Nico Müller won Sunday’s second DTM race at the Norisring to claim his first victory in what is possibly the most popular international touring car series.
After 72 laps of racing, pole-sitter Tom Blomqvist (BMW) crossed the finish line second. The race tyre of premium tyre maker Hankook once again impressed through its excellent performance, which helped Tom Blomqvist to set a new lap record of 48.328 seconds at the Norisring.
Nico Müller (Audi) started the race from third on the grid, and immediately made up one position at the start. Following his pit stop on the 43rd lap, the Swiss driver rejoined the race at the head of the field and held on to his lead through to the finish. Pole-sitter Tom Blomqvist (BMW) finished runner-up ahead of his team-mate Maxime Martin.
Soon after the start, Paul Di Resta (Mercedes-Benz) collided with Mattias Ekström (Audi). While the Swede was forced to retire from the race, Di Resta was able to continue and eventually came home fourth, ahead of fellow Mercedes-Benz driver Lucas Auer. This result sees the Scot climb into third place in the overall standings. The new leader in the Drivers’ Championship is Marco Wittmann. The BMW driver finished sixth to leapfrog ahead of Edoardo Mortara (Audi), who was sixth at the Norisring.
“We have had a fantastic DTM weekend at the Norisring, with dramatic races, exciting battles for position, and thrilling overtaking manoeuvres. The 123,000 DTM fans in Nuremberg and watching on the television were treated to everything that makes motorsport so popular. The Hankook race tyre was superb again here, as it has been throughout the entire 2016 season, impressing with a strong performance, a high level of consistency, and maximum safety. The DTM returns in two weeks in Zandvoort, where the circuit is nestled in the dunes and the challenges for the drivers and tyres will be completely different to here in Nuremberg. That is what makes the DTM so attractive,” said Manfred Sandbichler, Hankook Motorsport Director Europe.
Audi Sport Team Abt completed the fasted pit stop at the Norisring, with a time of 29.490 seconds. Their reward is 25 points for the overall classification in Hankook's Best Pit Stop Award. The victorious crew will also receive the traditional reward for their performance at the coming race weekend in Zandvoort. At the end of the season, the exclusive tyre partner of the DTM will present the team with the most points, and thereby the fastest team, with a challenge cup that has been highly sought after for many years.
