DTM 2001 - Nürburgring - Highlights
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00:00This is the German Touring Car Masters, today coming to you from the Grand Prix course at
00:12the Nürburgring.
00:13The Nürburgring Castle, an historic site for the tourist as well as the race fan.
00:38The castle overlooks one of the most famous racetracks in the world.
00:43And what a view!
00:47This is the Nürburgring, incidentally, this is also the kind of weather you can expect
00:52sometimes here.
00:53Sometimes you can't even see what you're looking at now.
00:57It's been the home of all types of racing, from trucks to Grand Prix, and today, touring
01:02cars.
01:03Touring cars have been one of the staples of the racing in the Eifel.
01:09The German Touring Car Masters is in its second year.
01:15It's following after the very successful German Touring Car Championship, which took a break
01:19for a couple of years.
01:25But now the manufacturers, the drivers, and the fans are back.
01:30The track itself has been renovated.
01:32Millions of dollars were spent to bring it into the modern ages.
01:38For the fans, well, you can take a break and try the museum.
01:42If you're really a fan, this is Nirvana.
02:06But now it's race day, here in the Eifel Mountains.
02:10Jochen Winkelhoff, one of the fans' favorites.
02:12On the right, Bernd Schneider, the man who won the two races at Hockenheim, and of course,
02:17the view of the new Grand Prix circuit.
02:21And this is the surprise young driver of the weekend, Martin Tomczyk, 19 years old, the
02:29youngest driver in the field, and sitting on the front row.
02:34Another of the young Audi pilots, Ekstrum, Aiello, Laurent Aiello, another of the Audi
02:44powerhouse drivers.
02:45They're hoping to break what's been a miserable year and a half for them.
02:49You know, when you start from pole position, I think the target is to stay in this position.
02:54I don't know whether it's going to be easy or not, but anyway, I think we're going to
02:58try hard, together with Martin Tomczyk, to stay in the front row for the second race,
03:05because this race is, as you probably know, like a second qualify.
03:10And we'll see what will be the result at the end of the weekend.
03:14Here's how they qualified for the qualifying race, Aiello and Tomczyk on the front row.
03:20Next row, Bernd Schneider in a Mercedes with Marcel Fesler, two of the top Mercedes drivers,
03:25right behind him.
03:27Then the rest of the field works its way through.
03:29Young Thomas Jaeger, along with Christian Abt, the co-owner of the App Sports Line racing
03:34team.
03:35Christian Albers and Matthias Ekstrum, two new rookie drivers in the series, qualifying
03:40well.
03:41Peter Dumbrek from England and Yves Olivier.
03:46And now they roll out onto the course.
03:49It's wet.
03:50It has rained just a little bit before the start of the race.
03:54This could make things difficult.
03:56Twenty-two cars have qualified, and these are the durable fans that have come to watch
04:01them run.
04:02And here we go.
04:04On the left is Aiello, on the right is Tomczyk, and we're underway.
04:08Here at the Nürburgring in the German Touring Car Masters, they've got a right-hander, a
04:13wide track, and then it narrows down into a very tight right-hander.
04:16It looks like Schneider is in there in third, Fesler is fourth.
04:20Cars bumping as we go through the corner, and Fesler is spinning.
04:23Schneider is spinning.
04:24Cars are going off the track.
04:26It looks like they're the only two, though, that have not been able to keep going.
04:30Meanwhile, Laurent Aiello continues to roll as parts fly left and right in the back of
04:36the pack.
04:37This will take some sorting out to take care of.
04:41But look at the Audis.
04:42One, two, and three as more cars spin in the back.
04:44Olivier, one of them, along with Thomas Jaeger, one of the young stars of the Mercedes team.
04:53The cars sorting themselves out.
04:55You can see from the helicopter shot that the rain has been sprinkling, but not really
05:00raining.
05:01But it's enough to make the track wet.
05:03Oh, and look at this on the left.
05:05Winkelhock has gone off the course.
05:07Joachim Winkelhock is off the course.
05:09One of the favorites.
05:10Boy, has he had a tough time.
05:11He had a miserable weekend at Hockenheim, and now he's off the course here.
05:15They hope they can get him back in.
05:17Look at the cars sliding.
05:19It's like driving on ice.
05:21That was Timo Schneider's car.
05:23Manuel Reuter's car is off and hits the fence.
05:26And this is just a qualifying race of seven laps.
05:29I was too quick and lost the car in fifth gear and spun, and then the car came backwards
05:35to the wet grass, and then I lost it completely.
05:39And the impact was really a big one.
05:42More problems for the Opel crew.
05:46Timo Schneider, involved in a collision somewhere, is going to have to find some new aerodynamics.
05:52Meanwhile, the Audis can kind of chuckle to themselves as they're running one, two,
05:56and three way out in front.
05:59The Mercedes teams are left to battle it out among themselves.
06:05That's exactly what they're doing.
06:08That is the Fesler car, he too, minus the hood, trying a new aerodynamic style here
06:14in the Eiffel Mountains.
06:17There's the rundown after the first lap, and the Audi fans can't believe it.
06:23One whole year of nothing but despair.
06:26Some hope at Hockenheim, and now they're out in front.
06:29And more problems as the drivers continue to work their way around this dicey course.
06:38Take another look at that start.
06:39You can see that the cars were a little loose.
06:42There was some bumping going on, and that's when Fesler went.
06:46That's when Schneider went, and everybody else went around to try to avoid the trouble.
06:52Sort of like a five o'clock traffic jam.
06:58Another look from the side.
06:59Actually, Fesler was lucky that he only lost the hood here.
07:03Schneider got off fairly light, going up into the grass away from all the traffic, and could
07:09bring the car back, but he dropped all the way back to 13th.
07:13He's got a long haul ahead of him here.
07:16And there's Ekstrom.
07:17He is the third of the Audis up front, and he's got pressure.
07:23Peter Dombrek is right behind him.
07:27Then comes Pedro Lamy, then comes Marcel Fesler.
07:32But Ekstrom, another of the young drivers in the series, keeping the Audi flag alive
07:39here in the opening moments.
07:41He's only 22 years old.
07:43Tom Cech is 19.
07:47Couldn't get much younger to get into this field.
07:49This is one of the veteran touring car drivers you're riding with right now, Uwe Ahlsohn.
07:56Ahlsohn, known as one of those who's not afraid to bump a door to get by.
08:01Right now, working his way through, like everybody else, trying to get through the difficult
08:04course.
08:05You can see how slippery it gets.
08:06It really is like driving on ice.
08:10Fesler and Dombrek trying to work their problems out.
08:15As you can see, Ekstrom has fallen back.
08:18A small collision here between Scheider and Michel Bartels.
08:26That had nothing to do with the weather.
08:27That was just a friendly bump saying, get out of my way.
08:30Dombrek, running third right now, holding up the Mercedes colors as Aiello, right there
08:38in the bottom of your screen, followed by Martin Tomchek, are running one and two and
08:42look at the space between themselves and the next car.
08:46Fesler wants to get inside Dombrek.
08:48Can he get by?
08:49Yep.
08:50Or nope.
08:51Yeah, he did.
08:53Marcel Fesler moves into third and everybody gets squirrely again.
08:57That corner must be damp.
08:58It must still be some rain or something falling there.
09:01The cars go through there bumping.
09:03These folks are having a good Sunday afternoon drive, Jaeger and Lamy.
09:08Meanwhile, Fesler continues to try to hold off Peter Dombrek.
09:13The battle is now for third, fourth, fifth and sixth and when you keep in mind this is
09:17only seven laps, it's a qualifying race and only the top three cars get points and it's
09:23a meager point total at that.
09:25We probably had more damage than we had the entire weekend at Hockenheim already.
09:34Great shot going into the corners.
09:35You can see the cars working through the difficult part of the course here.
09:40Heading back to the start-finish line.
09:43Two abreast.
09:45By the hotel on the left.
09:49And there's Thomas Jaeger.
09:51Jaeger, really one of the fine young drivers, fell back in the pack after an opening skirmish
09:57but now has worked his way back up among the leaders.
10:02He gets by Marcel Fesler, but keep in mind Fesler has a little bit of aerodynamic difference
10:07in the rest of these cars.
10:08He's got no hood.
10:10Dombrek running third.
10:12Jaeger has fought all the way back up.
10:15What a great drive for the young star.
10:16He dropped back all the way to 14th after the collisions up front.
10:21And now he's running up with the leaders.
10:24Dombrek continues to run third.
10:35Jaeger is fourth.
10:38Then Fesler.
10:41Pedro Lamy is behind him.
10:45And for the Opel fans, well, they're back a ways.
10:49They're having a tough day.
10:50They really worked at it.
10:51They've lost Manuel Reuter.
10:56Looked like Winklehawk had some problems, so they're going to keep working at it.
10:59Oddly enough, it's an Opel, though, according to the charts, that has the fastest lap.
11:03Alain Menou has the fastest lap in the qualifying race.
11:08He too had problems in that opening skirmish, but now he's got the car together and he's
11:11pulling forward.
11:17That's the battle.
11:19Third, fourth, fifth.
11:22Dombrek, Jaeger, Fesler.
11:25All of them young drivers looking to make a name for themselves.
11:29Pedro Lamy is running fourth.
11:31He's in his second year, as we're in our last lap.
11:34And look at this.
11:35Bernd Schneider has moved all the way up to fifth position.
11:38Now, that does not mean points, but it certainly will mean a better starting position in the feature race.
11:44Bernd Schneider was one of those involved in the initial spin, and it sent him way back in the pack,
11:48and he's worked his way back up into fifth position.
11:51He dropped all the way back to thirteenth.
11:53And in the six laps, has had to fight his way forward.
11:58There's the battle in the pack right there involving Uwe Ahlsen.
12:04You're riding with Marcel Fesler right now.
12:08That's the car without the hood.
12:13We're making our way now into the final moments of this qualifying race.
12:17The second race weekend of the season in the German Touring Car Masters.
12:24So far today, it's been an Audi-Mercedes battle.
12:28Opel still working on the problems to bring themselves forward.
12:31And this is the man of the hour, as far as the Audi fans are concerned.
12:37Paul Aiello suffered through a difficult year last year.
12:41Comes home the winner in the qualifying race in the German Touring Car Masters event
12:47here in the Eifel Mountains of Germany at the Nürburgring.
12:50And young Tomczyk, Martin Tomczyk, is finishing second.
12:58The rest of the pack works its way in.
13:00Dombrek will finish third.
13:01Jaeger fourth.
13:02Lamy fifth.
13:03Schneider will finish sixth.
13:05Ahlsen, Fesler, Turner, and Ekstrom.
13:08There it is.
13:10And the best Opel?
13:11Well, it's all the way back in 14th position, Yves Olivier.
13:16So the Opel crew not quite as happy as they would like to be,
13:19but certainly a young driver who is happy is Peter Dombrek from England, finishing third.
13:25Just began raining just before the race, so it was very slippy.
13:28We're all on slick tires, so into the first corner,
13:31everyone was pushing too hard and some cars spun.
13:34I just managed to get around, and I found myself in fourth position, I think.
13:39Then I was able to overtake one more car and up to third place.
13:43So now I have third on the grid for the main race.
13:47And now the mechanics have to go to work to get the cars ready for the second race of the day,
13:52and the Audi crew has to go to work, and I'm sure it's a lighter day for them trying to get things ready.
13:57Boy, they can be really happy.
13:59This is the 24-hour service Mercedes team, Kiki Rosberg's group.
14:05These are the dedicated fans of the Eiffel Mountains.
14:08They come here not knowing what the weather may be, but they come anyway,
14:12because this is the German Touring Car Series.
14:16Here's the lineup for the feature race.
14:1922 laps here on the Grand Prix course.
14:21Aiello and Tomczyk once again leading the pack, Aiello winning the qualifying race.
14:26Audi, certainly a very happy crew today.
14:29Then comes Peter Dumbrek.
14:31He's on the far side, on the near side.
14:33Here's Thomas Jaeger's Mercedes representatives.
14:37Then comes Pedro Lamy and the Kiki Rosberg car.
14:40Next to him is Bernd Schneider.
14:43Of course, he's a teammate of Dumbrek.
14:46Schneider with a great drive up front.
14:48Then there's Uwe Jolsen on the far side, and next to him is his teammate, Marcel Fesler.
14:52Both very strong competitors.
14:54From Switzerland, he's had a couple of great races, both at Hockenheim and then here.
14:58Turner on the outside, another Rosberg car.
15:01Then another of the Audis.
15:03This is Ekstrom, Matthias Ekstrom.
15:06So there's your starting lineup.
15:09Now let's see what happens.
15:14There is the Reuter car being brought back in.
15:18No chance to repair the car.
15:20That would not be starting.
15:23Christian Abt will be starting from pit lane.
15:25So we'll have 21 cars underway.
15:27And look at the jump Aiello gets.
15:29Laurent Aiello takes the lead.
15:31And right behind him is Tomczak.
15:33Now let's see what happens.
15:34It's not raining.
15:35It's a drier course as we go into that first corner again.
15:39Oh, and look at Aiello go through.
15:41And Tomczak has made a mistake.
15:43Martin Tomczak made a mistake.
15:46He has lost at least second place.
15:48Jaeger and Tomczak bounce.
15:51And, well, learning lesson for the young driver from Germany.
15:57Made a mistake going into the corner.
15:59And you don't do that among this crew of drivers.
16:05Thomas Jaeger, another of the young stars, running in second position.
16:10Boy, has he put on quite a show.
16:15But look at the show that Aiello has.
16:17A difference already between himself and the second place car.
16:19That was he under the right side of your screen.
16:21Then comes Jaeger.
16:23Then comes Tomczak.
16:24Bernd Schneider is now in fourth position.
16:29Looks like he just lost it going into the corner.
16:31Bumped a little bit going around.
16:33That was Dumbrek that suffered that one.
16:37So Dumbrek got through the wreck in the first one
16:39but got bumped here in the second one
16:41and has dropped all the way back to sixth position.
16:46But Bernd Schneider right there running
16:48in that third of that group of cars behind Aiello.
16:55Then comes Pedro Lamy behind him.
16:58Dumbrek has fallen into position after that.
17:02Whoa, it's getting tight coming through.
17:04Ekstrom wanted to come around, couldn't do it.
17:09It's not going to be easy moving up in this field of cars.
17:11Things are pretty equal.
17:14Top seven, Ahlsen running up there in eighth position.
17:16Turner sort of the quiet driver that no one knows much about
17:20but he certainly is running well up in ninth.
17:22Ekstrom another of the rookies and running in tenth position.
17:28The cars now effectively sorting themselves out.
17:32Coming into the pits is Husman in a Mercedes.
17:35Now you have to realize in this race
17:38every car has to pit at least once and change all four tires.
17:41When you do it is your business.
17:44Now Husman may feel if I get the pit stop out of the way early
17:47I might be able to make up the difference
17:49and then be able to pull ahead here somewhere.
17:51At least that's his thinking on this deal.
17:54He certainly can hope so.
17:55Anyway, that is Turner that went off the course.
17:57The man we were talking about.
17:59There comes Uwe Ahlsen moving up to try to get around him.
18:03This is the battle back in the pack with Lamy and Fessler.
18:08There's a three car pack for second, third, and fourth.
18:11Then comes another group of Mercedes for fifth, sixth, and seventh positions.
18:16Lamy, Fessler, and Dumbrek are running in that group of three.
18:21Well, that's actually a group of four with Ahlsen there.
18:25But right now the Mercedes driver is sort of sorting things out among themselves.
18:31You can see the battle as Fessler gets by Lamy who bumps into Dumbrek
18:39and Ahlsen will try to move inside and can't do it.
18:43So Dumbrek will swing in behind Pedro Lamy.
18:48Meanwhile, Fessler has moved up a slot.
18:52You get a good look now as the car is coming through,
18:56headed into the chicane after the start-finish line.
19:05This is the Grand Prix course.
19:07They do run the other course once in a while, which is a very short version,
19:09but not this time.
19:12Alvers comes into the Mercedes pit.
19:16A good pit stop, about eight seconds.
19:19This one is taking a little longer.
19:21Ten.
19:22Whoa, way long.
19:23You lose a lot of time here.
19:26As was seen in Hockenheim, both Fessler and Schneider use the pit stops
19:30to their advantage to move up in the field.
19:33But you can't afford to take a long time in the pits,
19:36especially if you're going to pit early.
19:38What you're hoping then is other cars will take longer
19:40and you can make up the difference on the pit stop.
19:43What you're hoping then is other cars will take longer
19:45and you can make up the difference on the track.
19:47That's a little hard.
19:48Uwe Altsun giving you a view of the action ahead of him.
19:54Christian Abt had tried to go out on the course, didn't make it.
20:00So the chief has to park the car and watches everybody else,
20:03does the racing for the Audi team.
20:09He has to be sad about his situation,
20:11but when you figure how well the rest of the team is doing,
20:13wow, are they in there.
20:18As you saw in the qualifying race, we had a collision right after the start
20:22and that's racing.
20:23Well, the part that's broken, unfortunately we can't fix it quickly.
20:29More action in that tight chicane leading up to the start-finish line.
20:36That was Pedro Lamy who took a rather different line
20:39as Uwe Altsun gets by him.
20:43There's Thomas Jaeger who continues to put on a great show
20:46with Tomczyk right behind him.
20:50So Jaeger, who has been a very strong driver even last year,
20:57but not strong enough.
20:58They put him in what we would call a sort of a second-class car
21:01because he's not got the newest car, he's got a little older car,
21:04but he's certainly got the newer motor.
21:06And look how well he's doing, he's running ahead of Schneider.
21:09So Thomas Jaeger certainly is putting on quite a show.
21:14Jaeger had qualified third at Hockenheim, finished third and fifth,
21:18and then here at the Nürburgring he qualified fifth,
21:22and in the qualifying race he finished fourth.
21:26So the young driver certainly is putting on a great show.
21:30Laurent Aiello has registered the fastest lap here in the second race.
21:35The Audi fans probably can't believe their eyes
21:37on the great show that they're putting on.
21:39Another putting on a great show is Bernd Schneider.
21:42He has come from way back, worked his way up into the field.
21:46They've still got pit stops ahead of them.
21:51And the pit stops, as we've seen in the past,
21:53certainly have changed the complexion of the races.
21:58Timing is everything.
22:01At least there are no raindrops that we had like we watched
22:03in the qualifying race from the helicopter view.
22:05There goes Aiello, he's got a big lead over Jaeger.
22:08Then comes Tomczyk, then comes Bernd Schneider.
22:14What a great mix of drivers.
22:16Aiello, 24 hour of Le Mans victor, out in front, 31 years of age.
22:25Then come the young Tigers once again.
22:27Jaeger at 24, Tomczyk at 19.
22:31And then the defending champion behind them, Bernd Schneider.
22:35He's 36.
22:38So the young drivers certainly are making a place for themselves
22:41in the touring car scene in Germany.
22:44And next to the Formula 1 touring cars are what the Germans go for.
22:50The series have always been a success.
22:54And they're trying again to bring it up.
22:57To what was before the German touring car championship.
23:02Thanks to the work of Norbert Haug and Volker Stritzik
23:06who got it started for Mercedes and for Opel.
23:08And then of course the app team that came in to help out.
23:11Dumbrek comes into the pits.
23:15And Turner is coming into the pits.
23:18Remember the good times are between about 7, 8, 9 seconds.
23:23Somewhere in there.
23:25Pretty good.
23:27But now the field will become a little bit mixed up
23:31as the cars come in to make their pit stops.
23:34And as everybody slowly works their way through the pit stops
23:37then they'll start to sort things out.
23:40There's Husman trying to make up some time on
23:44Dumbrek but he's not going to make it.
23:47Dumbrek holds position. Husman does not get by him.
23:51Husman you may remember is the one that came in way early
23:54trying to take advantage of this situation.
23:57And that didn't quite work for him there.
24:00There's your second, third and fourth place group.
24:05And they're going to have to come in shortly.
24:09Who's going to pit first and what's the effect going to be?
24:16That's what it's coming down to.
24:2022 laps of racing.
24:22Each team has its own strategy of when they want to stop.
24:28Probably the most experienced in this and one of the most experienced
24:31is Bernd Schneider and his team.
24:33He ran a lot of the GT races which have pit stops
24:37and certainly have a very major effect on the outcome of the race.
24:42So he has an idea of what he wants to do.
24:44The team certainly has the experience to figure out how to do it.
24:47Now it's a case of is the timing right?
24:50Is he going to be able to take advantage?
24:52Look how he's dropped back from the other two.
24:56What really is amazing though is Aiello who is putting some breathing spaces
25:00you saw just a moment ago there between himself and the other cars.
25:03Maybe you'll see Aiello. There he goes to the right.
25:07Then comes the Mercedes.
25:09Then the Audi and then another Mercedes.
25:12The Audi seem to make up some good time going through that very tight chicane.
25:16They're running a very small wing.
25:20They're not tilled up at all. They're going for speed.
25:23In fact Aiello got rid of the little flippers on the front of the car
25:26just in hopes of getting through the corners better.
25:29Right now no one's going to argue with him.
25:32He's out in front and so far it does belong to him.
25:37Now you get a chance to ride with the man out in front.
25:41And he's going in the pits.
25:42Laurent Aiello is headed into the pits.
25:45So the first of the top cars heads into the pits.
25:49He hits the speed trap, gets down to a little over 30 miles an hour
25:57to get to his pits.
25:59And now all eyes are on the clock.
26:05Thomas Jaeger inherits the lead as Aiello's crew goes to work.
26:09Thomas Jaeger inherits the lead as Aiello's crew goes to work.
26:15Watch the clock.
26:18This is long. It's long.
26:21Nine seconds.
26:23For the leader that can make a difference.
26:25Now it's going to be up to the cars running in the first, second and third slots
26:29to see if they can make up that time difference.
26:31If not, when they come back out, they'll come out behind this man
26:34who has led for the first seven laps of this feature race
26:38here in the Eiffel Mountains of Germany at the Nürburgring
26:42in the German Touring Car Masters.
26:47The camera's on Aiello, who now is back in about 14th position.
26:53But everybody else has to pit ahead of him, just about everybody else.
27:00It's a long haul. Right there is your leading group.
27:03Jaeger is out in front.
27:05Then comes Tomczyk and then comes Bernd Schneider.
27:11Who is going to pit when?
27:15Those are the questions that will make up the difference in the race
27:18and it's going to happen here in the next two to three laps.
27:23Aiello already in. He's got fresh tires.
27:26Here comes Schneider.
27:28Bernd Schneider heads to the pits.
27:32This is your defending champion.
27:34He won the races in Hockenheim.
27:37Whoa!
27:39Dumbrek takes a ride.
27:41His teammate, Dumbrek, really takes a ride going off the course.
27:45Looks like he kept it though.
27:47He's okay.
27:49And here comes Bernd Schneider.
27:55Gets into his pits. The AMG crew, ready to go to work.
27:59Remember Aiello's time.
28:02Seven or eight seconds.
28:04And Schneider is out quicker.
28:06Will it make a difference? Don't know yet.
28:09Olivier is in the pits.
28:12Teammate, Amonwell Reuter, who did not start the second race
28:14because of that accident in the first one.
28:18So your leader continues to be Thomas Jaeger.
28:24As the field continues to sort itself out.
28:26After everyone goes into the pits.
28:32Jaeger is going to have to pit here pretty quick
28:33if he wants to stay up with the leaders.
28:36Tomczek right behind him.
28:41The two young drivers. Jaeger in his second year.
28:43Tomczek in his first year in German touring car racing.
28:49And here they are leading the pack.
28:52What a great performance.
28:53Through the chicane.
28:55This is where one or both could go into the pits.
28:57It's going to be Jaeger into the pits.
29:01Thomas Jaeger heads to the pits.
29:03A 19-year-old.
29:0519-year-old Martin Tomczek has taken the lead
29:09in a German touring car event.
29:11Who would have thought it?
29:14Here comes Jaeger.
29:16Down to the speed.
29:18Down to the speed.
29:20Down to the speed.
29:21Down to the speed.
29:23This has to seem like snail speed to them
29:25after all this heading down the course.
29:28Amazing.
29:30You're up to 130, 140 miles an hour in the straight
29:32and you go 30 into this pit.
29:34The Jaeger crew goes to work.
29:40It's long. Something's wrong.
29:42This is going to hurt him.
29:43Ten seconds.
29:46That most likely will hurt things
29:48when they sort it all out.
29:52There goes Aiello.
29:54There goes Schneider.
29:56And Jaeger tucks in behind them.
30:00But Aiello and Schneider are now running back
30:03in about the...
30:06Well, if I'm not mistaken,
30:08they must be back in about the 7th or 8th position.
30:13As the rest of the cars are all starting to pit now.
30:18We have Laurent Aiello.
30:20We have Laurent Aiello.
30:23In the picture.
30:24But the leader is 19-year-old Martin Tomczyk.
30:29He is a teammate of Aiello.
30:33In an Audi.
30:34And Bernd Schneider,
30:37who had that problem in the first race,
30:39fought back to finish 5th,
30:42has now worked his way up behind the potential leader
30:45here in the 22-lap German Touring Car
30:48second major race of the season.
30:53Schneider, because of his success in Touring Cars,
30:58gaining the nickname the Dominator,
31:00he has just been super when it comes to the Touring Cars.
31:04He's also very, very good in the rain,
31:07which was shown last year here at the Nürburgring.
31:10But right now, it looks like the Audi crew
31:13have figured this track out, have figured their car out.
31:18Unless something drastic happens,
31:19you're not going to get by them too easily on the course.
31:22That's Hubert Haupt.
31:24He is about to be
31:26lapped or...
31:28Well, let's see what happens here.
31:29He didn't give him any room there.
31:30He's going to go through the chicane.
31:32Let's see if he gives him a room on the short chute.
31:34Aiello is not pulling inside
31:37to lap him.
31:38Although, Haupt may not have pitted,
31:40therefore, Haupt has every right in the world to stay out there,
31:42but he's moving over.
31:45He was already quite a ways behind,
31:47and so he moved out of the way.
31:52Here comes Aiello
31:54and Schneider.
31:55They're making their charge to the front.
31:58But they are not in the lead.
32:02Tomczyk is in the lead,
32:04the 19-year-old.
32:06But the cameras stay on the cars that
32:09are probably the challenging for the lead
32:12within the next two, three, or four laps.
32:16Running third right now in that group,
32:19Tomczyk is in the lead.
32:21Tomczyk is in the lead.
32:23Tomczyk is in the lead.
32:24Tomczyk is in the lead.
32:25Running third right now in that group
32:28is Jaeger.
32:32When he came out of the pits,
32:33he tucked in right behind them.
32:36Now it's a matter of trying to move forward
32:38to see if they can get there.
32:42And here comes Tomczyk into the pits.
32:45The 19-year-old heads to the pits.
32:47He's led for about three laps.
32:49What a great weekend he's had.
32:52One of the things he said about the weekend,
32:54if I finish in the top five, it's great.
32:55If I finish in the top ten, it's pretty good.
32:58Right now, it's great.
33:00The question is going to be,
33:01how good is he when he gets out?
33:02Ten seconds, that's a long time.
33:09There comes Aiello.
33:11There comes Schneider.
33:15There comes Jaeger.
33:16And behind him, Tomczyk.
33:19But they still are not up front.
33:21The leader on the track right now
33:23is Uwe Ahlsen.
33:25But he is not pitted.
33:30Your leader, Ahlsen, is not pitted,
33:33but he is due in.
33:37And there's a problem here
33:38with the Mailander's car.
33:39Something happened.
33:42Something happened in that pit area
33:43with Mailander.
33:47He's not coming out.
33:50There's Aiello and Schneider.
33:53Your two top cars of the day,
33:54working their way back to the front
33:56as the rest of the cars pit.
33:57Let's take a look at what happened here
33:58with Mailander.
33:59He went away.
34:00Oh, and the jack in the tire.
34:01It was not out.
34:03And the tire's loose.
34:04Oh, and it pulls the equipment down.
34:06Knocks over one of the crew.
34:09Oh, what a difficult situation here.
34:12Mailander got a signal, or thought he did.
34:14Took off way too soon.
34:20Aiello continues to work.
34:23With Bernd Schneider,
34:24they work toward the front.
34:29The leader now,
34:30Ahlsen is in the pits.
34:31You just saw the leader
34:33under your screen going by.
34:36And Opel is now out in front.
34:39But,
34:40Michel Bartels is not pitted.
34:42There's your leader, right there.
34:44Your leader
34:46is Michel Bartels.
34:50So the Opel crews
34:51who have had their share of problems
34:53at least can say
34:55they've led here.
34:58Bartels took advantage of everybody else pitting.
35:00Now look at this going through the corner.
35:01Look how nicely Aiello uses the curbs.
35:04The car very steady.
35:07Not quite the case with Bernd Schneider.
35:09The Audi boys have got their act together.
35:13But they're running second and third right now.
35:16Michel Bartels
35:17in an Opel
35:18is your leader.
35:21Bartels was way back in the pack
35:24and has stayed out on the track
35:26not pitting
35:28and is out in front.
35:29But you have to understand
35:30he's got to pit sometime.
35:32Every car has to come into the pits
35:34and change
35:35all four tires.
35:38When is he going to do it?
35:42And
35:43will Aiello be able to catch him
35:45and get by him and make it
35:47a situation that doesn't count anymore?
35:49Right now,
35:50Opel seems to be running
35:51very well on the straights.
35:55Look at the distance he gets there
35:56on the straight.
35:58They go into the corners.
35:59Let's see what happens here.
36:01This is the Audi corner.
36:02The chicane.
36:03Look how quickly he goes through.
36:04How squirrelly Schneider goes through.
36:06Now he's made up space there.
36:09So the Audi makes up the space
36:10in the corners.
36:12Now let's take a look
36:13as they head down the long straight
36:14and see if that Opel pulls ahead.
36:21The Bartels car
36:22prepared by the Holzer team
36:23which is the number one team for Opel.
36:28And Bartels,
36:29a very experienced driver
36:30in touring cars,
36:32had a victory several years ago
36:35at Wunsdorf.
36:38That was one of his
36:39very few touring car victories
36:40but he's always been
36:41in there battling.
36:42And look at this.
36:43Tomczyk,
36:44the rookie,
36:45the 19-year-old,
36:46has recorded the fastest lap
36:48in the race.
36:52What a great weekend
36:53for this newcomer
36:54to German touring car racing.
36:57Coming out of the Formula Series,
37:00stepping into a touring car.
37:03His first race weekend
37:04was certainly a disappointment.
37:06Things didn't go anywhere near
37:07like he would have liked
37:08to have had them go.
37:09And now all of a sudden,
37:11Tomczyk is running up
37:13with the leaders.
37:15Because
37:16at Hockenheim
37:17he qualified 18th,
37:20finished 20th
37:21and then didn't start
37:22the second race.
37:24Of course,
37:25you have to take something else
37:26into consideration.
37:27The Audis were just completed.
37:28The cars were ready for the race
37:29right before that one.
37:30His was the last car
37:31to get done.
37:33So you kind of expect
37:34there might be problems.
37:36And speaking of problems,
37:37it looks like Aiello's got one.
37:38He can't get by.
37:40Michel Bartels
37:41through the chicane.
37:43Here we go.
37:44Now we'll find out
37:45if there is a difference
37:46here in the top speed.
37:48This is the long straight.
37:51Down the front straight
37:52it's actually downhill too.
37:54And let's see what happens here.
37:56Look at this.
37:57The Opel pulls away.
37:59The Opel does have
38:00the top speed here.
38:02They have some other problems
38:03that can't seem to work out.
38:05But as far as top speed,
38:06it's there.
38:08Aiello closes in on the corners
38:10and will stay close
38:13and doesn't have enough
38:14to get by him.
38:19We'll get down to the lower
38:20part of the course now.
38:25We'll go through,
38:26we'll come down the hill.
38:27A slight bend,
38:28go into the 180.
38:30Then it's uphill
38:32headed toward the long straightaway.
38:36And where Laurent Aiello
38:37is going to pass him,
38:38I'm not exactly sure.
38:40The way the car is running,
38:42Michel Bartels can stay out there.
38:44But Bartels has one problem.
38:46He's got to pit.
38:48He has to go in
38:49and change four tires.
38:50You just have to do it.
38:52He hasn't done it.
38:54So he's going to bask
38:55in the sunlight
38:56of sitting up in front here
38:57for a little while
38:58and certainly make life
38:59difficult for Laurent Aiello
39:00because Aiello now has
39:01Bernd Schneider
39:02right on his back bumper.
39:08It looks like Bartels
39:09in a way,
39:10although he's very, very fast,
39:11has also served the purpose
39:12of a pace car.
39:15Schneider has pulled up
39:16right behind Laurent Aiello.
39:19They're running in a train.
39:21And the third and fourth place cars
39:23are also starting to pull up.
39:31Aiello
39:32wants to get by.
39:34Here's the move.
39:35Can he do it?
39:36No.
39:37Look at that.
39:38The Opel pulls him.
39:40The Opel's got the power
39:41down the straight.
39:44He takes the line.
39:45There's going to be
39:46no room to pass.
39:48Amazing.
39:49Well, at least the Opel boys
39:50know the car will run.
39:52Now they've got to get it
39:53to run consistently
39:55and quickly
39:57through the corners.
39:59Get rid of the bugs
40:00that have been bothering him.
40:05As much as it's difficult
40:06for Aiello
40:07and for Bernd Schneider
40:09to watch all this
40:10with him in front,
40:11it's certainly a boost
40:12to the Opel team.
40:13Look at the difference there.
40:15He pulls away
40:16in the straight.
40:17No question.
40:19The Audi and the Mercedes
40:20can't keep up with him.
40:22Jaeger is running back
40:23in the fourth position.
40:26Tomczek is running fifth.
40:30How much longer
40:31can Barton go
40:32before he has to pit?
40:34That's the question.
40:36Everybody's pulling up.
40:37Look at this.
40:38Jaeger's pulling up.
40:40Tomczek is pulling up.
40:42We're going to have
40:43quite a race to the finish here.
40:46There's a lot of space,
40:47but now the space
40:49that they had
40:50to build up is gone.
40:53Aiello couldn't get much
40:54closer than that going in.
40:58And Barton still
40:59does not pit.
41:06He's hanging out there
41:08and he has a right.
41:09I'm out there.
41:10He has a right.
41:11I'm out in front.
41:12You've got to pass me.
41:14Right now, nobody can.
41:16What an amazing performance here.
41:19And what frustration
41:20by Laurent Aiello.
41:22Although I'm sure
41:23his crew has told him
41:24that Bartles is out in front.
41:30He's got a watch
41:31in the back there.
41:32He's got,
41:33and behind him
41:34is the young Thomas Jaeger
41:35who's put on a great show here.
41:37There's the crew.
41:39That's the Bartles crew
41:40waiting for him to come in.
41:41The Holzer team waiting.
41:43He has to pit.
41:44There's just no question.
41:45When he pits,
41:46we'll have a new leader.
41:49But right now,
41:50it's a chance for
41:52Opel to shine
41:54as Audi has shown all weekend.
41:59The Opel fans
42:00and the Audi fans
42:01are some of the most
42:02loyal you're ever going to find.
42:04And when the cars
42:05start to run well,
42:06there'll be even more.
42:09And if this kind of competition
42:11continues up like it is
42:12when they hit the street course
42:13down at the Norris Ring
42:15in Nuremberg,
42:16another 110,000 people
42:17will be there.
42:19It'll be jammed down there.
42:22The weather here
42:23certainly hasn't helped it
42:24this weekend.
42:25Foggy, cold, rainy.
42:26Typical Eiffel Mountain weather.
42:30But the faithful are here
42:31and there he goes.
42:33Michel Bartles
42:34did the job.
42:35He put Opel up in front.
42:36He heads down
42:37the pits.
42:39And now we're going to have
42:40the run to the finish.
42:43We got four laps to go.
42:47And in those four laps,
42:48let's see what happens.
42:49It's going to be a battle
42:50between Schneider
42:51and Laurent Aiello.
42:52Here comes Bartles.
42:54He makes the pit stop.
42:57He's going to come out
42:58hopefully not too far back
42:59after putting on quite a show.
43:01Well, he's taking
43:02a little bit too long here.
43:04Taking longer than
43:05I'm sure they wanted to.
43:07This is going to cost him
43:08a lot of time.
43:11Bartles has got some
43:12real problems here.
43:21Bartles is dropping back.
43:23It looks to be right around
43:2415th or 16th position.
43:27A long haul for him
43:28from there.
43:31So the person,
43:32Huisman, who came in
43:33with an early pit stop
43:34didn't quite help him.
43:35And for Bartles
43:36waiting that long,
43:37well, it didn't quite
43:38help him either.
43:39Everybody else came out
43:40with fresh tires.
43:41His tires had worn down.
43:43At least they know
43:44they can run anyway.
43:45That's the key.
43:47There's the
43:48Darren Turner Mercedes
43:49with problems.
43:52Spoiler problems.
43:57But the problem
43:58for Laurent Aiello here now
43:59is right behind him
44:00in his rear view mirror.
44:02Bernd Schneider.
44:03The laps are coming down
44:05here at the Nürburgring.
44:08The Grand Prix course.
44:17Now let's see
44:18what happens if Aiello
44:19can use his cornering speed
44:21to get ahead on this
44:222.83 mile circuit.
44:28Each of these feature
44:29races, incidentally,
44:30runs about sixty-two,
44:31sixty-three miles.
44:32A little over
44:33a hundred kilometers.
44:35Oh!
44:36And Bernd Schneider
44:37has made a mistake.
44:38It looked like he hit
44:39one of the curbs,
44:41kept control of the car,
44:42but now he's going to
44:43fight for his life
44:44against another
44:45Mercedes teammate.
44:46Thomas Jaeger
44:47is closed in.
44:48Schneider is now
44:49out of the championship run
44:50for this event.
44:53Unless something
44:54happens to Aiello,
44:55Aiello's got it.
44:56That mistake
44:57going over the curb
44:58cost Bernd Schneider
44:59too much time.
45:00Now he's got to
45:01keep his eye on
45:02the rearview mirror
45:03for Jaeger.
45:06There it is.
45:07He hit the curb.
45:08The car bounced.
45:09He lost it.
45:10He gets outside
45:11the normal line
45:12into the marbles,
45:13the loose stuff,
45:14keeps control of the car,
45:15but loses valuable time.
45:19So, Laurent Aiello,
45:21your leader,
45:22not the way it is
45:23here on the chart.
45:24Aft is not the leader
45:25Aiello is.
45:28Schneider now
45:30is going to have to
45:31hold on to his
45:32second place.
45:33And if he is able
45:34to hold on to
45:35second place,
45:36he'll hold on to
45:37the points lead
45:38he had coming in
45:39after the weekend.
45:40He had 20 points
45:41for a win,
45:4215 points for
45:43second place.
45:44He picked up three
45:45at Hockenheim
45:46for the qualifying win,
45:47as did Aiello
45:48for winning here.
45:49So, Schneider
45:50will hold on
45:51to the lead.
45:55As Jaeger
45:56went through
45:57a different line,
45:58he had to
45:59get inside,
46:00he can't do it.
46:01So, the cars
46:02have sorted
46:03themselves out
46:04pretty well.
46:05There's the battle
46:06with Fessler
46:07and Tomczyk.
46:09Woo, this is
46:10getting tight.
46:13And a bump
46:14going into the corner.
46:15Olsen's in the middle.
46:16Olsen spins through.
46:17Tomczyk is not
46:18touched.
46:19Nobody's touched.
46:21Somebody liked
46:22these drivers.
46:23I don't know
46:24where it came from,
46:25but the luck factor
46:26here was unbelievable.
46:27Olsen wanted
46:28to make the move.
46:29He wanted to get
46:30by Fessler.
46:31At the same time,
46:32Fessler was trying
46:33to get by Tomczyk.
46:34And Tomczyk
46:35was defending
46:36himself as best
46:37he could.
46:38And into the
46:39chicane they went.
46:41And it was Olsen
46:42that sailed between
46:43them and lost
46:44the place.
46:45He did bump,
46:46as you can see,
46:47the Tomczyk car,
46:48part of it's hanging
46:49out the back.
46:51Everybody kind of
46:52held their breath
46:53there now.
46:54You have to remember
46:55that Uwe Olsen
46:56doesn't try anything
46:57to move up.
46:58And it doesn't
46:59bother him to do it.
47:00Let's take another
47:01look.
47:02There they are,
47:03three abreast
47:04into the corner.
47:05Olsen gets into
47:06the grass,
47:07slides through in
47:08front of Fessler,
47:09behind Tomczyk,
47:10keeps control,
47:11then drops back
47:12in behind Fessler.
47:13Wow!
47:14Here's Olsen's
47:15look at it.
47:16Over the curb,
47:17over the grass,
47:18there goes Tomczyk,
47:19goes off to the
47:20left, and on the
47:21right will come
47:22Fessler.
47:24That's a moment
47:25to get your
47:26heart started,
47:27isn't it?
47:28Hans-Jürgen Abt,
47:29co-owner of
47:30Abt Sports Line.
47:32This has to be
47:33the biggest moment
47:34in the year and
47:35more that he's been
47:36in German
47:37Touring Car Masters.
47:39Last year,
47:4018th, 19th,
47:41and 20th
47:42finish positions.
47:43Maybe one near
47:44the 10th or
47:4511th or 12th
47:46position.
47:47But now,
47:48he's got a chance
47:49for it all.
47:50What an amazing
47:51race.
47:52And Laurent Aiello,
47:53the Frenchman,
47:54dominated the
47:55Super Touring
47:56Cars with Peugeot.
47:57Decided to take a
47:58chance with Audi.
47:59He's been a
48:00British Touring
48:01Car Champion.
48:02Would like nothing
48:03more to win the
48:04title in Germany.
48:08And there goes
48:09Uwe Olsen.
48:10A spoiler off
48:11his car.
48:14Problem for
48:15Mercedes is that
48:16low spoiler.
48:17Well, he's going
48:18to try to bring
48:19it back out,
48:20but that tire
48:21doesn't look like
48:22it wants to be
48:23driven too bad.
48:24He was running
48:25right up in the
48:26lead group,
48:27too.
48:29Well, look,
48:30I'm seeing as
48:31far as he can
48:32get ahead.
48:33See if he can
48:34bring it home
48:35anyway.
48:36But the man
48:37that's bringing it
48:38home is right
48:39there.
48:40Laurent Aiello.
48:41He won at
48:42Sebring this
48:43year.
48:44Multi-talented
48:45driver.
48:47Very smooth.
48:48Very competitive.
48:51An extremely
48:52tough to pass
48:53when the car is
48:54working.
48:55And right now,
48:56unless something
48:57happens, nobody's
48:58going to get by
48:59him here.
49:00This is the last
49:01lap into the chicane
49:02that's made so much
49:03of a difference.
49:04Look how smoothly
49:05they go through
49:06there, using the
49:07curbs.
49:09A lap car ahead
49:10of him makes no
49:11difference anymore.
49:12Here he comes.
49:14Laurent Aiello.
49:16Audi has won
49:17in the German
49:18Touring Car
49:19Masters, and
49:20they win at the
49:21Grand Prix course
49:22at the Nürburgring.
49:24Bernd Schneider,
49:25defending champion,
49:26is second.
49:27Jaeger is third.
49:29But there's your
49:30winner, Laurent
49:31Aiello.
49:33Oh, it's been a
49:34long year or more.
49:36Hans-Jürgen Abt.
49:39Mercedes team has
49:40come over to
49:41congratulate them
49:42on this long haul.
49:44And there it is,
49:45your top eight.
49:47Mostly Mercedes,
49:48but Abt and
49:49company,
49:50certainly have their
49:51place at first
49:52and fourth.
49:54What a great show.
49:56X-Room for Abt
49:57comes in ninth.
49:58Timo Scheider,
49:59the best Opel at
50:00tenth, but the day
50:01belongs to Laurent
50:02Aiello.
50:03Extraordinary, I
50:04would say.
50:05First win in the
50:06DTM, first win for
50:07Audi, for the
50:08team Abt.
50:09I think it's
50:10wonderful.
50:11But it was a
50:12very tough race,
50:13especially the
50:14qualifying race.
50:15It was really
50:16tricky because
50:17very slippery.
50:18It was really easy
50:19to get out of the
50:20track.
50:21And then in the
50:22second race it was
50:23also very tough
50:24together with
50:25Bernd Schneider.
50:27And so now the
50:28fans can celebrate,
50:29particularly the
50:30Audi fans.
50:31And so can Bernd
50:32Schneider.
50:33He's hung on to
50:34the lead in the
50:35points.
50:36Aiello has moved
50:37up into second.
50:38Fesler and Jäger
50:39are third and
50:40fourth.
50:41And look at
50:42that, the 19-year-old
50:43Martin Tomczyk has
50:44come into sixth.
50:45What a great day
50:46for the young
50:47driver.
50:48I waited too
50:49long to get my
50:50tires and I lost
50:51two places.
50:52Well, I could
50:53finally catch up
50:54and was faster,
50:55but I couldn't
50:56pass.
50:57But actually I'm
50:58very happy with
50:59fourth place.
51:01And so it's time to
51:02celebrate, particularly
51:03for Laurent Aiello
51:04and for Opel.
51:05Well, more work
51:06ahead.
51:08We still haven't
51:09found the problem.
51:10We'll continue
51:11working on it.
51:12We've picked up a
51:13second between
51:14Hockenheim and
51:15here and we
51:16believe we know
51:17we have to continue
51:18on it on Monday.
51:20And so that does
51:21it for our coverage
51:22of the German
51:23Touring Car Masters
51:24here at the Nürburgring.
51:25The next stop on
51:26the tour, Aschersleben.
51:27This is Milt
51:28Fitzwater reporting.
51:29We'll see you in a
51:30couple of weeks.
51:47...
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51:50...
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51:53...