Bruno Spengler wins at DTM finale

After 37 race laps at the 4.574 kilometres long track in Hockenheim, Jamie Green completed the double victory for Mercedes-Benz by finishing second. Dane Tom Kristensen (Audi) finished third in the season final. In the drivers’ standings, Spengler secured himself runner-up position with his fourth win of the season ahead of Tom Kristensen. DTM champion Bernd Schneider (Mercedes-Benz) finished fourth ahead of Martin Tomczyk (Audi). Fastest driver with a car from last year was Timo Scheider (Audi) in sixth place overall. Behind Christian Abt (Audi), Jean Alesi (Mercedes-Benz) finished eighth in his final DTM race. In the drivers’ championship, the Frenchman is the best-placed driver with year-old machinery in ninth place. In five years of DTM racing, Alesi scored four victories and qualified on pole-position twice. An extensive press release with quotes of the drivers and motor sport directors will follow shortly.

The race in detail
Air temperature: 21.1 °C
Asphalt temperature: 25.3 °C
Spectators at the weekend: 149,000

Start Frentzen takes the lead from Green, Tomczyk into second, Spengler third
Lap 1 Kristensen and Spengler battling for fourth place. Stippler spins after collision with Margaritis. Lauda spun after collision with Ickx. Stippler into the pits.
Lap 2 Stippler has retired.
Lap 3 Frentzen is leading from Green, Tomczyk, Spengler, Kristensen, Schneider, Häkkinen, Scheider, Abt and Alesi.
Lap 4 Green attacks Frentzen, but the German remains in front. Green runs wide under braking for the hairpin, Tomczyk and Spengler get past. Warning for Vanina Ickx because of pushing another car. Mücke into the pits, retires due to shock absorber problem.
Lap 6 Under braking for the Nordkurve, Spengler overtakes Tomczyk. Green and Kristensen get past him as well. Schneider overtakes Green and Kristensen and is now third. Kristensen, Scheider, Häkkinen into the pits.
Lap 8 Lauda into the pits.
Lap 9 Frentzen is leading by 0.5 seconds over Spengler, Schneider is third, another 0.3 seconds down.
Lap 10 Schneider, Kaffer into the pits. Schneider re-joins behind Kristensen.
Lap 11 Frentzen and Spengler side-by-side, Spengler has the upper hand and takes the lead. Frentzen, Tomczyk, Alesi into the pits. Frentzen re-joins just behind Kristensen and Schneider.
Lap 12 Schneider locks up under braking into the arena, Frentzen gets past.
Lap 13 Frentzen attacks Kristensen, but the Dane stays in front. Warning for Bernd Schneider for pushing another car.
Lap 14 Frentzen again side-by-side with Kristensen, but Kristensen stays ahead while Schneider is close behind. Ickx into the pits.
Lap 16 Bernd Schneider keeps the pressure on Heinz-Harald Frentzen in the battle for eighth place.
Lap 17 Kaffer past Alesi in the battle for 14th place. Schneider into the pits.
Lap 18 Spengler, Green, Kristensen into the pits.
Lap 19 Stoddart, Alesi into the pits.
Lap 20 Ekström, La Rosa, Margaritis, Kaffer, Häkkinen into the pits. Häkkinen's car is being pushed into the pits - retires due to damaged rear diffusor.
Lap 21 Tomczyk into the pits.
Lap 22 Frentzen into the pits, re-joins behind Kristensen, Schneider, Tomczyk.
Lap 23 Scheider into the pits.
Lap 24 Green, Abt into the pits. Kaffer off the track, into the pits - retires.
Lap 25 Spengler, La Rosa, Margaritis into the pits.
Lap 26 La Rosa into the pits after collision with Margaritis - retires. Ickx into the pits.
Lap 27 Ekström is leading, but still has to make a pit stop. He is followed by Spengler, Green, Kristensen, Schneider, Tomczyk. Björk spins, continues. Lauda into the pits.
Lap 28 Ekström into the pits.
Lap 29 Abt briefly off the track, continues. Björk into the pits - retires.
Lap 30 Stoddart into the pits.
Lap 34 Margaritis slows down, seemingly with a puncture. Frentzen and Ekström collide. Frentzen spins, Ekström's car is damaged left front. Margaritis into the pits. Frentzen retires.
Lap 35 Ekström into the pits - retires. Spengler is leading from Green, Kristensen, Schneuder, Tomczyk, Scheider, Abt, Alesi and Stoddart.
Lap 37 Final lap: Spengler wins from Green, Kristensen, Schneider, Tomczyk. Scheider is best-placed driver with year-old machinery in sixth from Abt, Alesi, Stoddart and Lauda. After the finish: In a great season final, Bruno Spengler claims his fourth win of the year and thus secures himself runner-up position in the championship standings. Jamie Green is second from Tom Kristensen, Bernd Schneider, Martin Tomczyk.