Bernd Schneider still knows the trick!

Bernd Schneider has won the DTM race at the Nürburgring. The experienced Mercedes driver won after Audi threw their chances away even before the start of the race. Almost all the Audi drivers started on wet tires, as there was a small drizzle over the track. The wrong decision, as it didn’t start raining untill ten laps from the end.

After the warm-up lap Mattias Ekström, Timo Scheider and Markus Winkelhock already came to the conclusion the wet tires was the wrong decision. They quickly came into the pits to change to dry tires and started their race from the pits.

Mike Rockenfeller won the start from Tom Kristensen, but the pair were also on wet tires, and had to let the lead to Gary Paffett, who passed the pair on his dry tires round the outside in the second corner. Soon Paul di Resta and Bernd Schneider followed him passed, and when the cars came round the pits for the first time Kristensen, Tomczyk and Rockenfeller pitted for dry tires.

On lap 4, Mattias Ekström had already worked his way up to eight. A lap later he passed Sussie Stoddart for 7th. On lap 7 Di Resta was let passed by Gary Paffett and took the lead of the race. Three laps later Schneider followed the example Di Resta had set, and took over second place.

The pit window opened on lap 11, and immidiately the drivers took the opportunity to pit. After the front runners had pitted, Ralf Schumacher had lost a place to Mattias Ekström.

The laps between the first and second pitstops were very uneventfull. Only when cars started to pit for the second time, action on the track started again. Tom Kristensen retired in the first corner after he spun into the travel grap trying to overtake Mathias Lauda. A lap later, on lap 26, Katherine Legge and Maro Engel colided in the last corner, as Legge tried to cut across Engel to get into the pits. The pair both had to end their race in the gravel trap. Lap 28 saw Martin Tomczyk retiring in the pits with mechanical problems.

On lap 33 the rain started to fall at last. A lap later Ekström passed Paffett. On lap 35 Scheider tried to do the same, but Paffett fought back and kept 5th place. With 7 laps to go Di Resta was the first one to pit for wet tires, two laps later Timo Scheider did the same. The other front runners stayed on dry, eventhough the track was getting wetter and wetter.

But the gamble Di Resta and Scheider took payed off, because with just three laps to go Di Resta passed Ekström and Paffett for third, and a lap later he passed Green for second. Timo Scheider managed to pass Ekström and finished as best Audi driver. He just came short to take Paffett before the finish.

Ralf Schumacher scored his first point in DTM by finishing in eighth.