Mercedes-Benz driver wins after overtaking move in the final corner
BMW drivers Tomczyk and Spengler finish in second and third place in the rain
Hankook rain tyre celebrates a convincing competition premiere at legendary street circuit
A heartbeat finale in the fifth DTM race of the season at the Norisring. In an incredible finish, Mercedes-Benz driver Jamie Green first overtook Bruno Spengler (BMW) in the battle for second place with three laps remaining. Then, in the final corner, he also found his way past the latter’s fellow BMW driver Martin Tomczyk and celebrated a last-minute victory that was considered impossible.
As so often in the past, weather played an important role at the street circuit in Nuremberg. With air temperatures of around 35 degrees Centigrade, qualifying on Saturday still was a hot battle, but on Sunday, the spectators were treated to an action-packed rain race. In the first corner already, several accidents occurred, which prompted the clerk of the course to deploy the safety car. In the process, points’ leader Gary Paffett (Mercedes-Benz), who had started from pole position, significantly dropped back. Audi driver Mattias Ekström, who had started fourth, wasn’t able to continue with his damaged car.
Shortly after that, Tomczyk and Spengler inherited first and second place and for a long time, DTM novice BMW looked all-set for a 1-2. However, Green, who was showing a spirited drive, was getting closer lap after lap and with a glorious dash to the finish line, he scored his fourth race win at the Norisring. His fellow Mercedes-Benz driver Gary Paffett, who had dropped back considerably after having innocently become involved in the collisions right after the start, crowned his furious recovery with a fourth-place finish. Thus, the Brit dominantly remains in the lead of the drivers’ standings ahead of Green.
The Ventus competition tyre of the DTM’s exclusive tyre partner Hankook brilliantly mastered its competition premiere for this season. The tyre, with an extended width compared to last year, dealt better with the water on the wet street circuit thanks to its newly developed, flow-optimised profile and thus contributed to increased safety for the drivers. At the partly dried-out track, the rain tyre also provided a lot of grip and convinced with its usual high level of consistency and reliability throughout the race.
Jamie Green (Mercedes-Benz): “My car was good, the tyres were perfect and for me, they were the key to success. I was also incredibly quick when the track dried out. On the first 70 laps, I had no chance, but with four laps to go, I felt that there was still some potential and the final corner was mine. It was a nice victory for me.”
Martin Tomczyk (BMW): “From a BMW point of view, two podium places in our first race at Norisring are great. As a racing driver, losing the race on the final lap after having led for 75 laps is disappointing. The Hankook rain tyres were very good in wet conditions and as the track became drier, they kept up their performance. That has helped us a lot in realising our strategy.”
Bruno Spengler (BMW): “These conditions are very difficult for a rain tyre, because it was relatively warm and the track partly dried out. As a result, the tyre temperature increased significantly and that put more load on the tyres. Nevertheless, the Hankook tyres allowed for fast and consistent laps. There was just no way to stop Jamie.”
