Spengler narrows the gap in the drivers’ championship
BMW Team RBM’s Augusto Farfus started from the pole and won the DTM race in Valencia, Spain. He led the entire distance, pulling out a five-second lead before the first of his two mandatory pit stops.
Bruno Spengler of BMW Team Schnitzer started his M3 DTM twelfth on the grid and received a penalty for jumping the start. He recovered to finish sixth. Team RBM’s Andy Priaulx finished eighth and Dirk Werner of BMW Team Schnitzer finished ninth.
Spengler’s sixth allowed him to close the gap to points leader Gary Paffett with one race remaining in the season. Paffett spun Joey Hand’s BMW in a lap one incident, and received a two-second stop and go penalty. He damaged his Mercedes in the incident, and eventually retired.
Both Hand and his BMW Team RMG teammate Martin Tomczyk retired from the race. Tomczyk was spun by Mercedes’ Robert Wickens just after the start of the race.
The season finale will be run at Hockenheim on October 21.—Brian S. Morgan
