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Audi MediaCenter
08/11/18
Brands Hatch
Motorsport

DTM: René Rast just misses podium finish

Audi Sport RS 5 DTM #33 (Audi Sport Team Rosberg), René Rast
  • Defending Champion fourth in Saturday’s race
  • Mike Rockenfeller scores a point for tenth place 
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Defending Champion René Rast from Audi Sport Team Rosberg finished fourth and in doing so just missed a podium finish in the DTM premiere on the Grand Prix circuit at Brands Hatch (Great Britain).

Rast claimed third place on the grid after qualifying strongly for Saturday’s race and took second immediately after the start. The strategy to pit and change tires directly at the end of the first lap, as in his victory drive at Zandvoort, did not however pay off for the German this time. “I made a good start,” said the Audi driver. “But then a slow zone was called, which effectively cancelled out my tire advantage. Without the slow zone it could have been a much better result. Even so, I’m satisfied to have scored good points for the championship.”

As expected, grid positions for the first DTM race around the 3.916-kilometer Brands Hatch Grand Prix track played a crucial role. Apart from the phase during the pit stops there was hardly any overtaking. A highlight was the maneuver made by DTM newcomer Robin Frijns (Audi Sport Team Abt Sportsline) who overtook BMW driver Timo Glock in the infamous Paddock Hill Bend. Mike Rockenfeller and Jamie Green caught and passed Glock at the same time on the same lap.

With deteriorating tires in the closing stages, Frijns dropped behind Green and Rockenfeller who scored a point in tenth for Audi Sport Team Phoenix. Nico Müller was 15th after an accident in qualifying. Loïc Duval retired after sliding into the gravel trap at the Druids Hairpin after his mandatory pit stop.

“We expected a little more in the race, but after we did not perform well enough in qualifying we weren’t in the position to attack,” said Head of Audi Motorsport Dieter Gass. “With René (Rast) we choose an aggressive strategy which did not work out due to the slow zone. Our other cars were fast in the race, but couldn’t overtake. For tomorrow we must work specifically to improve our qualifying form.” 

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The indicated consumption and emissions values were determined according to the legally specified measuring methods. The WLTP test cycle completely replaced the NEDC on January 1, 2022, which means that no NEDC figures are available for vehicles with new type approvals from after this date.

The figures do not refer to a single, specific vehicle and are not part of the offering but are instead provided solely to allow comparisons of the different vehicle types. Additional equipment and accessories (add-on parts, different tire formats, etc.) may change relevant vehicle parameters, such as weight, rolling resistance and aerodynamics, and, in conjunction with weather and traffic conditions and individual driving style, may affect fuel consumption, electrical power consumption, CO2 emissions and the performance figures for the vehicle.

Due to the more realistic test conditions, the consumption and CO2 emission values measured are in many cases higher than the values measured according to the NEDC. This may result in corresponding changes in vehicle taxation since September 1, 2018. Additional information about the differences between WLTP and NEDC is available at www.audi.de/wltp

Further information on official fuel consumption figures and the official specific CO2 emissions of new passenger cars can be found in the “Guide on the fuel economy, CO2 emissions and power consumption of all new passenger car models”, which is available free of charge at all sales dealerships and from DAT Deutsche Automobil Treuhand GmbH, Hellmuth-Hirth-Str. 1, 73760 Ostfildern, Germany (www.dat.de).

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