BMW driver wins at Oschersleben and improves to second in the drivers standingsWith two rounds remaining, Gary Paffett (Mercedes-Benz) remains points leaderOschersleben DTM round a real test for Hankook competition tyresBruno Spengler remains in contention in the battle for the title. The BMW driver won Sundays eighth DTM round of the season at Oschersleben and thus remains the fiercest rival of pointsleader Gary Paffett (Mercedes-Benz) two rounds before the end of the season. The Brit finishes second in the Motorsport Arena, followed by his compatriot and fellow Mercedes-Benz driver Jamie Green. BMW driver Dirk Werner secured fourth place, the best result in his maiden DTM season to date.In bright sunshine, Canadian Spengler scored an undisputed lights-to-flag victory in front of packed grandstands and was on the top step of the podium for the third time this season already. Thus, the 29-year old reduced the gap to pointsleader Paffett to eleven points and is eight points clear of third-placed Jamie Green.For Audi, however, the dream of winning the title in the most popular international touring car series was blown. At Oschersleben, Mike Rockenfeller was the best-placed driver of the car manufacturer from Ingolstadt in sixth position. Thus, he moved up to fourth place in the driversstandings, but no longer has chances of winning the title. Italian Edoardo Mortara, the best-placed Audi driver in the championship prior to the race, retired early. Swede Mattias Ekstrm only finished eighth after a poor start.This weekends DTM round in the Motorsport Arena Oschersleben turned into a real test for the Hankook competition tyres. The construction of the tyres had to deal with many bumps, because the drivers were continuously running hard over the high kerbstones, so that the cars lost contact to the ground at times. There was a heavy load on the tread of the Ventus Race, too. Some of the kerbstones at the 3.696 kilometres long track partly were made of metal and with weld seams. These caused slight injuries and cuts on the surface of the slicks due to the continuous driving over the kerbstones. In spite of this huge load, the Hankook competition tyre didnt show any weakness and once again provided an outstanding overall performance.
Bruno Spengler (BMW): I am very happy and I have to thank my team for this great weekend. At this special track with the high kerbstones and the long corners, the tyres were very consistent. I was able to come into the pits for my tyre change early and do long stints. That was the key to success.Gary Paffett (Mercedes-Benz): We had a good race speed, but Bruno was more or less just as quick. At the end, I was able to close up a little bit with used tyres, but it just wasnt enough. In the last two rounds, we want to repeat todays performance and I will try to remain in front until the end.Jens Marquardt, (BMW Motorsport director): Brunos victory from pole is a great achievement. Tactically, he hasnt made any mistakes. Dirk Werner in fourth, Augusto Farfus in fifth and Joey Hand in eleventh place that is a top overall result. I am proud of these guys.
