi-driver Martin Tomczyk. For Ekstr?m, the 2004 DTM champion, it was his tenth victory in a DTM race. Bruno Spengler, who had started from pole position, crossed the finish line in third place with his AMG Mercedes C-Class. An excellent fourth place was occupied by Daniel la Rosa in the 2006-spec AMG Mercedes C-Class. Paul di Resta, who was a sensational third in yesterday?s qualifying, finished sixth upon his DTM debut ahead of fellow-Mercedes-Benz-driver Alexandros Margaritis.
The first race of the season was interrupted after an accident on the first lap. After tangling with Timo Scheider, Tom Kristensen spun on the run up to the Parabolica and was hit by Alexandre Pr?mat (Audi). Susie Stoddart (Mercedes-Benz) and Adam Carroll (Audi) were also involved in the collision. After the accident, Kristensen and Pr?mat were taken to hospital for check-up. Both were conscious. The race continued after the interruption at 14.34 hrs.
The race in detail
Air temperature: 22.1 ?C
Track temperature: 32.4 ?C
Start Tomczyk takes the lead, Di Resta into second, Ekstr?m third, Spengler third
Lap 1 Kristensen spins after slightly tangling with Timo Scheider, his car gets back rearward into the field and gets hit, the front by Susie Stoddart and the rear by Alexandre Pr?mat. Red flag.
14.16 Tom Kristensen is conscious, but still stuck in his car. Kristensen is being to the medical centre at the track, Alexandre Pr?mat goes there by himself.
14.28 Restart at 14.33
14.34 Lap behind the safety car. 41 minutes left. Missing are Kristensen, Stoddart, Pr?mat and Carroll.
Re-start As the safety car pulls into the pitlane, Tomczyk takes the lead and pulls a little but clear from di Resta, Spengler, Ekstr?m, Scheider, La Rosa and Margaritis.
Lap 3 Spengler past Di Resta. Tomczyk is 1.3 seconds clear of Spengler, Di Resta is third.
Lap 4 Bernd Schneider and Christian Abt battling for tenth, Schneider gets past. Paffett gets involved as well, gets past Abt. Abt's right rear wheel arch is slightly damaged.
Lap 5 Green attacking H?kkinen for eighth. Abt apparently has a puncture and drops back to last, turns into the pits. Spengler takes the lead as Tomczyk locks up under braking before the hairpin. Di Resta past as well, Tomczyk is now third. Abt retires in the p
Lap 6 Ekstr?m, Green into the pits.
Lap 9 Timo Scheider closing up on Martin Tomczyk in the battle for third. Tomczyk into the pits.
Lap 10 Bernd Schneider into the pits.
Lap 11 H?kkinen into the pits.
Lap 12 Green past Ickx for 13th. La Rosa into the pits.
Lap 13 Paffett into the pits, Ekstr?m for his second stop.
Lap 14 Vanina Ickx into the pits.
Lap 15 Bruno Spengler into the pits.
Lap 16 Di Resta is leading. Margaritis, Lauda, Schneider into the pits.
Lap 17 Green into the pits.
Lap 18 Luhr into the pits.
Lap 19 La Rosa into the pits.
Lap 20 Scheider, Rockenfeller into the pits. Lauda, Ickx into the pits for their second stops.
Lap 21 Race leader Paul di Resta into the pits, stalls his engine. Tomczyk, H?kkinen, Luhr into the pits.
Lap 22 Spengler, Scheider, Margaritis into the pits.
Lap 23 Di Resta and Paffett are first and second, but still have to make one pit stop. Ekstr?m is third from Spengler, Tomczyk, Scheider, La Rosa and Margaritis, who all have had two stops.
Lap 25 Di Resta, Rockenfeller into the pits.
Lap 26 Paffett into the pits.
Lap 27 Final lap. Scheider and Spengler collide coming out of the Mercedes-arena. Ekstr?m wins from Tomczyk, Spengler is third, followed by La Rosa, Margaritis, Di Resta, Green, Schneider, Paffett and Scheider.
