Mercedes rules at DTM Green hell race

Mercedes Benz DTM driver Bruno Spengler won the fifth race of the 2010 DTM series held at the famous N?¼rburging circuit. His two teammates Paul di Resta and Garry Paffett completed the podium to emphasis the Mercedes dominance. Timo Scheider scored for Audi the best result for this week-end.

After five races into the 2010 season, Bruno Spengler is on course for this year’s DTM title, after scoring on the N?¼rburging circuit his second victory of the season thus further expanding his lead in the drivers’ championship. From his point of view it was a great race, accompanied by a fabulous start.

But once it started to trickle water, the race track conditions started to become damp and slippery, which made Bruno Spengler drive cautiously. He also added, that the road to winning this year’s championship was however still a long one to go.

Only two Audis in the points:
Mercedes was in an exultation mood, as the victory of Bruno Spengler was completed by Paul di Resta who scored second place, while Garry Paffett drove home the final spot on the podium. Whereas Bruno Spengler and Paul di Resta were leading the Mercedes armada from the beginning of the race to the end, Garry Paffett mainly gained ground through a perfectly timed pit-stop strategy.

Best Audi driver during this week-end was Timo Scheider who finished in fourth place.

Although it was a relatively respectable result after a difficult season up till now for 2009 champion Timo Scheider, it was however not an optimal result for the Ingolstadt based car manufacturer.

The reasons were very obvious, when analyzing Mattias Ekstr?¶m result finishing this race in seventh position. Being the Audi driver with the biggest chances for winning this year’s championship crown, the Swedish driver was the biggest loser after suffering a horrible start on the one hand, and by blocking the wheels of his car due to a miss shift in the first curve on the other hand.

He added that he did not commit any mistakes during the race, but admitted that they were a bit slow during the race and that he was fighting with blunt weapons.

Jamie Green fights with Schumacher:
Jamie Green and Ralf Schumacher squeezed themselves between the two Audi drivers. Green thereby scored four points and is now the toughest pursuer of championship leader Bruno Spengler, but with 16 point adrift of the French Canadian DTM leader.

Ralf Schumacher, who ruined his last race’s pole position by an unnecessary jump start, which was subsequently punished by a drive-through penalty at the Norsiring, kept his uptrend performance curve by crossing the finish line in sixth position, even exerting a lot of pressure on Jamie Green during the closing stages of the race.

Marco Engel gained ground by improving from 11th place to eighth spot, and proved like Audi pilot Mike Rockenfeller and Mercedes Benz driver David Coulthard, who both completed the top ten crossing the finish line, the striking power of last year car models.

Tomczyk and Winkelhock: Jinx of the race
For Martin Tomczyk, the race did not run at all according to plan. After he committed an offence and broke a rule related to the Parc ferm?©, he was put back on the qualifying grid, failing to gain back the lost ground during the race and was therefore forced to be satisfied with the 13th place.

His fellow Audi driver Markus Winkelhock continued his unlucky streak, after not finishing the race due to an accident.

AE