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Jamie Green (AMG Mercedes C-Class) won the 2011 DTM season finale at Hockenheim by 7.6 seconds from Martin Tomczyk (Audi) after starting from second place on the grid. It was Green's seventh DTM victory and his second at Hockenheim. This was the 17th podium for the British driver, his sixth in a DTM race at Hockenheim and podium number 480 for a DTM driver at this track.
It was the fifth consecutive victory Mercedes-Benz at their home race in Hockenheim. Since 1988, Mercedes-Benz has won a total of 31 out of 64 DTM races at the Hockenheimring. In the ‘new DTM’ since 2000, a Mercedes driver has won nearly three-quarters of all races at the circuit (19 victories in 26 races).
The season finale was the last race for the AMG Mercedes C-Class, the most successful vehicle in DTM history (85 wins in 159 races). Since 1988, more than half (51%) of the 165 Mercedes-Benz wins have been secured with the C-Class. To make a direct comparison with Audi, from 202 races, Mercedes-Benz has won 109 times and Audi 62.
Jamie Green set the fastest race lap in Hockenheim – 1:34.114 – for the fifth time at this track. In all, since 1988, Mercedes-Benz drivers have set the fastest lap in 35 of 64 DTM races at Hockenheim. Since the revival of the DTM in 2000, a Mercedes-Benz has set the fastest race lap in 76% of all races (20 of 26 races).
Gary Paffett (THOMAS SABO AMG Mercedes C-Class) finished his 80th DTM race in fifth position after starting from seventh on the grid. Bruno Spengler (Mercedes-Benz Bank AMG C-Class) came home ninth. Ralf Schumacher (Salzgitter AMG Mercedes C-Class) and Renger van der Zande (stern AMG Mercedes C-Class) finished 11th and 12th. Maro Engel (GQ AMG Mercedes C-Class), Susie Wolff (TV Spielfilm AMG Mercedes C-Class) and David Coulthard (Deutsche Post AMG Mercedes C-Class) crossed the line in 14th, 15th and 17th positions respectively. Christian Vietoris (Junge Sterne AMG Mercedes C-Class) was forced to retire from the race. A total of 120,000 spectators attended the DTM finale (Fri, Sat, Sun) in Hockenheim.
Race summary
The start: Jamie Green overtakes pole-sitter Miguel Molina (Audi) at the start of the race and goes into the lead. Gary Paffett moves up one position to sixth place.
Lap 4: Green extends his lead on Martin Tomczyk (Audi) to more than two seconds.
Lap 10: The pit stop window is now open. Paffett is the first C-Class driver to pit. David Coulthard and Christian Vietoris also come in.
Lap 11: Bruno Spengler and Renger van der Zande complete their first mandatory pit stop. Vietoris retires.
Lap 12: Ralf Schumacher and Susie Wolff pit for the first time.
Lap 13: Green comes in for his first stop with a five-second lead.
Lap 18: Second mandatory pit stop for Paffett.
Lap 19: Schumacher and Wolff come in for the second time.
Lap 20: Green has a six-second lead after the first round of pit stops. Van der Zande comes in for the second time.
Lap 21: Coulthard pits for the second time.
Lap 22: Final mandatory pit stop for Engel.
Lap 24: Spengler pits lying in sixth position.
Lap 26: Green comes in for his final pit stop in the lead.
Lap 29: The pit stop window has now closed. Green leads by 8.6 seconds.
Final lap (Lap 38): Jamie Green wins the 2011 DTM season finale at Hockenheim after 38 laps and a total race distance of 173.812 km. Gary Paffett climbs two positions from seventh place on the grid to finish P5.
Comments after the race:
Jamie Green (AMG Mercedes C-Class) – Winner:
“I feel very proud to have won this race which is also the final outing for the AMG Mercedes C-Class, the most successful car in DTM history. My car was perfect and I’m so pleased to have won here at Hockenheim for the second time. Now I can start the winter break on a high as a race winner this year. Many thanks to my team for all their work today and throughout the season. I’m looking forward to the new DTM era which starts in 2012. I’m sure it will be just as exciting as the old one, if not more so...!”
Gary Paffett (AMG Mercedes C THOMAS SABO-Class) – Fifth:
“That was a good race – I started from seventh place, and moved up two positions to fifth. My C-Class ran really well and I would like to have got past Mike Rockenfeller, but unfortunately it wasn’t meant to be. Nevertheless, it was a good finish to a difficult season. I'm already looking forward to 2012.”
Bruno Spengler (Mercedes-Benz Bank AMG C-Class) – Ninth:
“Unfortunately, my bid to end the season as runner-up in the championship didn’t quite come off, but all the same, I take satisfaction from having won two races and having started from pole position in four. That’s much more important than finishing second in the standings. So all in all, this has been a good year for us. The team worked really hard and, right up to the final lap, we gave it everything. I was faster than Oliver Jarvis and Timo Scheider today, but they proved too difficult to overtake.”
Ralf Schumacher (Salzgitter AMG Mercedes C-Class) – Eleventh:
“Congratulations to Jamie on his victory in our home round of the championship – he drove a great race. Unfortunately, I couldn’t manage a points finish today because I started from too far back on the grid. I’m satisfied with the way my season has gone, and from now on, I’ll be focusing all my attention on developing and testing the new DTM AMG Mercedes C-Coupé that we’ll be driving in 2012. You can be sure that we’ll be back on the attack then.”
Renger van der Zande (stern AMG Mercedes C-Class) – Twelfth:
“Twelfth place is a decent result for me. I was running really well today and was able to keep up with Ralf. The atmosphere in the stands was terrific – especially in the Motodrom and at the Mercedes grandstand. Overall, I’m pleased with my first DTM season, particularly since my form improved significantly towards the end of season.”
Maro Engel (GQ AMG Mercedes C-Class) – 14th:
“I had obviously been hoping for better than P14 in the last race of the season, but I was boxed in by a lot of other cars on the first couple of laps, which cost me several positions. That was just bad luck. I’m very pleased for Jamie. It’s nice to have given the C-Class a fitting send-off in its last race.”
Susie Wolff (TV Spielfilm AMG Mercedes C-Class) – 15th:
“I had, of course, hoped to do better than 15th place in my first race as Susie Wolff, but it was tough to move up the field more than a couple of places from P17 on the grid. Like all the team, I’m pleased for Jamie and his victory – the 85th for the C-Class – I love this car!”
David Coulthard (Deutsche Post AMG Mercedes C-Class) – 17th:
“This was an unlucky race for me – my first pit stop wasn’t brilliant, unfortunately. After that my race was more or less over, since I had no chance to move up the field. I would of course have wished for a better result for the end of the season.”
Christian Vietoris (Junge Sterne AMG Mercedes C-Class) – retired:
“Unfortunately, this wasn’t the end to the season that I had hoped for. My pit stop didn’t go as intended: the right front wheel wasn’t on properly, which can happen. Up until that point, I had been very satisfied with the way the race was going. I was the best driver of an old-model Mercedes-Benz and had good pace. Too bad that I didn’t finish the final race of the season.”
Norbert Haug, Vice-President Mercedes-Benz Motorsport:
“That was the final race to be contested under the current DTM regulations, and for Jamie Green to have won it in such a convincing manner today is a tremendous achievement. Well done to everyone who played their part in making it happen. This is a victory that will go down in the record books and Jamie showed his true calibre today. With our C-Class, we have now won 85 out of 159 races – more than half, in fact – which makes this car the most successful and victorious in DTM history. Since the DTM was revived in 2000, Mercedes-Benz has won 19 races out of 26 at Hockenheim – a fabulous win rate for our home race. Next year, the DTM will welcome a third competitor, BMW, and that affirms the good work done over the last six years by Audi, Mercedes-Benz, the ITR, the DMSB and all our sponsors and TV partners, who always believed in the success of this remarkable championship. At the end of an era, thank you to everybody who has made the third generation of the DTM possible from the start of 2012.”
Source: Daimler AG
Copyright © 2011, Mercedes-Benz-Blog. All rights reserved.
Jamie Green (AMG Mercedes C-Class) will start as the best-placed Mercedes-Benz driver in tomorrow’s 2011 DTM season finale at Hockenheim (Start: 2pm local time, live coverage on ARD from 1.45pm). He secured the second spot on the grid with a time of 1:32.920. Miguel Molina (Audi / 1:32.717) starts from pole position.
Green is on the front row of the grid for the fourth time this season and at least one C-Class has been on the front row for eight out of ten DTM races this year.
Bruno Spengler (Mercedes-Benz Bank AMG C-Class) posted a flying lap of 1:32.922 to qualify sixth for the last race of the season. Gary Paffett (THOMAS SABO AMG Mercedes C-Class / 1:33.103) is on the fourth row in seventh position.
Qualifying 1: Jamie Green set the fastest time – 1:32.977 – in the first qualifying segment. Maro Engel (GQ AMG Mercedes C-Class / 1:33.539), David Coulthard (Deutsche Post AMG Mercedes C-Class / 1:33.761) and Susie Wolff (TV Spielfilm AMG Mercedes C-Class / 1:33.930) finished in P15, 16 and 17 respectively.
Qualifying 2: Gary Paffett secured second best time – 1:32.729 – in the second qualifying session. Christian Vietoris (Junge Sterne AMG Mercedes C-Class / 1:33.172), Ralf Schumacher (Salzgitter AMG Mercedes C-Class / 1:33.352) and Renger van der Zande (stern AMG Mercedes C-Class / 1:33.617) finished in P12, 13 and 14 respectively.
Comments on qualifying:
Jamie Green (AMG Mercedes C-Class) - Second (1:32.920):
“I had a clean lap in the final part of qualifying, but Miguel Molina was a little bit faster than me. I had hoped to get on pole, but second on the grid is a good starting position for the race. I won the last race of the season at the Hockenheim Ring once before, in 2007, so all being well, I can do it again tomorrow and we can round off the season with a home win for Mercedes-Benz.”
Bruno Spengler (Mercedes-Benz Bank AMG C-Class) - Sixth (1:32.922):
“Qualifying actually went better for me than free practice this morning. It was difficult to get tyres up to temperature – we rarely drive in such low temperatures as we have seen this weekend. We intend to do even better tomorrow. I’m looking forward to the race and will of course do my best.”
Gary Paffett (THOMAS SABO AMG Mercedes C-Cass) - Seventh (1:33.103):
“Seventh on the grid is not fantastic, but from this position it’s still possible to achieve a good race result on Sunday. At the season opener at the Hockenheimring earlier this season, I managed to move up the field from last place to finish in the points – so I'm optimistic about the race.”
Christian Vietoris (Junge Sterne AMG Mercedes C-Class) - Twelfth (1:33.172):
“It’s been a good weekend for me so far here in Hockenheim. I feel very comfortable in my C-class and my pace was consistently good in all sessions. We want to achieve a positive end to my first DTM season with our good race setup tomorrow.”
Ralf Schumacher (Salzgitter AMG Mercedes C-Class) - 13th (1:33.352):
“I'm obviously not all that happy with 13th place on the grid – I had hoped for much more. I will once again do everything I can to secure the best possible result in the last DTM race of the season tomorrow.”
Renger van der Zande (stern AMG Mercedes C-Class) - 14th (1:33.617):
“P14 is not quite the result I had hoped for after performing well in Valencia, but what really counts is the race on Sunday. The car suffered with oversteer and vibration in qualifying, which had not been apparent before this weekend. It’s not impossible to overtake and move up the field here at Hockenheim, and that's what I intend doing at the last race of the season.”
Maro Engel (GQ AMG Mercedes C-Class) - 15th (1:33.539):
“I wasn’t fast enough today unfortunately – a few things weren’t 100 per cent right. In a field as competitive as the DTM, you can soon find yourself dropping out of qualifying early. Too bad, I’d hoped for more, but I’ll do my best again tomorrow.”
David Coulthard (Deutsche Post AMG Mercedes C-Class) – 16th (1:33.761):
“I had hoped for more than 16th place in the final qualifying session of the season. Actually, I thought I had done enough to go through to the next stage in qualifying, since the balance of my C-Class was really good. In the cool conditions, however, getting the tyres up to temperature wasn’t easy.”
Susie Wolff (TV Spielfilm AMG Mercedes C-Class) - 17th (1:33.930):
“It’s a pity. I feel that I could have done better today, but still couldn’t manage to qualify higher than 17th. Obviously, I had been hoping to be start from higher up the grid in my first race as Mrs Wolff. But there’s everything still to play for, so I’ll have to be on the prowl, just like a real wolf tomorrow.”
Norbert Haug, Vice President Mercedes-Benz Motorsport:
“Jamie Green will start from the front row in his C-Class for the final race of the season, and we have three cars on the first four rows of the grid thanks to Bruno Spengler and Gary Paffett. Our long runs in yesterday's race simulations were good and, after achieving 84 victories in 158 races with the C-class, securing number 85 in its swansong race tomorrow would, of course, be a fantastic result. This weekend marks the end of a special era in DTM history and the arrival of our new competitor BMW next season will add even more prestige to this unique series.”
Source: Daimler AG
Copyright © 2011, Mercedes-Benz-Blog. All rights reserved.
Preview: Final round of the 2011 DTM Season at Hockenheim
• Mercedes-Benz has won 30 out of 63 races at Hockenheim and a Mercedes-Benz driver has triumphed in the last four races at the circuit – Bruno Spengler, Gary Paffett (twice) and Paul Di Resta
• With 17 wins from 27 races, the AMG Mercedes C-Class is the most successful DTM car at Hockenheim – it has scored more than half (57%) of the 30 Mercedes-Benz victories on this track
Comments from the drivers and the team principal:
Bruno Spengler (28, Canada, Mercedes-Benz Bank AMG C-Class):
- won the last race of the 2006 season and the first race in 2011 at Hockenheim
- achieved a “hat trick” in the 2011 season opener (win, pole, fastest lap)
- was on pole for the opening races in 2007 and 2011
- set fastest race lap three times at Hockenheim (2006, 2010 and 2011)
“Unfortunately, the title race was decided early in Valencia, but even so, I’m really looking forward to our home race at Hockenheim. The Hockenheimring is one of my favourite tracks, and the season opener in May went really well for us – it was the second win in my career at the circuit. I especially like the combination of fast corners and slow sections such as the hairpin. This course is technically very demanding and you need good brakes and impressive top speed. It’s a lot of fun racing here. As this is the last race for the DTM AMG Mercedes C-Class, we’re aiming to send our fans home happy with a victory and to win the team championship.”
Jamie Green (29, England, AMG Mercedes C-Class):
- won the 2007 season finale at Hockenheim
- has been on the podium at Hockenheim five times
- has started twice from pole position at Hockenheim (2005 and 2006)
- has posted the fastest race lap at the Hockenheimring on four occasions
“The season finale in Hockenheim is the perfect way to round off the year in DTM– the track is a sort of spiritual home for German motor racing, and the fans make a lot of noise at every race. In some ways, this year marks the end of an era, because it will be the last time we drive the AMG Mercedes C-Class in competitive conditions – from 2012, we’ll be driving the new DTM AMG Mercedes C-Coupé. The general standard of performance in DTM is extremely high, but we have a strong car and aim to get back to winning ways in this last race of the season. I’d love to get my sixth podium at Hockenheim driving the AMG Mercedes C-Class.”
Ralf Schumacher (36, Germany, Salzgitter AMG Mercedes C-Class):
- achieved his first DTM podium in the 2011 season opener at Hockenheim
- won the 2001 German Grand Prix at Hockenheim
“The grand finale at Hockenheim is one of the major highlights of every DTM season and we can always count on a fantastic atmosphere at our home race. I’m looking forward to hearing all the Mercedes-Benz fans cheering us on at Hockenheim. In my career, I’ve driven in a lot of races at the Hockenheimring and have good memories of the season opener in May when I achieved my first DTM podium. My target for next weekend is to finish the season with a strong performance and a good result.”
Gary Paffett (30, England, THOMAS SABO AMG Mercedes C-Class):
- has won at Hockenheim on three occasions (2004, 2009 and 2010)
- has been on the podium at Hockenheim six times
- started the season opener in 2010 from pole position
- set the fastest race lap in the 2009 season finale
“Hockenheim has always been a successful track for me – I’ve been on the podium six times there, including three times as a winner. This year, we’ll be saying a fond farewell to the most successful car in DTM history, the AMG Mercedes C-Class, in which I’ve won 17 races over the past few years. Since the beginning of September, I’ve been involved in the development and testing programme for the new DTM AMG Mercedes C-Coupé, and I’m looking forward to driving it in next year’s race at Hockenheim. But first, I’d like one more podium finish before the season ends, driving my THOMAS SABO AMG Mercedes C-Class.”
David Coulthard (40, Scotland, Deutsche Post AMG Mercedes C-Class):
- broke into the Top Ten in the 2011 season opener at Hockenheim
- competed in 14 Formula One races at Hockenheim
“Of all the tracks we race on in DTM, Hockenheim is the one I know best, not just from my time in Formula One but also from the three DTM races I’ve contested here during the past two seasons. With every race on this track, I gain more valuable experience, because a DTM car is very different from a single-seater. I also enjoy the great atmosphere at our home race in Hockenheim – the support and enthusiasm shown by the fans in the Motodrom and the Mercedes-Benz grandstand are always fantastic. After my strong performance in the last race in Valencia, I want to finish the season with an equally good result.”
Norbert Haug, Vice-President Mercedes-Benz Motorsport:
“It has become a tradition to start and finish the season at Hockenheim – and this track is seen as the heart and soul of DTM racing. Hockenheim is the home race for Mercedes-Benz and, just like every year, thousands of our colleagues and the many fans of our company will be there to cheer us on. In the past, their support has obviously given us a real boost: since 2000, when the DTM was revived, Mercedes-Benz won 18 out of 25 races staged at Hockenheim, which is a win rate of over 70 percent. We want to finish our season on a high in this year’s finale, so we’ll have a number of surprises on and off the track, especially for the spectators in the Mercedes grandstand.”
Source: Daimler AG
Copyright © 2011, Mercedes-Benz-Blog. All rights reserved.
