Zeltweg, 7 September, 2003

Audi Junior Martin Tomczyk had every reason to be happy: at the Austrian A1-Ring, the 21-year old driver from Rosenheim finished in eighth place and thus scored his first championship point of the 2003 season. Best-placed Audi driver in the eighth round of the DTM was Laurent Aiello in fourth place. At the finish line after 40 laps, the reigning champion was 9.878 seconds behind race winner Marcel Fässler (Mercedes-Benz). Mattias Ekström also scored championship points by finishing fifth. The second Audi Junior, Peter Terting, was 13th, local hero Karl Wendlinger finished 16th. Christian Abt already retired on the first lap after innocently becoming involved in an accident.

The race at a glance

Weather
slightly clouded, no wind, 25 degrees Centigrade

Spectators
60,000

Start
#1 Aiello has a good start, immediately overtakes Alesi.
#2 Abt is in the slipstream of #1 Aiello. On the way to the Remus-corner, Dumbreck and #2 Abt collide, the Audi driver is being forced to the left into Alesi’s Mercedes. #2 Abt hits the tyre barrier, retires. The safety car is out

Lap 6
Re-start, after the debris of the accident have been removed.
#1 Aiello is third
#5 Ekström is fifth
#14 Tomczyk seventh,
#15 Terting eleventh and
#6 Wendlinger 15th
#14 Tomczyk enters into the pits for his first mandatory stop at the end of the lap

Lap 7
Schneider overtakes #1 Aiello

Lap 10
#15 Terting is intermediately seventh, #6 Wendlinger ninth

Lap 12
#1 Aiello in for first mandatory pit stop, comes back out on the track behind #5 Ekström

Lap 13
Duel #6 Wendlinger with Mayländer

Lap 14
#15 Terting in for first mandatory pit stop

Lap 17
#1 Aiello overtakes #5 Ekström, is now fifth

Lap 20
Half-distance
Paffett (who still has to stop) is leading
#1 Aiello is fifth
#5 Ekström sixth
#14 Tomczyk seventh
#15 Terting 12th and #6 Wendlinger 15th.

Lap 24
#5 Ekström comes in for second mandatory stop

Lap 25
#1 Aiello in for second tyre change

Lap 28
#15 Terting’s second stop

Lap 29
#6 Wendlinger in for second stop

Lap 32
After the second range of pit stops
#1 Aiello is fourth
#5 Ekström is fifth
#14 Tomczyk is eighth
#15 Terting is 13th
#6 Wendlinger is in 16th place

Finish
#1 Aiello finishes fourth
#5 Ekström fifth
#14 Tomczyk is eighth
#15 Terting 13th
#6 Wendlinger remains 16th

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Laurent Aiello (Team Hasseröder Abt-Audi TT-R #1)
“Unfortunately, my car was not quite as good in the race as it had been in warm-up this morning. During the entire race, I have tried everything, but this was all that I could do today.”

Martin Tomczyk (S line Audi Junior Team Abt-Audi TT-R #14)
“At the start, I got away very well. When the first mayhem occurred, I stayed out of all the action and I was in seventh place behind Mattias (Ekström). The first stop was great and our strategy worked very well in general. After the second stop, however, the hand brake on the front axle couldn’t be released. From that moment onwards, I was two seconds per lap slower. That continued for eight laps or so and I lost another place. I kept cooling the brakes with water all the time. At the end, I could do some fast lap times again. A well-deserved reward: my first point. That is quite something.”

Peter Terting (S line Audi Junior Team Abt-Audi TT-R #15)
“This has been a good race for me from the start right up to the chequered flag. I could overtake some opponents, but I lost two places because of a slow first stop. In the closing stages, I had some nice fights, too, but then I didn’t take any major risks anymore until the finish. My Abt-Audi TT-R was very constant throughout the race.”

Hans-Jürgen Abt (team principal)
“We knew beforehand that things would be difficult for us here at the A1-Ring – by the way, in front of an excellent crowd. Therefore, I am all the more happy. We have given everything and we have three drivers in the points. In this strong field, that is a very good result. Now, we will provide a great show for our fans during the last two races.”