Bruno Spengler Wins All at Hockenheim DTM Finale

Photo Source: DTM

Concluding what has been another exciting tour for the DTM series, the race cars and teams return to the Hockenheimring, where the 2012 season started less than six months earlier. Despite starting the season as an early casualty of the opening 2012 DTM series event, Canadian driver Bruno Spengler (who had signed with the returning BMW squad late 2011 after a long time with Mercedes-Benz teams) roared back with three wins to challenge season-long points leader Gary Paffett.

Trekking out on the 4.574-kilometer long Hockenheim circuit on Saturday prior to Sunday’s main event, qualifying saw Gary Paffett muscled out a 2^nd fastest time in his Mercedes-Benz C-Class Coupe sponsored by THOMAS SABO. Bettering Spengler’s BMW M3 by just one position, the Brit Paffett only needed to finish ahead of Spengler to clinch the championship honours for a season of racing. Augusto Farfus took the pole for the DTM Hockenheim finale with a 1-minute, 34.140-second lap time.

 

Photo Source: DTM

While Paffett rested on the grid in prime position for his second DTM championship leading up to the start of 42 laps at Hockenheim, the contention for the 2012 series title immediately heated up. Due to a weak start by Gary Paffett, Bruno Spengler was able to storm by the Mercedes-Benz rival for the second place spot. Spengler’s BMW Bank M3 race car would waste little time displacing the fellow BMW Augusto Farfus from the race lead by the end of lap 1.

Dropping to as low as fourth position, Gary Paffett recovered to second place before the halfway point of the event and would put up a formidable challenge against the leading BMW of Bruno Spengler. Never able to stretch a lead of more than 3.6 seconds under race conditions, Spengler would be able to read the inverted THOMAS SABO lettering in his mirrors often throughout the event. By lap 36, Gary Paffett had closed to within 1.2 seconds of the Canadian Spengler and prepared to give the BMW Bank car a late-race battle for the event victory as well as the all-important championship. Resisting the challenge, Bruno Spengler added some more speed to his BMW M3 creeping away from the Mercedes-Benz race car. Crossing the line 2.2 seconds in the lead to win the Hockenheim event, Bruno Spengler (a 29-year old driver defined in media as “The Secret Canadian”) celebrated the end of his 8^th season in DTM racing with his first driver championship.

Photo Source: DTM

Finishing 2^nd on two occasions in yearly title chases, Spengler had seen the DTM championship slip away from him in 7 previous seasons in the largely German-based racing tour. However, in 2012, it was finally Bruno Spengler‘s turn to be crowned the DTM driver champion. "My pulse was really racing." said the victorious Spengler that overcame a slow start to the 2012 DTM series to win the championship. "Thank you to BMW Team Schnitzer. My team did a great job all season. Once again, everything went exactly to plan today. In a race, in which we were under extreme pressure, the team did another amazing job on the pit stops. You never win on your own – only as part of a team. I am totally confused and have no idea how I should be feeling. Standing on the top step of the podium, raising the trophy to the sky and seeing all the many fans cheering for me is an amazing experience. I have waited for this for so many years. It is simply sensational.”

Gary Paffett applied a solid fight to Bruno Spengler in this final race at Hockenheim that did not go unnoticed by the victorious Canadian. “Congratulations to my rival Gary Paffett, who performed brilliantly throughout the entire season and put up a fair fight. He would also have been a worthy champion. He is a great sportsman. He put me under a lot of pressure in the final race today. I spent a lot of time looking in the rear-view mirror and he just kept getting closer. However, I was able to maintain my pace and close the race out.” said Spengler.

Photo Source: DTM

By a matter of four points, Gary Paffett had to settle for a runner-up spot in the 2012 DTM championship. “My team has done brilliantly well this season in terms of performance and it is very unfortunate that we missed winning the championship title in the last race by four points.” said Paffett after the Hockenheim event. A winner of a DTM championship in 2005, Gary Paffett doubt with the narrow 2012 season title loss in stride saying, “So in the immediate aftermath of the race, disappointment sits deep, of course, because from my point of view we deserved to win the championship title just as much as Bruno Spengler and BMW. Congratulations to Bruno on his first DTM title! We will go on the attack again next year to take the championship.“



2012 DTM Series
Hockenheimring
Race Results

Pos #	Driver	Nationality	Race Organization	Car Make
1	Bruno Spengler	Canada	BMW Team Schnitzer	BMW M3
2	Gary Paffett	England	THOMAS SABO	Mercedes AMG C-Coupé
3	Augusto Farfus	Brazil	BMW Team RBM	BMW M3
4	Jamie Green	England	Mercedes AMG	Mercedes AMG C-Coupé
5	Dirk Werner	Germany	BMW Team Schnitzer	BMW M3
6	Edoardo Mortara	Italy	Audi Sport Team Rosberg	Audi A5
7	Andy Priaulx	Guernsey (Britain)	BMW Team RBM	BMW M3
8	Joey Hand	United States	BMW Team RMG	BMW M3
9	Ralf Schumacher	Germany	Mercedes AMG	Mercedes AMG C-Coupé
10	Christian Vietoris	Germany	Mercedes-Benz Bank AMG	Mercedes AMG C-Coupé
11	Filipe Albuquerque	Portugal	Audi Sport Team Rosberg	Audi A5
12	Timo Scheider	Germany	Audi Sport Team Abt Sportsline	Audi A5
13	Susie Wolff	Scotland	TV Spielfilm Mercedes AMG	Mercedes AMG C-Coupé
14	Martin Tomczyk	Germany	BMW Team RMG	BMW M3
15	Roberto Merhi	Spain	Junge Sterne Mercedes AMG	Mercedes AMG C-Coupé
16	Rahel Frey	Switzerland	Audi Sport Team Abt	Audi A5
17	Miguel Molina	Spain	Audi Sport Team Phoenix	Audi A5
18	David Coulthard	Scotland	DHL Paket Mercedes AMG	Mercedes AMG C-Coupé
19	Robert Wickens	Canada	stern Mercedes AMG	Mercedes AMG C-Coupé
20	Mattias Ekström	Sweden	Audi Sport Team Abt Sportsline	Audi A5
21	Mike Rockenfeller	Germany	Audi Sport Team Phoenix	Audi A5
22	Adrien Tambay	France	Audi Sport Team Abt	Audi A5

Paffett Brands Hometown Pride on Brand Hatch DTM Race

Photo Credit: Daimler AG

The first visit for the 2012 DTM tour ourside of Germany, the field of Mercedes-Benz, Audi and BMW race cars roared around the British Brands Hatch road course. The third race on the calender, Gary Paffett enters his home country with a win and a second place finish in the early stage of the season. With the two earlier races won by Mercedes-Benz and BMW, the 1.929-kilomter Brands Hatch circuit would be an important barometer to establish the balance of the 2012 DTM schedule.

On Saturday, Gary Paffett delighted the British crowd by placing his Thomas Sabo Mercedes AMG C-Coupe on the pole. Outpowering teammate Christian Vietoris by 0.144 seconds and BMW driver Bruno Spengler by 0.194 seconds, Paffett sights were set with a clear path for Sunday's 97-lap main event.

Photo Credit: Daimler AG

Right from the start, Gary Paffett took advantage of his pole position to lead the opening lap of the Brands Hatch race. The front row starting car driven by Christian Vietoris lost race positions at the beginning of the Brands Hatch DTM event as Bruno Spengler was able to navigate his BMW M3 into the second place spot.  By lap 10, Paffett and his Mercedes AMG C-Coupe had a one-second lead on the Spengler.

A racetrack cited as being difficult for passing, drivers at Brands Hatch were offered few opportunities to gain position on the race track. As the race progressed, DTM frontrunners such as Mercedes AMG's Jamie Green and Audi Sport's Mattias Ekström were playing catch-up throughout the 97-lap event. Ekström would finish fifth with his Red Bull Audi A5 while Jamie Green would come across the Brands Hatch start/finish line 8th.

The BMW M3 of Andy Priaulx made an early exit from the race as a result of crash damage early in the event. The second major retirement of the Brands Hatch race was lined to the Audi A5 driven by Timo Scheider. Scheider would be forced out of the race on lap 55 due to an engine misfire after a difficult Sunday race for the German. 

Photo Credit: BMW AG

Spengler's brush with some turn 1 curbing injured the front splitter of his BMW M3 race car. Into the late laps of the Brand Hatch race, Bruno Spengler's attention was devoted to his mirrors in efforts to hold off the Audi A5 of Mike Rockenfeller. Managing to hold off Rockenfeller's charge, Spengler crossed the line 5 seconds behind Gary Paffett who sailed to his second victory of 2012. “I am very happy with this second place. Gary Paffett was very quick, particularly in the first stint. Despite this, I was able to hang on to his coattails. It reminded me of my win at the Lausitzring, but with the roles reversed. It was a tough race." said Spengler in post race.

An error-free Brands Hatch event for Paffett, the Thomas Sabo Mercedes AMG C-Coupe driver explained that "it was a perfect race that we controlled from start to finish". With the early success for Gary Paffett, the British driver holds the overall points lead in DTM by 25 points.

Photo Credit: Daimler AG

With Mercedes-Benz, BMW and Audi securing a podium spot for the first time in 2012 at Brands Hatch, Martin Tomczyk brought another BMW M3 home 4th ahead of Mattias Ekström.

As one seasoned Canadian has earned a win and a runner-up position in the last two events on the DTM series, the 2012 DTM second driver from Canada had another learning experience with the stern Mercedes AMG C-Coupe. Robert Wickens finished 14th in the Brands Hatch race, you spot behind the BMW M3 of United States driver Joey Hand. "All in all, I'm happy with my third DTM race. My pace was quite decent and my stern AMG Mercedes C-Coupé ran very well. I'm getting better from race to race and gaining experience through working with the team.“ said Wickens continuing to learn the fendered race cars.

The next race for the 2012 DTM series involves a trip to the Austrian Red Bull Ring on June 3rd.



2012 DTM
Brands Hatch
Race Results

Pos #	Driver	Nationality	Race Organization	Car Make
1	Gary Paffett	England	THOMAS SABO	Mercedes AMG C-Coupé
2	Bruno Spengler	Canada	BMW Team Schnitzer	BMW M3
3	Mike Rockenfeller	Germany	Audi Sport Team Phoenix	Audi A5
4	Martin Tomczyk	Germany	BMW Team RMG	BMW M3
5	Mattias Ekström	Sweden	Audi Sport Team Abt Sportsline	Audi A5
6	Christian Vietoris	Germany	Mercedes-Benz Bank AMG	Mercedes AMG C-Coupé
7	Miguel Molina	Spain	Audi Sport Team Phoenix	Audi A5
8	Jamie Green	England	Mercedes AMG	Mercedes AMG C-Coupé
9	Edoardo Mortara	Italy	Audi Sport Team Rosberg	Audi A5
10	Filipe Albuquerque	Portugal	Audi Sport Team Rosberg	Audi A5
11	Augusto Farfus	Brazil	BMW Team RBM	BMW M3
12	Adrien Tambay	France	Audi Sport Team Abt	Audi A5
13	Joey Hand	United States	BMW Team RMG	BMW M3
14	Robert Wickens	Canada	stern Mercedes AMG	Mercedes AMG C-Coupé
15	David Coulthard	Scotland	DHL Paket Mercedes AMG	Mercedes AMG C-Coupé
16	Dirk Werner	Germany	BMW Team Schnitzer	BMW M3
17	Roberto Merhi	Spain	Junge Sterne Mercedes AMG	Mercedes AMG C-Coupé
18	Rahel Frey	Switzerland	Audi Sport Team Abt	Audi A5
19	Ralf Schumacher	Germany	Mercedes AMG	Mercedes AMG C-Coupé
20	Susie Wolff	Scotland	TV Spielfilm Mercedes AMG	Mercedes AMG C-Coupé
21	Timo Scheider	Germany	Audi Sport Team Abt Sportsline	Audi A5
22	Andy Priaulx	Guernsey (Britain)	BMW Team RBM	BMW M3