Audi Junior Martin Tomczyk grabs first point
Three Audi drivers managed to finish in the points in front of 60,000 spectators in the season’s eighth round of the DTM (German Touring Car Masters) at the A1-Ring in Austria. Martin Tomczyk had more reason to celebrate than anyone else. The S line Audi Junior Team driver secured his first point in the current season with his eighth place finish. “It was a hard-earned point,” explained the 21-year-old, who regularly occupies starting positions at the front but had had some bad luck during the races. “I had a good start. I kept out of trouble on the opening lap and was behind Mattias (Ekström) in seventh. The first pit stop was amazing – our strategy fit perfectly. The well-deserved reward: My first point – and that’s really something!”
Laurent Aiello and Mattias Ekström of the Abt-Audi Team were equally responsible for the team’s strong performance. The defending DTM champion Aiello just missed landing in the winners’ circle with his fourth place finish. He was barely able to maintain the very slight possibility of being able to defend his title, as he is 20 points behind championship leader Bernd Schneider.
Mattias Ekström, who started the race from the seventh position, gave the crowd an exciting show, duelling against his French teammate and followed Aiello across the finish line in fifth place. The Swede took a deep breath after the finish, saying, “That was a hard race. I fought until I saw the checkered flag, but I just couldn’t gain any ground. I’m looking towards the future. Zandvoort, where we’re driving in two weeks, should fit better us better.” Team Director Hans-Jürgen Abt made a similar statement: “We knew before that it would be hard for us at the A1-Ring, where the fans by the way provide a great mood for racing. For this reason, I am satisfied at the moment. We gave it our all, and three drivers finished in the points. In this strong field, that’s an amazing result.”
Peter Terting (19) had yet again another perfect race at the eighth DTM event of his young career, finishing 13th. In doing so, the youngest driver in DTM history put on a great show with his duels that were well worth seeing. “It was a great race for me from the beginning to the chequered flag,” said Terting. “I was able to pass some opponents, but I lost two places because my first pit stop was slow. Also in the final stages of the race, I had some nice battles, but then didn’t want to risk anything.”
The racing weekend did not go exactly as planned for Christian Abt or Karl Wendlinger. Abt was out in the first lap after he was involved in a first-lap accident on the way to the second corner. Teammate Wendlinger finished 16th on his home track.
Results
1 Marcel Fässler (Mercedes) 40 laps in 1h 2m 53.685s
2 Bernd Schneider (Mercedes) + 0.683s
3 Christijan Albers (Mercedes) + 5.835s
4 Laurent Aiello (Abt-Audi TT-R) + 9.878s
5 Mattias Ekström (Abt-Audi TT-R) + 23.820s