In a gruelling 85 lap race in hot conditions, there was touring car racing at its best in the fourth round of the DTM at the Brands Hatch Indy circuit. Until lap 69, Danish pole-sitter Tom Kristensen looked all-set for his second consecutive victory, but then he retired with damaged suspension of his left front wheel at Clearways. Jamie Green inherited the lead, but the Brit’s joy wasn’t to last long as he ran wide at Brabham six laps later. This allowed Mattias Ekström to take first place and he went on to score the ninth victory of his DTM career, the 37th DTM win for Audi.
Start La Rosa stalls, Kristensen takes the from Green and Ekström, Frentzen, Schneider, Tomczyk, Häkkinen, Spengler, Abt, Stippler
Lap 2 Stippler off the track into the tyre barrier at Druids
Lap 6 The first three have pulled clear a little bit
Lap 6 The first three have pulled clear a little bit. Frentzen, Häkkinen into the pits. Häkkinen drives off with the tank can on his car. It falls out at the pit lane exit
Lap 10 Alesi into the pits
Lap 11 Kaffer and Mücke tangle while battling for ninth place
Lap 13 Kaffer into the pits
Lap 16 Stoddart into the pits
Lap 17 Schneider, Ickx into the pits
Lap 18 Spengler into the pits
Lap 20 Green, Tomczyk, Margaritis into the pits
Lap 22 La Rosa into the pits
Lap 23 Kristensen into the pits, Lauda briefly off the track
Lap 25 Lauda into the pits. Alesi and Frentzen tangle at Paddock
Lap 28 Ekström into the pits
Lap 31 Häkkinen into the pits
Lap 32 Schneider, Frentzen into the pits
Lap 35 Tomczyk, Abt, Green, Bleekemolen, Spengler into the pits
Lap 36 Scheider, Mücke, Kristensen into the pits
Lap 41 Kristensen has moved up into second place
Lap 42 Alesi into the pits
Lap 44 Vanina Ickx off the track going into Paddock Hill Bend
Lap 46 Margaritis, Bleekemolen into the pits
Lap 47 Kaffer into the pits
Lap 48 Lauda into the pits
Lap 52 Stoddart into the pits
Lap 60 Abt into the pits
Lap 61 Ekström into the pits
Lap 62 Scheider into the pits
Lap 65 Mücke into the pits. Drive through penalty for Mika Häkkinen for overtaking under yellow flag
Lap 69 Häkkinen into the pits
Lap 70 Kristensen slides off the track and enters the pits, retires. Damaged suspension left front wheel
Lap 73 Abt and Spengler collide in fight for 5th place. Alesi and Abt go pass Spengler
Lap 74 Green of the track, Ekström takes the lead
Lap 83 Frentzen into the pits, retires
Lap 85 Ekström wins in front of Green, Schneider, Tomczyk, Abt, Alesi, Spengler and Margaritis
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