Tomczyk leads until the final turn
Defending DTM champion Martin Tomczyk in his Team RMG BMW M3 led the Norisring DTM race into the final corner, but Jamie Green overtook him to win for Mercedes. BMW Team Schnitzer’s Bruno Spengler finished third.
Tomczyk and Spengler had run first and second for much of the race, moving to the front after a series of incidents following the wet start set back early leaders. BMW’s Augusto Farfus, who was one of the racers caught up in an incident on lap one, eventually retired.
Andy Priaulx of BMW Team RBM finished seventh, and Team Schnitzer’s Dirk Werner finished tenth, scoring his first DTM points. Joey Hand finished fourteenth.
BMW motorsport director Jens Marquardt said, “I am very happy with our first outing at the Norisring for 20 years. Despite extremely difficult conditions, we had two drivers on the podium and four cars in the points this time. We would obviously have liked to celebrate our second win this year with Martin Tomczyk – especially in this unique atmosphere – but that is just how it goes sometimes in motor racing. Jamie Green was simply quicker in the closing stages. All the same, second and third for Martin and Bruno is a very good result. I am also pleased for Andy Priaulx and Dirk Werner: Andy had a few difficult races and returned to the points thanks to a good performance here in Nürnberg. Dirk broke the spell and scored his first DTM point in the fifth race. This round showed once again that we have a very good squad of drivers. We are now really looking forward to our home event in Munich’s Olympic Stadium.”
The Munich race, next on the DTM calendar, will be run on July 15.—Brian S. Morgan, motorsports editor, bmwcca.org
