• Mike Rockenfeller in the top five on both days at Zolder (Belgium)
  • Loïc Duval fights back to fourth from 14th on the grid on Saturday
DTM Zolder 2019
Akrapovič Audi RS 5 DTM #99 (Audi Sport Team Phoenix), Mike Rockenfeller

Audi Sport Team Phoenix scored important DTM points with both drivers at Zolder (Belgium) – also thanks to successful strategies.

On Saturday, Loïc Duval and Mike Rockenfeller shone with comebacks. Duval fought back from 14th on the grid to fourth position. Due to a clutch repair after qualifying, Rockenfeller had to start the race from the last spot on the grid. With a two-stop strategy, the Audi driver still managed to finish fifth – a nice reward for his mechanics, who had worked on his Audi RS 5 DTM up until the early morning hours.

On Sunday, Rockenfeller and Duval secured grid positions six and eleven. Both pitted late for their tire change and so had fresher tires than most of their rivals in the final spurt after a safety car period. As a result, Rockenfeller still made up ground to fourth place and, after a spectacular last lap, missed the podium by less than a second. “We didn’t have a good start of the weekend, but with two strong races still made the best of the situation,” said Rockenfeller.

Loïc Duval, after the restart on Sunday, was even in front of his teammate for a short while, but then dropped to the end of the field. “I was driving behind Marco Wittmann, who got off track and whirled up a lot of dirt,” said Duval. “Afterwards, my tires were totally dirty, so I just barely missed a finish in the points.”

“We chose special tactics on both days and they panned out each time,” said Team Director Ernst Moser. “Obviously, that always takes a little luck too. But I’d like to also particularly praise my team. The guys had to work hard here, even put in a full night shift and afterwards still pulled off the best pit stop. For the DTM and the spectators, it was a great weekend on a classic race track.”