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00:00This is the German Touring Car Masters, today the 9th race of the season coming to you from
00:12Zandvoort in the Netherlands.
00:37Zandvoort.
00:39A recreation area, a resort area, a place to take it easy in the summer.
00:50It's a place for the family, a place for fun, a place to enjoy the water and its thrills.
01:07But the beach isn't all that's here.
01:12Just a few steps away, well a little ways anyway, is one of the most famous racetracks
01:18in Europe.
01:19Zandvoort, a newly built circuit.
01:23Today before the German Touring Car Masters and a full crowd of 40,000 people for the
01:28weekend, a moment of silence for those who died in New York.
01:44And then it was time to go racing around the 2.67 mile circuit on the Pole Kristianaut.
01:52Now we're way up in front and because we're up in front I don't think we have as much
01:56chance of a collision.
01:57I hope anyway.
01:58I know that I have a good car and that I have to simply drive it home.
02:04And there's your starting field.
02:06Kristianaut for the first time on a pole in the German Touring Car Championship.
02:10Next to him Matthijs Ekstrom, then Peter Dombrek and a Mercedes Patrick Hoosman from the Netherlands.
02:15A different type of start here.
02:17The cars start as they come around the corner and see the light.
02:20The reason is this next corner.
02:23It's a right-hander, very sharp, and to avoid the collisions that happened in Austria, the
02:28organizers decided this was how they were going to start the race.
02:31So the cars are a little bit spread out going into this right-hander, which brings them
02:36back around through a chicane and then there'll be another left-hander and on to a long straightaway.
02:47And Kristianaut has jumped out into the lead.
02:49Peter Reilly with Alain Meunier back in the pack, and you get a chance to see the circuit
02:55from his view.
02:57In this section of the course, well, you have to go wide open.
03:01There's your leader, Kristianaut, followed by his team mate Ekstrom.
03:06Then comes Dombrek, Hoosman and Aiello in a battle back in the pack between Alsen and Fesler.
03:14Alsen had started 6th, Fesler was in 7th, and they're battling, and they're team mates.
03:21That is Alsen on the right, Fesler on the left, and here they come into the right-hander.
03:30Albers is right there trying to get inside, and Alsen loses position to Fesler, but does
03:36not lose position to Albers.
03:40And behind Albers is the top opal so far, and that is Manuel Reuter.
03:50And going off the course here early is Martin Tomczyk, whoa, and just missed by Meunier.
03:59There's Bernd Schneider, who had had one of his worst starting positions so far this season,
04:03way back in the pack, he was in 14th.
04:05He has already crowned himself champion with his performance in the Netherlands, and more
04:10bumping going on back in the pack.
04:12This is getting tough already, and we're just getting started.
04:16That was Darren Turner right there.
04:19Behind them in that black and red opal is Timo Scheider.
04:27You're riding with Patrick Hoosman, and look at that, he's got problems, something's loose
04:31inside his car.
04:33He not only has to handle the car in the race, but he's got to keep the part from flying
04:37up into his face.
04:39There's your leader, Christian Abt, followed by Ekström, Mattias Ekström from Sweden,
04:47and Dombrek, who is the partner from, whoa, Meilander goes off.
04:55It's a very, very quick place where was the accident, and we have to find the problem
05:01in the moment.
05:02We don't know exactly.
05:03We will check it after the race, and I'm not so happy, because I think for the main race,
05:08I can't drive, and we were looking what's happened exactly.
05:11It's very important.
05:12Meanwhile, up front, the Audis continue to dominate here, three of them in the top five.
05:20That third one is Aiello.
05:24There's the place where Meilander went off.
05:26You can see it.
05:27It's a blind hill corner.
05:28You can see how bumpy it is coming up that hill.
05:32Now there are six cars running together here.
05:35This is the qualification race, eight laps here in Zandvoort.
05:42The Abt Audis continue to lead.
05:45Christian Abt looking for his first victory in the German Touring Masters, and he got
05:50it here in the qualification race.
05:54Christian Abt, your winner, Matthias Ekstrom, Dumbrek, Huismann, Aiello, Fesler, Alsen,
05:59and Albers.
06:00Those are your top eight cars getting ready for the feature race here in Zandvoort.
06:09Cars now in the pits.
06:11Team's going to work on them, getting them ready for the second race, which will be 24
06:18laps on the circuit.
06:19You're in the Mercedes pit right now.
06:23There is the Meilander car.
06:25It will not be out in the second event.
06:30This is the Audi pit.
06:32That's the car that won it.
06:35So all the crews continue to work to get ready for the second race of the day, and the real
06:38question is, can Mercedes keep up with Audi?
06:41Well, I mean, I could stay with them, but it was very difficult to pass them.
06:45I really, I think it's down to the wear of the tires.
06:49My tires were standing up quite good, but I felt that they were maybe wearing a little
06:53bit, the Audis were wearing their tires a bit more than me, so perhaps the pit stop
06:58strategy is the way to go, and I hope that I can pass them in the pits, really.
07:04So we're ready to go, and this will be the same start as there was in the last race.
07:09They'll come off the last turn, and then the lead two cars, as soon as they see the light,
07:14can go.
07:15And that's the way it works all the way back to separate the field a little bit.
07:20This is basically a long right-hander.
07:21It looks like a straight section there, but the way these cars are handling it, it's a
07:24long right-hander.
07:25But here we go.
07:26This is where the pace car pulls off, and now everybody waits until they see the light,
07:30and off we go, and did he get a jump?
07:33Christian Abt gets a huge jump, and Ekstrom is serving as a blocker, holding off Dumbrek.
07:41So Ekstrom, doing his job as a teammate for the boss, lets Christian Abt get a good lead
07:48here in the opening moments of the feature race, 24 laps, here in Zandvoort, on this
07:552.67-mile circuit, a curvy course that really never straightens out.
08:02There's a curve everywhere.
08:04There are some long straights, like this one here, where the drivers simply have to keep
08:07it down to the floor as long as they can.
08:10They like to say this is one that takes a little bit of courage, until you get to the
08:15end of the curve, and then all of a sudden there's a right-hander in the back section
08:19of the course, right there.
08:23Another set of curves, and then another left-right combination to get them on to the next straightaway.
08:32As the cars sort themselves out here, Christian Abt in front.
08:39Dumbrek is running in third position, Hoosman, the man from the Netherlands, and Christian
08:44Abt went off-line.
08:46All he gained, he lost.
08:49So now everybody closes up.
08:50He kept the lead, and kept his car on the track, but lost some time that he had gained
08:55with that start, thanks to the help of his teammate.
09:01They continue to sort themselves out well here.
09:08We did not go to see the collisions that we saw in Austria.
09:15As we come across the line here, Christian Abt out in front, Ekstrom still blocking Dumbrek,
09:22not letting him by.
09:23Hoosman is running fourth, Aiello is running fifth, here comes Dumbrek, trying to get by,
09:29he can't do it.
09:31Wrong line, way outside here.
09:34When you get outside the line, there's all kinds of stuff out there.
09:39The marbles are everywhere, the car slides everywhere.
09:43So you pretty much have to stay on the main line, or take your chances.
09:48It gets very, very slippery.
09:51Marcel Fessler is running right behind Aiello.
09:54Here's that bumpy part, see how the cars bounce around coming up the hill?
10:00Then they head down again, and it gets very, very tight here.
10:08That was where Meilander went off in the first race.
10:11Here's what happened, Abt just got too wide, he was lucky that the front spoiler didn't
10:17become damaged in that little excursion.
10:23He's still out in front, and Fessler is leading Uwe Ahlsen, and then look at this, Bernd Schneider
10:30who finished 10th in the qualifying race after starting 14th has moved up in behind Uwe Ahlsen.
10:38So the Mercedes are ready to challenge, and once again the Opels are falling back.
10:47A difficult season for the Opel crew.
10:54Here's that long extended right-hander to come back to the start-finish line.
10:59Now there's a little room for the Audis.
11:02Christian Abt, then Matthias Ekström, then comes Dombrek, Huysma, Aiello, Fessler, and
11:09behind him, Uwe Ahlsen.
11:14Then comes Bernd Schneider, and another of the young Dutch drivers, Christian Albers,
11:22is behind Bernd Schneider.
11:27So the Mercedes is ready to attack, the only trouble is the Audis are out in front, and
11:32they seem to have control of this track.
11:34Truly amazing.
11:36Now there's a mandatory pit stop in this race, and come after the 8th lap.
11:40If you've completed the 8th lap, then you can pit, and you have to pit, and you have
11:45to change all four tires.
11:47That's the rule, and you have to do this before three laps before the end of the race.
11:52So the question's going to be, with the tire wear here, a real question, this track has
11:57a lot of grip, so the tires are really strong for a couple of laps, and then they start
12:01to wear down.
12:03And because the qualifying race, and qualifying in general, used up the tires more than usual,
12:09it's going to be a game of tires here.
12:13The difference could be is that Mercedes, ooh, an accident in the back of the pack,
12:17this right here is, on the left is Momorow, and he ran into Tomczyk, and they're blocking
12:29the track, this could bring out the pace car.
12:35There are the battles of the teammates right there, the two black Mercedes, and here comes
12:39the pace car.
12:43So the pace car is out, we still have not reached the 8th lap yet, so nobody can pit
12:48and change tires under this pace car lap.
12:51They're going to have to wait and see exactly when they're going to pit.
12:55The question's going to be, are they going to, they were originally scheduled to do it
12:58about the halfway point, now are they going to do it early, are they going to do it late?
13:02That's going to be a main question.
13:06There's Tomczyk and Momorow leaving their cars.
13:10Not sure what happened back there, but Momorow certainly did damage.
13:14There it is.
13:15Ekstrom went off, spun, tried to get his stars straightened out, the motor died, and
13:22Momorow hit him in the side.
13:25So now we're under the safety car phase.
13:31You're riding with Alain Meunier.
13:39Now the question's going to be the pit stops.
13:43The Audis have a tendency to use up tires a little quicker than the Mercedes.
13:50The Audis have a lot of downforce, and because they have the downforce, it uses up the tires.
13:56It's not quite the case with the Mercedes.
14:02So this race will come down after the pit stops, and somewhere near the end most likely,
14:07if there's going to be a real tight finish, that's where it'll probably happen.
14:12There's the Tomczyk car being pushed off.
14:16His teammates are still running first, second, and fifth.
14:20Christian Abt had the pull, won the qualifying race, and is leading here in the main event.
14:28Waiting for the lights to go out on the pace car so that the cars can once again resume
14:34This would be a great day for Christian Abt, the co-owner of Abt Sports Line, which builds
14:44these Audis.
14:46He hasn't won a German Touring Car Masters event or a German Touring Car Championship
14:53event, and this seems to be his best chance.
14:57The Audis, so far, in control here in the Netherlands.
15:07This is really going to be interesting with the tire wear, because this is going to throw
15:09the whole plan out the window, and now they're going to have to think anew.
15:20Good crowd on hand.
15:22Of course, they've come to see their hometown drivers, Huismann and Albers.
15:2640,000 for the weekend.
15:28It's been a while since German Touring Cars have run here on the dunes in Zandvoort.
15:36Peter Dumbrek, right there in the battle for the points race.
15:41Schneider has the title, but the battle's between Alsen, Aiello, Dumbrek, and Fessler
15:46for the second spot.
15:50And right now, Aiello is two points behind Alsen, Dumbrek is about ten back.
15:58So they need to finish well here, with one race weekend to go at Hockenheim.
16:02Get a great view of the dunes, and of course, it's been redone since 1999.
16:09Abt crew waiting to get the green.
16:13This is their best chance yet to win a race in the German Touring Car Masters.
16:22Work continues on getting the track cleaned up where the two cars went off, Mamereau and
16:27Tomczyk.
16:29Huismann, running fourth, is a veteran of the racing series.
16:38Huismann is 32.
16:42Albers is 21, and Albers is a young, rising star with tremendous talent.
16:49Albers back in the field right now.
16:52Huismann has gotten better and better throughout the season.
16:56He's running fourth in that blue Mercedes right now.
17:01This is the key part of the course here, where they come down, they go into a chicane, right
17:07there, then leads straight to the long right-hander that takes them to the start-finish line.
17:15Get a great view of one of the key places on this circuit.
17:19You also get a great view of the dunes and how the course is built in and out of these
17:24dunes.
17:25That looks like a straight segment there, and it is.
17:27There's two right-handers connected.
17:28However, the way they go through it, it's almost like it's two right-handers.
17:33Let's see if he comes across the line now.
17:36And if the lights go off, then we should be ready to go in the next one.
17:40Lights are off.
17:41All right, so we'll be under green when the cars come around one more time.
17:48Christian Abt looking for his first victory.
17:51A tenth at Hockenheim.
17:52He didn't start at Nurburgring.
17:54At Aschersleben, he came in sixth.
17:56He was ninth at the Sachsenring.
17:58He was seventeenth at the Norrisring.
18:01Eighteenth at the Eurospeedway.
18:03He was disqualified at the Nurburgring, and he did not start because of a collision at
18:09the Austriaring.
18:10So now, this is his one chance to get back into the season.
18:15Started on the pole here.
18:18Won the qualifying race.
18:20Leading here in the main race.
18:25And he's got some cushion with his teammate, Ekstrom, right behind him.
18:30And then just a little further back, Laurent Aiello.
18:34The Mercedes are right there with Dumbrecht and Huisman.
18:38Behind Aiello.
18:39Then comes Fesler.
18:40Then Aldsen right after him.
18:44And then Bernd Schneider.
18:47Some tough drivers behind this pack.
18:51The pace car comes around.
18:54This will be the last lap under caution.
19:03And once again, they'll come around, and it'll be Christian Abt who will control the start
19:08of the race once again.
19:13When they resume racing, it'll be lap eight, which is the first lap the cars can pit.
19:18Now, will the cars hang on and wait longer to pit, or will they come in now?
19:22Because the tires may not have had as much tire wear as they might have been expecting.
19:27Here we go.
19:28We'll find out in a second.
19:29As you ride with Patrick Huisman.
19:39Christian Abt, the man up front, will be the one that starts it.
19:44Here we go.
19:47There goes your pace car.
19:48And is Christian going to get a jump?
19:51Oh, there he goes.
19:52He's on it.
19:55And we're underway.
19:57He did not get the jump he got at the beginning.
20:00Ekstrom still can hold off.
20:02Dumbrecht.
20:04Dumbrecht trying to get by into second place and can't do it.
20:07A battle in the back of the pack as Schneider is battling with Uwe Alsen.
20:12Bernd Schneider, who has already wrapped up the championship, not resting on his laurels,
20:16trying to move up once again.
20:20He's running in eighth position with two Mercedes ahead of him.
20:26Huisman is running fourth.
20:28That's Dumbrecht ahead of him.
20:31You get a good view of the course here.
20:34The drivers have to go flat out until the right-hander.
20:47It's tight back there.
20:49Dumbrecht, Huisman, Aiello all very, very close
20:54as the two other Audis take off with Ekstrom trailing behind the boss, Christian Abt.
21:00Great view of the leaders as you're riding with Patrick Huisman here in Zandvoort
21:04in the German Touring Car Masters.
21:10We'll come around. Let's see if any cars decide to pit now.
21:12This was one of the times they figured people would start to pit.
21:16Are they going to wait or are they going to go in?
21:19Find out in a minute as we go through the last stages of this lap.
21:25Back toward the pit area.
21:36And cars are coming in. Dumbrecht is coming in.
21:38Aiello is coming in.
21:41It looks like Fessler is coming in.
21:43Reuter is coming in.
21:45Very narrow pits here in Zandvoort.
21:48The cars are heading in.
21:50A four-tire change coming up.
21:54This is the Aiello crew.
21:57And he's out.
22:00Aiello is out. Coming down pit lane.
22:03And Dumbrecht comes out. They collide.
22:06Dumbrecht collides into Aiello and something is loose on Aiello's spoiler.
22:11They're side by side.
22:14Aiello had been running in fifth position and had moved up.
22:19And Menou spins.
22:22Dirt on the track. It's going to get slippery.
22:27Aiello trying to get inside. Getting by Dumbrecht.
22:32After their collision on the pit lane.
22:36It's a very narrow lane. Both wanted to get out.
22:39Ekstrom has gone off the course.
22:41The second place car has gone off the course.
22:44And there goes Aiello.
22:46There goes Aiello off the course.
22:49The damage that was probably done on that pit lane
22:52has thrown him off the course and out of the race.
22:55And also out of the battle for second place in the championship.
22:59And there's the AP team.
23:03It looked so good for them up until now.
23:06But two cars are gone in a moment.
23:09Tomczak had gone earlier.
23:12That's Aiello. Very unhappy man.
23:16So Kristjanov is the man that remains outside.
23:21There goes Aiello. He was not really touched.
23:23Something went on the car and off he went.
23:26Dumbrecht did not touch him. He was behind him.
23:30But the two had collided in the pit lane.
23:32More pit stops now.
23:36Pit stops have decided a couple races this season.
23:38And this one here has certainly decided a couple of fates.
23:45Here comes Alsen. Then Schneider.
23:48Alsen had problems coming out.
23:55Alsen was done but couldn't get out.
23:58There goes Ekström off the course.
24:01What a disappointment for the Audi crew.
24:03Running first, second and fifth up to the pits.
24:07After the safety car, I think everybody got picked up on the tires.
24:10I also got it and then I drove and then suddenly I locked my rear tires up.
24:16That was not very much good.
24:19From my point of view, it was my mistake.
24:21I was driving too fast with the car I had for the moment.
24:24It's a little bit learning by doing.
24:29But the battle continues back in the pack as the pit stops now are making a big difference.
24:33The cars are going to have to sort themselves out as we've all seen throughout the season.
24:37And Alsen has gotten back by Bernd Schneider.
24:44Schneider beat Alsen out of the pits but now Alsen got it back.
24:51And Christian Albers has gone off the course into the tires.
24:56A very hectic period in the race here.
24:59So there's Dumbrek followed by Alsen then Schneider.
25:07But the cars are still sorting themselves out here after the pit stops have gone full bore.
25:18This is the battle back in the pack as we wait for the rest of the pit stops to go through.
25:23And here comes your leader.
25:26There's your leader.
25:28Christian Abt.
25:31And Hoosman from the Netherlands has a chance to take over the lead here.
25:36He was still running second on the track.
25:41Here comes Christian Abt.
25:44So Abt will still be out in front.
25:47Well actually in front of the crew that's going to be challenging.
25:50Patrick Hoosman on the track is out in front but he still has to pit.
25:55Here's what happened.
25:56Look here. There comes Aiello and out comes Dumbrek.
26:01And look at that part loosen up and that's on that part of the flipper right there on that part of the car.
26:07And this is the result of it.
26:10Lost control.
26:12The car starts to fall apart.
26:13Lucky it didn't flip into the gravel and the day's over for Laurent Aiello.
26:22And this is your battle right now.
26:25What would be for second, third and fourth place.
26:38There's your leader. Christian Abt.
26:40Then comes Dumbrek, Alsen and Schneider.
26:49So you have Mercedes battling among themselves.
26:55And they're also after the Abt Audi.
26:59The interesting part here is that Mercedes driven by Ben Schneider already has a title wrapped up.
27:04But the two cars ahead of them are battling basically for second place in the points.
27:10Coming into the weekend, Dumbrek was fourth, Aiello or rather Alsen was second.
27:17Albers in the pits after his trip into the tires and the crew working on that car.
27:31So the race now settling down into a Mercedes battle for second, third and fourth.
27:37And Christian Abt sitting out in front.
27:41Wanting to hold on and bring this one home.
27:47The Mercedes crew has not gone under team orders all season long.
27:54Whoever gets out in front and can hold it, takes it.
27:58That includes Ben Schneider.
28:00And look at the battle here.
28:03Uwe Alsen, the true battler in this series.
28:08Who doesn't mind to bump a little bit, doesn't mind to bend the little fenders.
28:13All legal and fair, but he's as tough a driver, one, to pass as he is a tough driver trying to pass.
28:20And he's made some passing moves this season in corners that just were rather amazing.
28:26So let's see what happens here.
28:28Dumbrek is running second.
28:30Alsen is running in third place.
28:32And then comes Ben Schneider.
28:36Boosman is coming into the pits.
28:38So now Christian Abt officially takes over the lead once again.
28:45Boosman had led for three laps.
28:49Now he's got to get out as quickly as he can to see if he can get into that battle for at least a tap five.
28:54Oh, it's taking time.
28:56This is a long one.
28:58A little longer than he needs.
29:00Now he's got to get out.
29:02This is a long one.
29:04A little longer than he needs.
29:05Now we have to wait and see where he comes out.
29:07Well, there go the top four.
29:10He might get out in front of Manuel Reuter and the rest of that group coming up from behind.
29:18Dumbrek gets a stop and go.
29:21He gets a stop and go penalty.
29:23That is for that incident with Aiello.
29:25And that takes him out of the heat up front.
29:28That leaves Alson Schneider for second and third place.
29:40Boosman is in fourth position right now.
29:45There's your top opal and that's Manuel Reuter.
29:53So as the cars now have sorted themselves out,
29:56Reuter, the top opal driver, is sitting right now in fifth position.
30:01Very, very good spot.
30:04Actually, Haupt is still not the leader on the track.
30:07In this particular lap, the car ahead of him, Hubert Haupt, is out in front going into the corner.
30:12And they bump.
30:16Who had the line? That'll be the argument.
30:19Did Haupt purposely bump him? Did Haupt turn in?
30:22So Haupt will not complete a lap in the lead.
30:27Tough break for the Euro team. It would have been one of the highlights.
30:32They've had a tough season.
30:34But now there's your leader. All by himself.
30:37Christian Abt in the Audi.
30:41But the Mercedes crew is right behind him.
30:44With Uwe Alson running second.
30:47Bernd Schneider running third.
30:49And Patrick Huisman running in fourth position.
30:58These three cars...
31:02will probably do a little bit better on tire wear if they don't run each other down.
31:06Here's what happened again.
31:08Haupt went into the corner. He had the line.
31:12Well, that's up to people to discuss now.
31:15Did he have the line? Should have Abt back off?
31:18Another one of those racing discussions.
31:23Patrick Huisman running in fourth position here in Zandvoort in the German Touring Car Masters.
31:28The ninth race of the season.
31:30And this is no Fitzwater reporting.
31:32With one lap racing to go, that'll be one last race weekend.
31:35That being in Hockenheim.
31:37A traditional closer for the German Touring Car season.
31:40But right now, it's who's going to finish second, third and fourth.
31:45Uwe Alson now is sitting in a good position to expand his lead in second place in the championship.
31:51Which is all that's left to him since the car behind him already has wrapped it up.
31:56But those who know Bernd Schneider and running in third place behind Alson know he's not going to give up.
32:01Patrick Huisman wants to do the best for his countrymen.
32:05Here in the Netherlands, running in fourth position.
32:08The key is going to come in the last few laps.
32:11Whose tires have the most rubber left?
32:14Who has the most grip?
32:16And that is going to be the key to this whole race.
32:23Going into the right-hander that they wanted to try to avoid collisions here in the first lap.
32:28As they go through the corner.
32:30Working their way around here.
32:32To head back into the section with the long straightaway.
32:35Well, sort of straightaway. A bending straightaway.
32:38Whoa! Schneider went a little wide.
32:40Huisman got inside, but not enough.
32:42Did they bump? Or was it just a...
32:44Did Bernd lose it a moment?
32:48Schneider hangs on to third place.
32:52And Huisman is in the lead.
32:54Did he lose it a moment?
32:57Schneider hangs on to third place.
33:01And look at the distance now, though.
33:03Alson has picked up some space between himself...
33:08And Bernd Schneider.
33:10Alson can concentrate on trying to run down the Audi.
33:16Meanwhile, Patrick Huisman has to go to work and try to see if he can't move up a spot here.
33:22Get into the podium.
33:24In other words, get into the top three.
33:26Will he make it? Well, we've got a ways to go.
33:28Yeah, it was a bump there.
33:31Somewhere, somebody made a mistake.
33:34Either...
33:37Schneider was a little early, or Huisman a little late.
33:40Huisman got inside, but couldn't get by.
33:42But look at Alson take off and leave him behind.
33:45Alson, some breathing room. There's your leader.
33:47There's your second-place car.
33:49Alson's third and fourth place.
33:57Again, Patrick Huisman riding behind...
34:01Bernd Schneider.
34:05Alson's in his first season with Mercedes.
34:08Hasn't done really too badly.
34:10A fourth at Hockenheim, 19th at Nürburgring, one of his worst finishes.
34:14He was late in third. He had a DNF at Sachsenring.
34:17At the Norrisring he won.
34:19Then he was at Eurospeedway, came in 20th.
34:21He was second at the Nürburgring.
34:23He was third in Austria.
34:26He finished seventh in the qualifying race here.
34:30And is currently running in second place.
34:33Two cars ahead of this one that you're riding with is Patrick Huisman.
34:37So Uli Alson, in his first year with Mercedes,
34:41after driving for Opel several years,
34:44is out in front.
34:47And he is making up some time on the leader.
34:50Either Christian Abt is kind of protecting his car a little bit,
34:57when he can,
34:58or his tires are starting to go down a little bit,
35:02and Alson is making a move.
35:05The Mercedes are not as tough on tires as the Audi.
35:08And here, you can make all the difference in the world
35:10because this track eats up tires.
35:14Here's your leader, Christian Abt.
35:16The lone Audi remaining in the field.
35:20It started so strong for the Audi crew,
35:23and then all of a sudden, in a couple of laps,
35:26three of them were gone.
35:28Huisman still not being able to make up enough ground to get by Bernd Schneider.
35:35As you once again ride with the man from the Netherlands.
35:44And we have cars coming into the pits again.
35:48This is Manuel Reuter.
35:52And Reuter got a stop and go.
35:56Reuter had a stop and go,
35:58and he also, there, everybody used their head a little bit.
36:04We didn't see the collisions that we saw earlier.
36:09That was Thomas Jaeger coming out of the pits.
36:12Reuter had been too fast on pit lane before.
36:16So the Opel driver, who had been doing extremely well,
36:19all of a sudden, with a stop and go, drops back a ways.
36:26All the way back to 12th position.
36:31So it's a rough day for him.
36:33Let's take a look and see here who the top...
36:38Opel is right now.
36:40It looks like it's going to be Scheider right now.
36:43He's probably running the best of the Opel crew.
36:46There he is right there in that black and red.
36:50And he's running in the top ten.
36:53He had started way back in the pack.
36:55In fact, he started in 16th position.
36:59And if this is right, he is now running up in the 7th position.
37:04Wow, what a great drive for him.
37:08David Salins is ahead of him in a Mercedes.
37:11A Belgian driver, also new to the series this year.
37:14Behind him is Marcel Fesler.
37:20So you're watching Salins, Scheider, two of the young drivers in the field.
37:25Scheider trying to go by him on the outside of this track.
37:28That's very, very difficult.
37:30For the longest time, he was the only Opel driver to have some points.
37:33Then the crews picked up a little bit.
37:35Once again, the young driver seems to be right now the only one who has a chance for points here in Zandvoort.
37:40There are reports that he also has a chance for a Formula One drive.
37:45A tremendously talented young driver.
37:48David Salins, the driver ahead of him, didn't start the series in that car.
37:53In fact, he didn't even start the series in that car.
37:56The driver ahead of him didn't start the series in that car.
37:59In fact, he didn't join until three races in, after Pedro Lamy left the team,
38:03and Salins came in and took his place.
38:08And for David, it's been a little bit of an acclamation time.
38:14He's 25 years old, making his first appearance in the German Touring Car Masters.
38:20Here comes Fesler on the inside, trying to get by Timo Scheider.
38:26Scheider holds him off.
38:29They go wide outside, and Fesler drops him behind.
38:36Quite a battle going on here.
38:38Fesler still didn't get by as they go into the chicane.
38:43They'll hit the straight segment and then that long right-hander,
38:47so Fesler's going to have to hold off until they get to the straightaway.
38:53It's very difficult to pass here.
38:57Oh, Scheider seems to be having some problems there.
39:00Maybe tire wear, but he was wobbling there just a little bit.
39:12Fesler and Scheider continue the battle.
39:15This is for sixth position.
39:22Scheider, the best opener.
39:26So far here in Zandvoort.
39:29The stop-and-go took Reuter out of it.
39:31He had been running in the top ten, but he's way back.
39:35Timo Scheider just continues to roll here.
39:39The young driver has been very consistent.
39:41He has learned. He's kept himself out of trouble.
39:45And he has done a great job for Opel in a very first year in something like this.
39:49He was 11th at the Nürburgring.
39:51He was 10th at the...
39:5311th at Hockenheim, 10th at the Nürburgring,
39:5512th at Oschersleben, 12th at Sachsenring,
39:58didn't finish at the Norisring,
40:00was 11th at the Eurospeedway,
40:02didn't finish at the Nürburgring,
40:04and didn't start because of an accident
40:06at the A1 ring in Austria.
40:10Started 17th in qualifying,
40:14was 13th in the qualifying race.
40:16Now he's running up in the top ten.
40:21The young driver doing extremely well.
40:23The Abt crew now,
40:25basically holding their breath.
40:27There is the leader, Christian Abt.
40:31He's led basically from the start,
40:34only giving it up during the pit stop.
40:37Patrick Guzman had it for three laps,
40:39then Abt got it back.
40:45Abt has also registered the fastest lap.
40:48He had the fastest lap in the qualifying race,
40:50and here he's got the fastest lap so far.
40:52Salins, braking way late.
40:56Fessler has gotten by Timo Scheider.
40:59Here's how that happened.
41:02Fessler took a chance, got in off the course,
41:04comes around, out of the line,
41:07and gets by Timo Scheider.
41:12So now Fessler is going after David Salins.
41:18Fessler is now running in 6th position.
41:26David Salins is as far up in the field as he's been.
41:29He's running in 5th.
41:31So this is that battle right up there for that position.
41:40There's your leader, Christian Abt, in the Audi.
41:43And look at this.
41:45Uwe Alsen is closing in.
41:47The Mercedes driver, Uwe Alsen,
41:50is starting to close in on Christian Abt.
41:54Does he have enough time?
41:58Does he have enough tire left to do this?
42:01He's pushed to get here.
42:03You can see he's using every bit of the track he can.
42:08And Christian Abt now knows he's there.
42:11Meanwhile, here comes Fessler getting by Salins.
42:16And Salins almost lost it.
42:20And Timo Scheider running behind Salins.
42:23And Marcel Fessler
42:27now takes over 5th position.
42:36And Timo Scheider trying to get by Salins.
42:39Can't do it.
42:46What a battle between these two young stars
42:49of the German Touring Car Masters.
42:51Back in 6th place.
42:54Up front, Uwe Alsen continues to close in on Christian Abt.
43:00And back here is the battle between the two young
43:03up-and-coming drivers.
43:06One more race weekend ahead.
43:08They want to look good.
43:09They go looking toward a job for next season.
43:20Timo Scheider is yet not able to
43:24get by Salins.
43:25The question is going to be tires.
43:27The Opel's quicker on the straight, but
43:30it has its problems elsewhere.
43:32The setup is very difficult with these cars.
43:34That's what's made it difficult for them this year.
43:39Like one of the veteran Opel drivers,
43:42Jochen Vingelhock, started way back in the pack today.
43:45He's an experienced touring car driver.
43:47The car just was not right.
43:48Something went wrong.
43:49He didn't even get a lap in in the qualifying race
43:51and has been parked ever since.
43:53Look at this.
43:54Here it comes.
43:55Christian Abt, Uwe Alsen.
43:58The battle for 1st and 2nd
44:00here in Zandvoort, the Netherlands.
44:04Christian Abt had a big lead.
44:06Uwe Alsen has run him down.
44:13Abt is using up everything he can
44:16to keep out in front here.
44:20Uwe Alsen is not afraid
44:22to get inside and bump a little bit.
44:25And these two drivers have a history this season.
44:28They've had some altercations
44:30in a couple of races before.
44:32There's no love lost here.
44:35Alsen, coming up right now
44:38to fill the rearview mirror of Christian Abt.
44:45Where will Uwe try to make the move?
44:47Here comes Timo Scheider
44:50trying to work on Salens.
44:52Is he going to get by?
44:53Looks it.
44:54He did.
44:56But up in front, Uwe Alsen is on the back bumper
45:00of Christian Abt.
45:01Christian Abt.
45:03This is one of the tightest finishes all season long.
45:07And here they come.
45:13Abt, out in front, holding on.
45:18Uwe Alsen, right behind him.
45:22This is going to come down to the final lap.
45:25It's going to be tight.
45:27Question now is, can Abt hang on?
45:31Here we go.
45:34Can Uwe Alsen get by him?
45:37That is the big question.
45:42The qualifying race was the tightest
45:45victory margin
45:47all season long.
45:49This is probably going to match it.
45:51Alsen, right up on the bumper.
45:54Uwe Alsen trying everything he can
45:56to get by Christian Abt.
46:00If he's going to pass,
46:01probably the easiest place,
46:02if there is an easy place in this track,
46:04will be before the chicane.
46:11In the back section, here we come.
46:13Uwe Alsen, still there.
46:18Christian Abt,
46:19still there.
46:21A little bit of room here.
46:24Maybe Abt has got the breathing room he needs
46:27to hold on to victory.
46:29And then all of a sudden,
46:30Uwe Alsen starts to close in again.
46:34The battle for first and second,
46:35the feature race,
46:36and the German touring car masters
46:37here in the Netherlands
46:38has come down to this one,
46:39running in third.
46:41But out of it is Snyder.
46:44He's got the championship.
46:46But the race is right here
46:47between these two cars.
46:50Uwe Alsen has not been able yet
46:56to get by Christian Abt.
46:59Although he is able to pull up on him,
47:01which means his car may be
47:02just a little bit faster.
47:05The question is,
47:06how are the tires on the Abt car?
47:09And on Alsen's car?
47:11But as we mentioned earlier,
47:12the tire wear on the Audis
47:13is a little more than it is
47:14on the Mercedes.
47:16Here we go again.
47:18This is the last lap.
47:21This is the battle
47:22for first and second.
47:24Uwe Alsen had been pressuring
47:26Christian Abt.
47:28He has lost some ground here
47:31as we're in the final lap.
47:34Alsen is certainly the battler.
47:38Abt looking for his first victory
47:40in the German touring car masters.
47:43A big moment for him.
47:44Uwe Alsen looking for victory
47:47to cement second place in the points.
47:50And he's pulling up again.
47:52Alsen is not letting loose.
47:54Alsen is closing in.
47:55He had lost some ground.
47:56Now he's pulling up
47:57on the back bumper again.
48:00Christian Abt in the Audi.
48:02Uwe Alsen in the Mercedes.
48:05We're coming to the crucial point
48:06of the course.
48:08Here comes a straightaway.
48:09Alsen gets inside.
48:10Can he get by?
48:11They bump.
48:12Oh, Alsen's inside.
48:15Audi on the outside with Abt.
48:19They're side by side.
48:21They've got a chicane coming up.
48:24Abt shoving a little bit on Alsen
48:26as they go into the chicane.
48:28Alsen off the course in the chicane.
48:30Pulls it.
48:32Abt gets inside.
48:33They're bumping again.
48:35Still not decided.
48:37Alsen looks to have the lead.
48:39Alsen looks to have the lead
48:40into the right-hander.
48:41He does.
48:43And Abt gives him a bump from behind.
48:46What a great finish.
48:48Bernd Schneider now pulls up
48:49into third place
48:50very close behind Christian Abt.
48:52But what a great last lap.
48:54One of the best
48:55in the German Touring Car Masters.
48:56Uwe Alsen wins it.
48:59Fantastic finish.
49:02The Abt crew very unhappy.
49:04Alsen goes off.
49:06He had been a little bit bumped by Abt.
49:09After the finish.
49:10As I've said before,
49:11these two have had their meetings
49:13earlier throughout the season.
49:16And what a great finish.
49:19I caught up with Christian Abt.
49:21And I believe I was clearly faster.
49:23And I actually looked for my chance.
49:25It was close for a lap
49:26with about two laps to go.
49:28I held back a little bit
49:29and lost a little bit.
49:31And then I caught up again
49:32and I knew it was going to happen
49:33probably in the last lap.
49:35I knew I had to do something.
49:36So I held off the braking
49:38and we were side by side.
49:39And right before the chicane
49:41he tried to force me off the track.
49:43We went through the chicane together
49:45and I could accelerate him.
49:48I actually had more grip there.
49:51It was an exciting finish
49:53and good for the fans.
49:56And there it is.
49:57Uwe Alsen, your winner.
49:58He needs one point
49:59to take over second place
50:01in the championship.
50:02A disappointed Christian Abt
50:04finishing in second place.
50:07Finishing in third
50:08after a great drive
50:10was Bernd Schneider
50:11who already has the championship
50:13and once again has proven his mettle.
50:15Actually I couldn't expect
50:16to finish third
50:17because it's a very tight circuit.
50:19Very difficult for overtaking.
50:20But finally my team
50:22made a very good pit stop
50:24and I gained a couple of places.
50:26I also passed Uwe Alsen.
50:28But then I had a little misunderstanding
50:31with Meunier.
50:33And he passed me again
50:35and then that's it.
50:37I couldn't overtake him.
50:38He made no mistake
50:39and I'm very happy
50:40with third place.
50:43And that does it
50:44for our coverage
50:45of the German Touring Car Masters
50:46here in the Netherlands.
50:47The last stop on the tour
50:48Hockenheim.
50:49We hope to see you there
50:51for more exciting racing.
52:05Subs by www.zeoranger.co.uk