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

XSL Speed Reporter Guide to the 2012 DTM Series

Photo Credit: BMW AG

A series growing in international popularity, the DTM (Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters) has grown from modest German touring car roots. While the 11-race 2012 tour maintains much of its spectacle inside Germany, four other European countries are scheduled to play host to what is a new look series this year.

New race vehicle specifications designed to reduce vehicle costs, improve safety as well as the racing product in DTM has provided a window for auto manufacturer’s participation in the series. While Mercedes-AMG decided to modernize their familiar C-Class Coupe, Audi (who won 8 of the DTM series’ 12 races in 2011) chose to integrate the A5 Coupe into the 2012 tour. This season also welcomes back BMW after a near 20-year hiatus. All cars are powered by V-8 engines generating between 450 and 500 horsepower. The changes to the race vehicles were only a change the opening 2012 DTM Series round at the 4.574-kilometer Hockenheimring GP Circuit would present.

Photo Credit: Audi AG

Drivers from 11 countries are represented at the first race of the 2012 DTM Series. Along the featured drivers are two of Canada’s many promising young professional competing at the upper echelons of motorsports. Runner-up in the 2006 and 2007 DTM championship, Bruno “The Secret Canadian” Spengler landed a ride in BMW’s DTM comeback in 2012. Driving the #7 for Team Schnitzer, the 28 year-old Spengler has aligned himself with an entity that has propelled BMWs to the greatest heights in motorsports including the overall win at the 1999 24-Hour of Le Mans race. Joining the Canadian Spengler wheeling the BMW M3 DTM car is defending DTM champion Martin Tomczyk, three-time World Touring Car Championship title winner Andy Priaulx, German sports car notable Dirk Werner and American Le Mans Series champion Joey Hand.

Formula Renault 3.5 Series champion and Formula 1 test driver during the 2011 season for Marussia-Virgin Racing, Toronto, Ontario born Robert Wickens will embrace fendered race vehicles for the very first time in competition driving a Mercedes-AMG C-Class Coupe for stern. Wickens is part of the Mercedes-AMG contingent that has former Formula 1 drivers David Couthard and Ralf Schumacher steering the DTM-prepped C-Class Coupes. UK drivers Gary Paffett and Jamie Green are also notable this season.




Photo Credit: Daimler AG

With 2011 champion Martin Tomczyk taking the #1 with him to BMW, the Audi A5 DTM car squad will be led by the two-time series champion and last year’s overall point runner-up Mattias Ekström. The presence of veteran DTM driver and occasional Audi Sport Team Joest prototype pilot Mike Rockenfeller will also be expected to be a visible driver with Audi. Other Audi A5 DTM machines to watch this 2012 season should also include the vehicles #4 Timo Scheider and the #18 of French rookie Adrien Tambay.

Photo Credit: Daimler AG

2012 DTM Series Schedule

Date	Event	Country	Race Course	Laps
April 29th	Hockenheimring Baden-Württemberg	Germany	4,574 km	40 Laps
May 6th	Lausitzring	Germany	3,478 km	52 Laps
May 20th	Brands Hatch	United Kingdom	1,929 km	98 Laps
June 3rd	Red Bull Ring Spielberg	Austria	4,326 km	42 Laps
July 1st	Norisring	Germany	2,300 km	82 Laps
July 15th	Olympiastadion Munchen	Germany	Special Course
August 19th	Nürburgring	Germany	3,629 km	49 Laps
August 26th	Circuit Park Zandvoort	Netherlands	4,307 km	41 Laps
September 16th	Motorsport Arena Oschersleben	Germany	3,696 km	50 Laps
September 30th	Valencia	Spain	4,005 km	45 Laps
October 21st	Hockenheimring Baden-Württemberg	Germany	4,574 km	38 Laps