DTM Mainpage

DTM 2005

DTM 2004

DTM 2003

DTM 2002

DTM 2001

DTM 2000

Sportscar Racing

European Touring - ETCC

British TourinG - BTTC

Porsche Supercup

Australian Touring

• RACE:
• 1 Jean Alesi, MERCEDES
• 2 Gary Paffett, MERCEDES +5s
• 3 Bernd Schneider, MERCEDES
• 4 Christian Abt, AUDI
• 5 Mattias Ekström, AUDI
• 6 Jamie Green
• Hakkinen 8th; McNish 11th
• GRID:
• 1 Mattias Ekström, AUDI, 1:35.251
  "I was really confident during my lap. I hoped to have set an even better time, but the track was getting slower. Our wish to secure a good result has been fulfilled. It's like a dream to have clinched pole position for the season opener. I'm relieved."
• 2 Gary Paffett, MERCEDES +0.032
  "Our performance was really good, today. I succeeded in improving continuously, since yesterday. Unfortunately I made two minor mistakes on my fast lap, otherwise pole position might have been possible. Now I'm confident for the race."
• 3 Jamie Green, MERCEDES
  "For me, third position on the grid is like a bonus. My lap was only solid, and there are still a lot of things I have to learn. But it was big fun."
• 4 Marcel Fässler, 5 Jean Alesi, 6 Bruno Spengler; McNish 14, Hakkinen 15, Frentzen 19

• RACE:
• 1 Gary Paffett, MERCEDES
  "It was great today. The car was perfect, the pit stops were perfect, really excellent, it was a pretty faultless race. I didn't make too many mistakes and I didn't see too many cars behind me, so I didn't have to push it too hard. After I came out of my first pit stop the team told me I had a 10 second lead. Unless you have some kind of problem it's pretty hard to lose a lead like that."
• 2 Tom Kristensen , AUDI +4.4
  "A lot happened in the early laps, I gained some ground and lost some, so the team changed my pit stop strategy. I had a really long middle stint and it worked in the end. I just stayed cool and bought it home and the tyres were okay."
• 3 Mika Häkkinen , MERCEDES
  "It was going quite good and I was pleased and I felt confident in the race. I was pushing the best I could and reaching the lap times I wanted. There was a slight problem in my pit stop but I wasn't worried about it. It's a great feeling, fantastic, it's great to taste the champagne again."
• 4 Mattias Ekström , AUDI
• 5 Pierre Kaffer , AUDI
• 6 Frank Stippler , AUDI
• 7 Alesi 8 Mücke 9 Abt 10 Aiello
• GRID:
• 1 Gary Paffett, MERCEDES 1m 15.808
• 2 Jamie Green , MERCEDES +0.2
• 3 Mika Häkkinen , MERCEDES +0.29; 4 Mattias Ekström 5 Bernd Schneider 6 Bruno Spengler

• RACE:
• 1 Mika Häkkinen , MERCEDES
  "I can't find any words ... It was a tremendous weekend. The victory belongs to the team, they gave me a fantastic car. Mercedes have done really good work and we had a great race. I just don't know what else to say."
• 2 Mattias Ekström , AUDI
• 3 Tom Kristensen , AUDI
• GRID: (WET SESSION)
• 1 Mika Häkkinen , MERCEDES 2m 32.729
  "I'm really happy about my first pole position in my third DTM race. The tyres had good grip and the car ran very well so it didn't even matter when I made a small mistake. Thanks a lot to everybody, I will now try and make the best out of my pole position in Sunday's race preferably the same position as today."
• 2 Mattias Ekström , AUDI
• 3 Christian Abt, AUDI

Automotodrom Brno - Czech Republic

• RACE:
• 1 Mattias Ekström , AUDI
  "I had a good start - apart from the confusion surrounding Gary Paffett, whose jump start was a bit flustering for all of us. Thereafter, everything went well. Overtaking Frentzen after my first pit stop was a rather tight proposition, but today it was the key to success, because from then on I was up front and able to control the pace. We have worked hard to achieve this first victory for the new Audi A4 DTM. That we managed to do this here at Brno of all places, where we clinched the title last year, is a particularly nice feeling. We are all extremely happy!"
• 2 Tom Kristensen , AUDI
• 3 Heinz-Harald Frentzen , OPEL
• 4 Gary Paffett , MERCEDES
• 5 Jamie Green , MERCEDES
• 6 Christian Abt , AUDI

AUDI RACE REPORT

• Double victory for the new Audi A4 DTM
  Mattias Ekström wins at Brno ahead of Tom Kristensen Title defender Ekström now leading the drivers' standings Five Audi A4 DTM cars in the points With a dominating double victory at Brno, Audi has captured the lead in the DTM standings. Like last year, Mattias Ekström won the race on the Czech Grand Prix circuit ahead of his team-mate Tom Kristensen. The two Audi drivers crossed the finish line almost 25 seconds ahead of the third-placed contender. By clinching the new Audi A4 DTM car's first victory, the reigning DTM Champion, Mattias Ekström, took the lead in the overall standings. Tom Kristensen moved up to third place. In the manufacturers' standings, Audi has added 15 points to its score, thus reducing its disadvantage to a mere four points.
• Martin Tomczyk and Allan McNish, as well, demonstrated the high potential of the new Audi A4 DTM at Brno. Tomczyk set the fastest lap in the race and was in fourth place when - while pitting for the first time - the right rear wheel nut became jammed, forcing him to make another long, unscheduled stop. Former Formula 1 driver Allan McNish, who finished seventh, scored his first DTM points. A drive-through penalty imposed for speeding in the pit lane deprived the Scot of a potential podium position.
• Another strong racing performance was shown by last year's Audi A4 DTM cars. Christian Abt clinched sixth place and, up until his second pit stop, kept the quickest driver in the Qualifying, Gary Paffett, in check. In his first race at Brno, Frank Stippler worked his way up from 16th place on the grid to eighth place, thus claiming another point for Audi.
• Rinaldo Capello finished tenth despite having dropped back to the back of the field in the starting phase. He crossed the finish line merely 0.366 seconds behind Hockenheim winner Jean Alesi. Pierre Kaffer was forced to stop on the opening lap when a rival in front of him spuin. From 18th place, the Audi driver managed to work his way up to twelfth.

• RACE:
• 1 Gary Paffett , MERCEDES
  "My start was good, but Jamie's was better. It was important for me to pass Tomczyk on lap two. Together with our team's fast pit stops this was the basis for my victory. Thanks to everybody, I'm really happy."
• 2 Mattias Ekström , AUDI
• 3 Jamie Green , MERCEDES
• 4 Bernd Schneider , MERCEDES
• 5 Tom Kristensen , AUDI
• 6 Allan McNish, AUDI

MERCEDES RACE REPORT

• Second Win of the Year for Gary Paffett
  Gary Paffett (DaimlerChrysler Bank AMG-Mercedes) won the fifth round of the 2005 DTM at Oschersleben. After 44 laps he came home 3.1sec ahead of Mattias Ekström (Audi A4 DTM). Jamie Green (Salzgitter AMG- Mercedes) ended up third ahead of Bernd Schneider (Vodafone AMG- Mercedes). Jean Alesi (AMG-Mercedes) improved from 19th at the start to 13th at the chequered flag.
• Mika Häkkinen (Sport Edition AMG-Mercedes) retired after an off on lap nine. In the overall ranking, Paffett is second with 34 points behind Ekström with 35 points after five out of 11 races. A crowd of 88,000 attended the event during the weekend, more than in any other event at Oschersleben so far.
• Starting fourth on the grid, Green accelerated into the lead between the Audis of Tom Kristensen and Martin Tomczyk which were on the front row. Paffett followed in third place and passed Tomczyk on the second lap to improve to second. On lap 11 Green and Paffett pitted simultaneously. Paffett's crew worked a bit quicker and both cars left the pits side-by-side with Paffett taking the lead when they were back on track. After the first round of pit stops Paffett was in first place ahead of Green and Ekström.
• On lap 31 Green left the racing line for a moment and Ekström slipped by. At the end of the same lap, Green made his second pit stop, Paffett pitted two laps later. The order at the top of the field remained unchanged.
• Schneider, 10th in qualifying, had an exciting battle with Kristensen in the closing stages. After ten laps of a bumper-to-bumper fight Schneider finished fourth half a second ahead of Kristensen.
• Alesi had qualified 19th on a drying track. He finished the race in 13th place. Mika Häkkinen had an off in qualifying and was therefore 20th on the grid. In his pit stop on lap seven his car was released from the jacks by mistake. Two laps later he slid off the track and damaged his car severely so that he had to retire.

AUDI RACE REPORT

• Audi driver Ekström defends DTM lead
  Title defender in second place at Oschersleben Tom Kristensen shines by making up ground Allan McNish scores points again In front of a record turnout of 88,000 spectators, Audi driver Mattias Ekström successfully defended the lead in the DTM standings at Motopark Oschersleben.
• At a circuit on which overtaking is extremely difficult, the Swede from Audi Sport Team Abt Sportsline fought his way forward from fifth position on the grid to second place. This meant that, for the first time in his career, Ekström achieved a podium finish in a race at Oschersleben. That it is definitely possible to overtake at the Motorpark was proved by Tom Kristensen as well. The Le Mans record victor, who had captured his first pole position in the DTM in Saturday's Qualifying, stalled at race start and had to re-start the engine of his Audi A4 DTM, thus falling behind to 19th place.
• During the 44-lap race, the Audi driver managed to advance to fifth place in a remarkable run to make up ground. In the final phase, the Dane had a thrilling duel with ex-champion Bernd Schneider. Allan McNish finished the race in sixth place, thus scoring points for the second time in a row. Martin Tomczyk, who had started from the first row, was running in front of his team-mate Mattias Ekström in the beginning but, after two thirds of the race, had to park his Audi A4 DTM due to a defect on the right front suspension.
• Best driver of a 2004-spec car at Oschersleben was Frank Stippler, who finished ninth in the A4 DTM entered by Audi Sport Team Joest and missed scoring a point by merely 0.572 seconds. Rinaldo Capello, Christian Abt and Pierre Kaffer claimed places ten, twelve and 17.

• RACE:
• 1 Gary Paffett , MERCEDES
  "An incredible race. I started really well, but after the first Safety Car period I didn't know where I was in the ranking. With the double pit stop our team did a great job and I was able to regain the lead. I'm very happy about my third win of the season and the championship lead."
• 2 Christian Abt, AUDI
• 3 Mattias Ekström , AUDI
• 3 Jamie Green , MERCEDES
• 4 Allan McNish, AUDI
• 5 Martin Tomczyk , AUDI
• 6 Heinz-Harald Frentzen, OPEL

MERCEDES RACE REPORT

• Third Win of the Season and Championship Lead for Gary Paffett
  Gary Paffett (DaimlerChrysler Bank AMG-Mercedes) won the sixth round of the 2005 DTM at Nuremberg's Norisring and took the championship lead after his third victory of the season. Paffett won ahead of Audi drivers Christian Abt and Mattias Ekström. Bernd Schneider (Vodafone AMG-Mercedes) was third but was pushed into a spin, received a drive- through penalty later and came home tenth.
• Mika Häkkinen (Sport Edition AMG-Mercedes) and Jamie Green (Salzgitter AMG-Mercedes) retired after an accident. Jean Alesi (AMG- Mercedes) stopped due to a drive problem which is still to be investigated. Paffett leads the championship with 44 points ahead of Ekström with 41. Starting second on the grid, nine thousandths of a second behind pole, Paffett took the lead before the Grundig hairpin and was first after the opening lap ahead of Tom Kristensen (Audi A4 DTM). Alesi improved from fourth to second and Häkkinen moved up from seventh on the grid to fourth. On the sixth lap, Green tried to pass Ekström at the Dutzendteich hairpin. He touched Häkkinen who was right in front of them. The Finn had to retire from fourth place whilst Green made it to the pits where he also retired.
• The Safety Car was deployed and most of the drivers came in for their first compulsory pit stop. However, Paffett and Kristensen had already passed the pit entry and continued their battle for the lead. When the race was neutralised again on lap 30, both pitted at the same time.
• Paffett came in for his second stop one lap later and resumed in tenth place. After the race was re-started on lap 38, he improved to second within 11 laps. After Kristensen's second stop on lap 60, Paffett took the lead and maintained it until the chequered flag.
• Schneider had qualified tenth and was fifth on lap 58 when he passed Ekström to take fourth. However, just half a lap later he was pushed into a spin by Bruno Spengler and dropped to sixth. When he charged through the field, he had a collision with Alexandros Margaritis and received a drive-through penalty. He ended up tenth. Alesi lost power on lap 23 and retired from third place.

AUDI RACE REPORT:

• Audi takes lead in the DTM
  In front of a record turnout of 143,000 spectators at the Norisring, Audi has taken the lead in the DTM manufacturers' standings. In one of the most turbulent races in DTM history, Audi scored points in its "home game" with as many as six cars, thus replacing Mercedes-Benz at the top of the standings. For the fans, the "man of the race" was local hero Christian Abt, who swept through to second place from 17th on the grid in the Audi A4 DTM entered by Audi Sport Team Joest. Title defender Mattias Ekstrom was spun out by competitors three times. Having dropped back to tenth place, Ekstrom recovered to third place. Allan McNish finished in fourth place to claim his best DTM result to date. Like last year, Martin Tomczyk fought his way through from position 14 on the grid to fifth place. Tom Kristensen and Pierre Kaffer completed Audi's good result with seventh and eighth places respectively. Rinaldo Capello and Frank Stippler retired after accidents.

• RACE:
• 1 Mattias Ekström , AUDI
• 2 Tom Kristensen , AUDI
• 3 Gary Paffett , MERCEDES
• 4 Mika Häkkinen, MERCEDES
• 5 Bernd Schneider, MERCEDES
• 6 Allan McNish , AUDI

• RACE:
• 1 Gary Paffett , MERCEDES
• 2 Mattias Ekström , AUDI
• 3 Heinz-Harald Frentzen , OPEL
• 4 Tom Kristensen , AUDI
• 5 Marcel Fässler , OPEL
• 6 Martin Tomczyk , AUDI

• RACE:
• 1 Mattias Ekström , AUDI
• 2 Gary Paffett , MERCEDES
• 3 Tom Kristensen , AUDI
• 4 Laurent Aiello
• 5 Manuel Reuter
• 6 Bruno Spengler

• RACE:
• 1 Gary Paffett , MERCEDES
• 2 Mika Häkkinen, MERCEDES
• 3 Bernd Schneider, MERCEDES
• 4 Jamie Green
• 5 Tom Kristensen
• 6 Laurent Aiello

• RACE:
• 1 Bernd Schneider, MERCEDES
• 2 Jamie Green, MERCEDES
• 3 Gary Paffett, MERCEDES
• 4 Tom Kristensen
• 5 Frank Stippler
• 6 Marcel Fässler