1st May, 2011
Bruno Spengler wins DTM season opener at Hockenheim
DTM
Hockenheim. Pole position on Saturday and race victory on Sunday: for Bruno Spengler (Mercedes-Benz), the first DTM race of the season went according to plan. At the Hockenheimring Baden-Württemberg, the Franco-Canadian claimed victory from Mattias Ekström (Audi). After 38 laps, Ralf Schumacher (Mercedes-Benz) crossed the finish line in third place. For the German, this was the first podium finish in the DTM. Timo Scheider and Martin Tomczyk (both Audi) ended up fourth and fifth respectively. Gary Paffett, who had started from the back of the grid, made it all the way up to finish sixth. The point-scoring positions were completed by Jamie Green and Maro Engel (Mercedes-Benz). A full press release with quotes will follow shortly.
Race at a glance
Temperature track: 23.2°C
Temperature air: 32.0 °C
Spectators during the race weekend: 58.000
Start Ekström takes the lead through the first corner, but on the exit, Spengler takes first again. Frey has stalled, but eventually also starts.
Lap 1 Paffett has already made up four places. Spengler is leading from Ekström, Schumacher, Scheider and Engel. Scheider and Engel battle for fourth.
Lap 2 Tomczyk attacks Engel for fifth place. Van der Zande has dropped back to 16th. Warning for Jarvis and Vietoris because of leaving the track.
Lap 3 Spengler is leading from Ekström, Schumacher, Scheider, Engel, Tomczyk, Molina, Rockenfeller, Mortara, Jarvis, Green, Paffett, Coulthard, Stoddart.
Lap 4 Drive through penalty for Susie Stoddart because of a jump start, she comes into the pitlane at the end of the lap.
Lap 5 Paffett overtakes Jarvis as Mortara locks up under braking in front of them.
Lap 6 After a nice duel, Tomczyk overtakes Engel coming out of the hairpin and is now fifth.
Lap 8 Spengler is leading with a margin of 2.4 seconds from Ekström.
Lap 9 Green attacks Jarvis in the battle for 11th place. Coulthard benefits and overtakes Green. Warning for Jamie Green for leaving the track.
Lap 10 Paffett is putting ninth-placed Mortara under pressure. Paffett is the first driver to come in for the mandatory pit stops. Van der Zande, Albuquerque also into the pits.
Lap 11 Green, Vietoris into the pits.
Lap 12 Rockenfeller, Mortata, Jarvis, Coulthard, Stoddart into the pits.
Lap 13 The tank can got stuck on Susie Stoddart's car. Schumacher, Tomczyk, Molina into the pits.
Lap 14 Stoddart under investigation for unsafe release, decision after the race. Spengler, Ekström, Scheider, Engel, Frey into the pits.
Lap 18 Vietoris and Albuquerque collide in the battle for 15th place, Albuquerque spins. Vietoris under investigation.
Lap 19 Halfway through the race, Spengler is leading from Ekström, Schumacher, Tomczyk, Scheider, Engel, Molina, Paffett, Rockenfeller and Mortara.
Lap 21 Paffett, Coulthard into the pits. Vietoris gets a drive through penalty for causing an avoidable collision.
Lap 22 Molina, Green into the pits. Vietoris comes in for his drive through.
Lap 23 Scheider, Engel, Stoddart into the pits.
Lap 24 Tomczyk runs wide at the Sachskurve and comes into the pits. Schumacher, Jarvis also into the pits.
Lap 25 The tank can is stuck on Tomczyk's car, he throws it off on the track. Safety car. Spengler, Ekström, Rockenfeller, Van der Zande, Frey into the pits.
Lap 26 Spengler and Ekström leave the pitlane ahead of the safety car. The safety car waves everybody through to pick up race leader Spengler. Mortara into the pits.
Lap 27 Spengler is leading from Ekström, Schumacher, Scheider, Tomczyk, Engel, Molina, Paffett, Green, Rockenfeller, Coulthard, Jarvis.
Lap 28 Safety car comes in at the end of this lap.
Lap 29 Restart. Paffett and Green overtake Mortara. Paffett overtakes Molina as the Spaniard runs wide. Jarvis turns Molina around, Van der Zande and Coulthard collide. Albuquerque under investigation for a red pit exit light infringement.
Lap 30 Van der Zande into the pits. He has lost the bonnet of his car - retires. The order: Spengler is leading from Ekström, Schumacher, Scheider, Tomczyk, Paffett, Engel, Green, Jarvis, Coulthard.
Lap 33 Drive through penalty for Albuquerque for his pit exit light infringement. Green overtakes Engel and is now seventh. Albuquerque into the pit lane for his penalty.
Lap 34 Vietoris and Stoddart battle for twelfth, Stoddart stays in front.
Lap 38 Final lap. Schumacher runs wide under braking for the hairpin, Scheider immediately closes up, but Schumacher retains his position.
Finish Spengler wins from Ekström, Schumacher, Scheider, Tomczyk, Paffett, Green, Engel, Jarvis, Coulthard.
