DTM at Munich’s Olympiastadion: Race Review
July 19, 2012
A thrilling final on Sunday saw 22 DTM drivers stage spectacular racing action in Munich’s Olympiastadion, with Audi driver Mattias Ekström narrowly beating (Mercedes AMG C-Coupé) to win the individual competition.
The two final heats took place on different sides of the stadium, each run over six laps of the 614 metre parallel tracks. Ekström won 1.5 seconds ahead of Green, despite losing time during his first pit stop. After the race Ekström said: “I can always particularly enjoy such winning moments, even though there are no Championship points to be won. At the end of the day, I always want to win and we had a hot race.”
Green set the fastest laps on both tracks, but was unfortunately slowed down by a stalled engine when coming back out after his second pit stop. After the race he said: “Too bad that we didn’t achieve an outright win in the final, but I’m satisfied with second place and winning the team competition on Saturday. My first final run was good, but conditions were tough on the second run and I lost some time during the pit stop. It was an exciting race, and the crowds braved the rain and cheered us in the stands – they deserve a special mention.”
Preceded by the inaugural team competition on Saturday, Ralf Schumacher (Mercedes AMG C-Coupé) and Jamie Green (Mercedes AMG C-Coupé) secured a dominant victory, making Mercedes-Benz the most successful brand in the DTM race in Munich’s Olympic Stadium.
Commenting on the result Norbert Haug, Vice President Mercedes-Benz Motorsport, said: “A very successful weekend for Mercedes-Benz with the best possible result, first and third in the Manufacturers’ competition on Saturday and second and third place for Jamie Green and Gary Paffett in the Drivers’ competition on Sunday.”
A total of 45,000 spectators attended this unique event in DTM motorsport over the weekend. Despite the adverse weather, the knockout races delighted crowds with extreme race action and thrilling head-to-head duels.
The DTM continues in four weeks’ time with the sixth round of the season, taking place at the Nürburgring on August 19th.
Tell us what you think on Twitter via @MercedesBenzUK.
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