DTM: 6th place on the grid for Canadian Bruno SpenglerWeather has not been really cooperative since my arrival in Germany on Friday morning in Frankfurt. The sky is grey, it is relatively cold and it is basically a succession of short showers. Fine weather to go racing!
The Lausitzring is a trioval with a infield road course located between the towns of Berlin and Dresden in what was known as East Germany. It has been built in the middle of nowhere.
This morning the tarmac was dry but cold during the sole free practice session. Bruno Spengler, one of the four works drivers for Mercedes-Benz, set the 11th time, roughly half a seconde from the best time set by Frenchman Alexandre Prémat from Audi. A few minutes before the beginning of the 4-round qualifying session in the afternoon, it started to drizzle lightly. A few Audi drivers went out on rain tires. It was the wrong move to make. Prémat, Martin Tomczyk, Tom Kristensen et Oliver Jarvis were too slow on the still relatively dry track and were excluded after Q1.
Spengler had a strong run in Q2, setting the 4th fastest time. Unfortunately, he could not duplicate that time in Q3 time and failed to participate in the final round, called the Super Pole. In trecherous conditions, Mattias Ekstrom clinched the pole for Audi, ahead of Mercedes-Benz’s drivers Gary Paffett and Paul di Resta. Spengler will start Sunday’s race from 6th place, with reigning series’ champion Timo Scheider ahead of him and Gary Paffett (Mercedes) right behind him, having been penalised for an incident with Premat in the season’s opener. “It was slippery out there,” Spengler told us. “I was on slicks in Q1, and it was okay. Then the rain fell harder. In Q2, went off the track on my quick lap and drove for three corners in the grass. That lap was good enough to put me in Q3! Then, my car lost grip completely. I couldn’t brake properly and I was having diffculties accelerating. But the weather should improve for tomorrow, so we’ll see”. Photos: René Fagnan - Auto123.com
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