DTM returnee Gary Paffett wins at Oschersleben
Oschersleben. Gary Paffett (Mercedes-Benz) is back: the 2005 DTM champion scored his first win of the season in the Motorsport Arena Oschersleben. With his 2006-spec AMG Mercedes C-Class, the Brit crossed the line after 44 laps ahead of his fellow Mercedes-Benz driver Paul Di Resta. Mike Rockenfeller completed the podium in third place with his 2006-spec Audi A4 DTM. ?Rocky? claimed third place on the penultimate lap as he overtook Mika H?kkinen, who was third up to that point. After the collision with Rockenfeller, the Finn dropped back to 17th. Best-placed driver with a current Audi model was Timo Scheider in fourth while Bernd Schneider was sixth with the fastest new C-Class. In the drivers? standings, there are three drivers jointly in the lead after two of ten rounds: Martin Tomczyk (Audi), Paul Di Resta (Mercedes-Benz) and Mattias Ekstr?m (Audi) each have 12 points.
The race in detail
Spectators over the weekend: 63,000
Air temperature: 25.0 ?C
Asphalt temperature: 34.7 ?C
Start Schneider stalls due to clutch problem. Rockenfeller takes the lead from Ekstr?m, H?kkinen, Spengler and Paffett, who has caught up from eighth.
Lap 1 Drive through penalty for Mattias Ekstr?m for jump start. H?kkinen attacks Ekstr?m for second, but runs wide and remains third. Ekstr?m into the pits for his penalty.
Lap 4 Rockenfeller is leading with 1.6 seconds over H?kkinen. Spengler is third from Paffett, Scheider, Abt, Green, Di Resta, Margaritis and Tomczyk.
Lap 6 Paffett, Green, Tomczyk, Carroll and Schneider are coming in for their first pit stop. H?kkinen is making up 0.5 second per lap on Rockenfeller.
Lap 8 Rockenfeller's margin over H?kkinen is only 0.4 seconds.
Lap 9 Scheider into the pits.
Lap 11 La Rosa and Luhr battling for eighth place, La Rosa gets past. H?kkinen into the pits. Rejoins in 15th behind Paffett.
Lap 12 Spengler into the pits, rejoins in 18th behind Tomczyk.
Lap 13 Rockenfeller into the pits, rejoins in 14th behind H?kkinen.
Lap 14 Ekstr?m into the pits.
Lap 15 Green and Ickx collide while Green tries to overtake the Belgian coming out of the first corner. Abt, Luhr, H?kkinen into the pits. For H?kkinen, it is his second pit stop. Spengler into the pits, retires
Lap 16 Di Resta, Schneider into the pits.
Lap 17 Paffett and Werner battling for sixth, Paffett goes through. Reason for retirement Spengler is a problem with the power steering.
Lap 18 Margaritis, Biela into the pits.
Lap 19 Drive through penalty for Jamie Green for pushing another car (Vanina Ickx). Werner, Tomczyk into the pits.
Lap 20 Stoddart, Green into the pits.
Lap 21 Rockenfeller into the pits, rejoins just behind H?kkinen.
Lap 22 Lauda, Green into the pits.
Lap 23 La Rosa into the pits.
Lap 26 Margaritis into the pits.
Lap 27 Ekstr?m and Abt into the pits.
Lap 28 Carroll, Luhr, La Rosa into the pits.
Lap 29 Paffett into the pits, 4.8 seconds. Retains the lead ahead of H?kkinen, Rockenfeller, Scheider. Stoddart into the box.
Lap 32 Lauda into the pits.
Lap 33 Biela into the pits.
Lap 34 Di Resta into the pits, rejoins in second behind Paffett, ahead of H?kkinen
Lap 35 Order after the pit stops: Paffett is leading from Di Resta, H?kkinen, Rockenfeller, Scheider, Tomczyk.
Lap 36 Werner into the pits.
Lap 40 Paffett's margin over Di Resta is 5.7 seconds, Rockenfeller is 0.7 seconds behind third-placed H?kkinen.
Lap 41 Stoddart spins, off the track, continues.
Lap 42 Biela off the track, continues.
Lap 43 Rockenfeller attacks H?kkinen for third and overtakes him, but loses a rear bodywork part of his Audi. H?kkinen has a puncture right rear. H?kkinen into the pits.
Lap 44 Finish. Gary Paffett wins from Paul di Resta and Mike Rockenfeller. Timo Scheider is fourth, Martin Tomczyk fifth, Bernd Schneider sixth. Ekstr?m overtakes Margaritis for seventh on the final lap.
