Augusto Farfus started from the pole and finished second in the DTM race at the Nürburgring, just seconds behind the winning Mercedes of Robert Wickens. Farfus’ Team RBM M3 DTM was the first of three BMWs to finish in the top ten; Martin Tomczyk finally broke into the points, finishing fifth, while Marco Wittman finished seventh.
The rain began on the formation lap and continued into the early part of the race; none of the racers were on wet weather tires. The circuit dried over the course of the 1 ¼-hour race, but the rain took its toll before it went away. Joey Hand was the first casualty; he spun off course in his Team RBM M3 after making contact in heavy traffic in the first turn, and could not get out of the gravel trap.
Series points leader Michael Rockenfeller fell to the back of the pack as he went off to avoid Hand. He made an early stop before the pit window was open to switch to rain tires. Because the stop was early, it did not count as one of the two stops that are mandated over the course of the race. He built up a substantial lead, but in the end it was not a big enough advantage to hold off those who had stayed on rain tires longer. He finished fourth, increasing his points lead, as BMW’s Bruno Spengler finished out of the points after his car was slowed by hits from several other competitors.
It was the first DTM win for Wickens, who made the move of the race, a dramatic outside pass that took him by Farfus and Audi’s Adrien Tambay to move into second. From that point he closed on Rockenfeller, whose margin was too small to keep the lead after his final stop.
Spengler dropped to fourth in drivers’ points, while BMW held onto its lead in manufacturers’ points going into the September 15 race at Oschersleben
It was the first DTM win for Wickens, who made the move of the race, a dramatic outside pass that took him by Farfus and Audi’s Adrien Tambay to move into second. From that point he closed on Rockenfeller, whose margin was too small to keep the lead after his final stop.
Spengler dropped to fourth in drivers’ points, while BMW held onto its lead in manufacturers’ points going into the September 15 race at Oschersleben.
Motorsport Director Jens Marquardt said, “That was a dramatic and unbelievably intense race. I definitely have a few more grey hairs now. The way this race panned out, it was not easy to hold your ground at the front of the field. Therefore, I am very happy with the second place achieved by Augusto Farfus, who produced a great display in these very tricky conditions. I am particularly pleased with Martin Tomczyk’s sensational race. Given the difficult outings endured recently, this was a huge relief to him and the entire team. Marco Wittmann also produced a great comeback after his early setback. It was a very frustrating race for Bruno Spengler, who was hit hard on several occasions. His car was so badly damaged that he could not do much to defend himself towards the end of the race. Even great pit stops could not help him. The bottom line, however, is that we are happy with our weekend’s work at the Nürburgring. We were able to score some valuable points towards the Manufacturers’ Championship, and the Drivers’ Championship is still not a lost cause, even though the situation in the overall standings did not improve this weekend. We will do everything in our power at the remaining three races to ensure we are still in a good position going into the finale. Congratulations to Mercedes and Robert Wickens on their win.”—Brian S. Morgan
