2013 DTM : ROBERT WICKENS WINS NÜRBURGRING DTM

2013 DTM Nürburgring Champion : Robert Wickens, #10 STIHL Mercedes AMG, 

STIHL Mercedes AMG C-Coupé

NÜRBURG : August 18, 2013 - For the first time in his DTM career, Robert Wickens (Mercedes-Benz) climbed onto the top step of the winner's podium: in the seventh round of the 2013 DTM season, the Canadian scored his maiden victory in the most popular international touring car series. After 47 laps at the 3.629 kilometres long circuit in the Eifel, he crossed the finish line in first place. Augusto Farfus (BMW), who had started from pole position, finished second at the Nürburgring, 2.158 seconds down on Wickens.

2013 DTM Nürburgring Champion : Robert Wickens, #10 STIHL Mercedes AMG, 

STIHL Mercedes AMG C-Coupé

Christian Vietoris (Mercedes-Benz) rounded out the podium in third place. DTM points' leader Mike Rockenfeller (Audi) finished fourth to extend his lead in the drivers' standings. After seven races, he has 106 points. Christian Vietoris is second in the drivers' standings with 71 points from Robert Wickens (70). A full press release with quotes will follow shortly.

The race in detail:

Air temperature: 17.5 °C
Asphalt temperature: 20.6 °C

Race report

Start Farfus is leading from Wittmann. Rockenfeller, Hand and Mortara spin in the first corner. Ekström spins as well.

Lap 1 Hand is stuck in the gravel trap of turn 1. Safety car is deployed. Farfus is leading from Wittmann, Molina, Paffett, Tambay, Wickens, Juncadella, Glock, Tomczyk and Spengler.

Lap 2 Rockenfeller into the pits for rain tyres. This is not a regular pit stop.

Lap 3 Werner into the pits.

Lap 4 Safety car has pulled in, racing resumes.

Lap 5 Rockenfeller is moving up quickly through the ranks. Pit lane open for mandatory stops. Farfus, Tambay, Juncadella, Tomczyk, Glock, Paffett, Wehrlein, Priaulx, Vietoris, Albuquerque, Scheider, Green, Mortara in for their first mandatory stops.

Lap 6 Wittmann spuns out at the Kurzanbindung while in the lead. Molina, Wickens, Spengler, Ekström, Merhi, Wittmann into the pits.

Lap 8 Rockenfeller is leading Tambay by 17.7 seconds, then Farfus, Molina, Wickens, Werner, Spengler, Tomczyk, Glock and Ekström. Scheider spins off the track after contact with Albuquerque. Scheider into the pits - retires.

Lap 13 Glock spins in the first corner while in ninth place after contact with Juncadella.

Lap 14 Werner, Juncadella into the pits. Drive through for Juncadella because of the collision with Glock.

Lap 15  Paffett into the pits. He is the first driver  to have completed two mandatory stops.

Lap 16  Merhi into the pits.

Lap 17  Farfus is 0.4 seconds behind second-placed Tambay. Glock into the pits.

Lap 18  Rockenfeller runs wide at the first corner, but continues.

Lap 19  Wickens overtakes Molina for fourth.

Lap 20  Wickens past Tambay and Farfus in the Mercedes arena and is now second.

Lap 21  Farfus attacks Tambay and overtakes him, Molina also overtakes Tambay.

Lap 25  Glock gets a 1 second lap time penalty for leaving the track with an advantage in turn 12.

Lap 26  Fourth-placed Molina has missed his braking point before the Kurzanbindung and takes the escape road. Mortara into the pits.

Lap 27  Priaulx into the pits.

Lap 28  Spengler overtakes Tambay and is now fifth, but Tambay defends and claims back his position.  Spengler briefly  off  the  track  in  the  NGK  chicane,  but continues.

Lap 29  Tomczyk, Green into the pits.

Lap 30  Spengler attacks Tambay again and gets past. Lap time penalty of 1 second for Spengler because of leaving the track with an advantage in turn 12. Tambay, Albuquerque, Molina, Ekström, Werner into the pits.

Lap 31  Rockenfeller comes  in  for  his  first  mandatory   stop.  Wickens,  Wehrlein, Wittmann into the pits. Drive through penalty for Glock for not fulfilling the lap time penalty, he comes in at the end of the lap.

Lap 32  Farfus, Vietoris, Spengler into the pits.

Lap 34  Rockenfeller  is leading,  but has yet  to make his second pit stop.  Wickens is second from Farfus, Vietoris, Tomczyk, Spengler,  Tambay, Ekström, Wehrlein and Molina. Paffett into the pits.

Lap 35  Spengler drops back from sixth to tenth: ovetaken by Tambay, Wehrlein, Molina and Wittmann. Rockenfeller has lost a lot of time on the previous lap.

Lap 36  Wehrlein spins out of seventh, drops back to 13th.

Lap 38  DRS may now be used. Spengler drops back to 14th.

Lap 39  The race will run to the maximum time of 1:15  hours. Now,  there are ten minutes remaining.

Lap 41  Rockenfeller into the pits for his third and final stop.

Lap 42  Rockenfeller rejoins in fourth place behind Wickens, Farfus and Vietoris.

Lap 43  The order with five minutes remaining: Wickens is leading from Farfus, Vietoris, Rockenfeller, Tomczyk, Tambay, Wittmann, Molina, Green and Wehrlein.

Lap 44  DRS disabled.

Lap 46  Wehrlein attacks Green for ninth, but the Brit defends his position.

Lap 47  Final lap. Wickens wins from Farfus, Vietoris, Rockenfeller, Tomczyk, Tambay, Wittmann, Molina, Green and Wehrlein.

2013 DTM - Nürburgring : Race result

2013 DTM - Championship ranking

2013 DTM - Team Championship ranking

Images : 2013 DTM - Nürburgring



[Source : DTM - Official]