Timo Scheider claims pole position at Zandvoort
Zandvoort. For the second time in his career, Timo Scheider
will be starting from pole position for a DTM race. In qualifying
for the seventh DTM round at Zandvoort in The Netherlands,
Scheider claimed the most favourable grid position with a
lap time of 1:32.823 minutes with his Audi A4 DTM. For Audi,
the result in qualifying, that had to be interrupted in the
first heat following an accident of Vanina Ickx, once again
was a dream result: Scheider was followed by four more Audi
drivers, namely Mattias Ekström, Martin Tomczyk, Alexandre
Prémat and Tom Kristensen. Bruno Spengler, who already
started from pole twice this season, was the best-placed Mercedes-Benz
driver in qualifying on sixth place from his fellow Mercedes-driver
Paul di Resta. An extensive press release with quotes from
the drivers and motorsport directors will follow shortly.
Qualifying in detail
Weather conditons: bright to overcast
Air temperature: 19.4 °C
Track temperature: 20.1 °C
13.27 hrs Start of qualifying delayed from 13.28 h to 13.30
h
13.30 hrs Qualifying starts, Mika Häkkinen is the first
driver to go out. Air temperature 19.4 degrees, track temperature
20.1 degrees
13.32 hrs Häkkinen drives back into the pits again after
his outlap
13.35 hrs Timo Scheider sets the fastest time of 1:33.423,
then Prémat takes over first place with 1:33.260
13.37 hrs Bernd Schneider is fastest Mercedes-Benz-driver
in third place with 1:33.701, followed by Christian Abt in
fourth
13.38 hrs Kristensen, Ekström and Di Resta haven't been
out yet
13.39 hrs Tomczyk sets the fastest time of 1:33.160, Soengler
claims fourth with 1:33.423
13.40 hrs Now Ekström is on top with 1:33.034, but immediately,
Kristensen takes over: 1:33.024, leading an Audi-quartet with
Ekström, Tomczyk, Prémat and Scheider
13.42 hrs Red flag with 2.05 minutes remaining, Vanina Ickx
off at Scheivlak, barrel-rolled her car
13.43 hrs Ickx escapes unscathed
13.44 hrs At the moment, Paffett, La Rosa, Margaritis, Stoddart,
Lauda and Ickx haven't made the cut of the 14 fastest drivers
13.53 hrs The next session will start at 13.57
13.54 hrs According to the regulations, the remaining time
will be added to the time scheduled for the second session
and all drivers are allowed to take part in the second heat,
after which 12 drivers will retire, so that the eight fastest
drivers will start in th
13.57 hrs The second heat starts, Susie Stoddart is the first
driver to go out
14.02 hrs Bruno Spengler tops the time sheets with 1:32.928,
but then Alexandre Prémat takes control with 1:32.825
while Timo Scheider moves uop into second place with 1:32.836
14.06 hrs With two minutes remaining, Prémat remains
in the lead from Scheider, Spengler, Kristensen, Di Resta,
Ekström, Rockenfeller and Tomczyk
14.07 hrs Bernd Schneider turns into the pits, he ends his
sessopn and is down in 12th place. Häkkinen and Green,
also with 2007-spec Mercedes C-Class cars don't make it into
the top eight either
14.10 hrs End of the session. Prémat is fastest, Spengler
and Di Resta are the only Mecedes-Benz drivers in the top
eight. The other drivers in the final heat are Scheider, Kristensen,
Ekström, Tomczyk and Rockenfeller
14.12 hrs The final session will start at 14.16
14.16 hrs Start of the final 9 minutes' session, Tomczyk is
the first driver on the track
14.19 hrs Tomczyk is fastest with 1:33.198
14.20 hrs Kristensen is fastest with 1:33.085, but then Ekström
takes over with 1:33.068, Spengler is third with 1:33.162
14.24 hrs Tomczyk improves from fourth to first with 1:32.903,
but then Scheider takes first place: 1:32.823
14.25 hrs Prémat from sixth to third, Ekström
from fourth to second: 1:32.870. The Swede is only 0.047 seconds
down on Timo Scheider, who claims his second DTM-pole
14.27 hrs Timo Scheider claims pole from Ekström, Tomczyk,
Prémat, Kristensen, Spengler, Di Resta and Rockenfeller.
After Mugello, Audi drivers again take the first five grid
positions for a DTM race
No sandbagging – Timo Scheider on pole at Zandvoort
Zandvoort. Just like in Mugello in Italy a fortnight ago,
five Audi A4 DTMs were in front in qualifying for the seventh
DTM round of the season at Zandvoort in The Netherlands. German
Timo Scheider was delighted with his first pole position of
the season. With 1:32.823 minutes, the Audi driver set the
fastest lap time at the 4.307 kilometres long circuit in the
dunes on the North Sea. Being in first place is an incredibly
great feeling“, Scheider cheered. The 28-year old had
claimed his maiden DTM pole and the only one to date four
years ago at the same location.
Points leader Mattias Ekström secured himself a good
position in the battle for the title. The Swede set the second
fastest lap time and will be starting from the front row of
the grid alongside Scheider on Sunday at 13.00 h (ARD live
from 12.45 h onwards). His fiercest rival in the battle for
the title, Mercedes-Benz driver Bernd Schneider (D) failed
to make it in the decisive final heat of the shoot-out qualifying
session and will be sarting from 14th place in the 38 lap
race. Third fastest in qualifying was Martin Tomczyk (D),
who was followed by Audi drivers Alexandre Prémat (F)
in his year-old car and Tom Kristensen (DK).
There is an exciting situation in sixth and seventh place
on the grid as Mercedes-Benz drivers Bruno Spengler (CAN)
and Paul di Resta (GB) are tied in third place of the points’
standings and are now standing behind each other. With his
year-old Audi A4 DTM, 23-year old Mike Rockenfeller qualified
eighth. The winner of the race at Mugello in Italy, Mika Häkkinen,
will be starting from 13th place with his AMG Mercedes C-Class
for the seventh DTM round of the season.
Following an accident of Belgian lady racer Vanina Ickx (Audi),
two minutes before the end of the first heat, qualifying was
briefly interrupted. The remaining two minutes of the first
session were added to the time of the second heat, in which
all drivers were allowed to participate.
The ARD will be broadcasting the race on Sunday live from
12.45 h onwards.
Timo Scheider (1st grid position, Audi Sport Team
Abt): “Being on pole is an incredibly great
feeling. So far, I have been fastest in all tests and practice
sessions here at Zandvoort. I didn’t really expect it
to continue like this in qualifying. When I will be first
tomorrow in the race as well, this has been a perfect weekend.“
Mattias Ekström (2nd grid position, Audi Sport
Team Abt Sportsline): “I am very happy with
this qualifying result. Admittedly, my car wasn’t really
good in the second heat and I didn’t know why. But my
engineer made some slight changes nonetheless and thus I had
a perfect car in the third session. Although I made a slight
mistake myself, second place behind Timo Scheider is absolutely
all right. He has been fastest throughout the weekend so far.
Now, we are focussing on tomorrow’s race, that hopefully
will be run without a safety car intervention.”
Martin Tomczyk (3rd grid position, Audi Sport Team
Abt Sportsline): “There are only Audis on the
first five positions. That is a very good result. Congratulations
to Timo. He really has deserved to be on pole. The goal for
tomorrow is getting all the five Audi A4 DTMs that are in
front to the finish, because we have some unfinished business
from Mugello.”
Bruno Spengler (6th grid position, DaimlerChrysler
Bank AMG Mercedes): “In qualifying, I gave
everything, but I didn’t succeed in improving my lap
time. Here, we have 20 kg more weight in the car, that is
quite a difference indeed. I am looking forward to Sunday,
because we have seen in Mugello what can be achieved.”
Audi motorsport director Dr. Wolfgang Ullrich:
“That was a very good qualifying. Having six cars in
the top eight is an outstanding result and a good situation
for tomorrow’s race. However, we know how strong our
opponent is. We had a similar qualifying result for the race
in Mugello. Here at Zandvoort, we will concentrate on turning
this into a good race result. We have had a couple of good
races here at Zandvoort and therefore, I am hoping for a good,
exciting and fair race on Sunday.”
Mercedes-Benz motorsport director Norbert Haug:
“First of all, I would like to congratulate Audi with
this result. That was a great team performance. For us, the
result certainly isn’t what we wanted to achieve. Audi
is a very strong opponent and we have a disadvantage in terms
of weight. But now we have won five races in a row and you
can’t win them all, that is just the way it goes. Bruno
Spengler has been doing an excellent job, Mika Häkkinen
is two places further up on the grid than in the last race,
and he won that one! I am not disappointed, but this surely
wasn’t our best qualifying result. The race on Sunday
is a different story and we will see what we can get out of
it.”
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