Hockenheim, 23 October, DTM round 11
1 Bernd Schneider (Mercedes) 36 laps in 1.02'12"480
2 Jamie Green (Mercedes) + 8"076
3 Gary Paffett (Mercedes) + 15"986
4 Tom Kristensen (Audi A4 DTM) + 16"593

Despite this clever move, Ekström had to settle for the vice champion’s title. After rain had set in just before the start, his team put all the stakes on one card and changed the set-up of his Audi A4 DTM from dry to rain as late as on the starting grid – a gamble that went unrewarded: halfway through the race the racing line had dried off completely, and there were no more rain showers. In the second half of the race, the Audi driver was fighting with his back against the wall, coming under fierce attacks by Mercedes driver Jean Alesi during which his Audi A4 DTM lost crucial aerodynamic components, and ultimately finished in seventh place.

Best Audi driver in the final race – yet again - was Tom Kristensen. The Le Mans record winner started with a dry set-up and at times was clocking the fastest lap times by far in the field. At the finish, Kristensen in the fight for third place had to admit defeat to the new DTM champion, Gary Paffett (Mercedes-Benz), by merely 0.607 seconds.

The best race so far in his young DTM career was driven by Frank Stippler in last year’s A4 of Audi Sport Team Joest. Over a distance of 21 laps Stippler managed to keep Gary Paffett at bay before having to give way to the Brit. With a fifth-place finish, the German achieved his best DTM result so far.

The other Audi drivers were less fortunate: Allan McNish and Christian Abt became victims of the same Mercedes driver. Martin Tomczyk drove across carbon fibre components which Jean Alesi’s Mercedes had lost, causing him to go off the track with a front wheel lock. Dindo Capello’s Audi was brushed several times by rivals as early as on the turbulent opening lap, resulting in front end damage to his car.

In the drivers’ classification, Audi claimed second and third place, achieved by Mattias Ekström and Tom Kristensen, respectively. Audi clinched the vice champion’s title in the manufacturers’ classification, and Audi Sport Team Abt Sportsline second place in the teams’ standings.

Dindo Capello (Audi Sport Team Joest #18) 16th place, + 1' 23"435
"Of course I’d been hoping for a better result in the final race. But as early as in the first two corners I was hit so many times that several parts of the car were damaged, particularly the front splitter. After that, I was lacking speed. I learned a lot this year, there was a possibility here to finish in the points. But there was a bit of luck missing. In some of the races, I was among the quickest at times".