Photo: DTM

René Rast takes his second victory of the season at Moscow

By

Audi Sport driver René Rast drove a solid race at Moscow Raceway to win his second race of the season, finishing ahead of fellow Audi driver Mike Rockenfeller, who took his best result of the season despite driving with a broken foot.

At the start, Rast kept the lead from pole, despite Rockenfeller coming alongside him, though the 2013 champion lifted off going into Turn 1.

BMW’s Timo Glock and Audi’s Mattias Ekström came together at Turn 5 on the first lap, with the Swede going off-track and falling back to 12th. Augusto Farfus tried to overtake Rockenfeller at Turn 15, but the German driver closed the door, with the two drivers colliding, and Farfus suffering damage to the front-right end of his M4 DTM. Both Glock and Rockenfeller received warnings for the incidents.

BMW’s Marco Wittmann, starting from sixth, was already up to third by lap four and looking to challenge for the leading positions, while Audi’s Nico Müller was handed a five-second pit stop penalty for a jumped start.

Further back, Mercedes’ Lucas Auer overtook Ekström, with both finding Green, who was struggling to bring his tyres to temperature after his pit stop. Ekström touched the back of Auer’s Mercedes and dropped back to ninth place, while Auer was able to get ahead of Green’s Audi.

Leader Rast pitted at the end of lap 16, and was gradually caught by Mike Rockenfeller, who was within DRS distance three laps later. Further back, both Wittmann and Wickens had broken away from Glock, with the Canadian attacking the reigning champion. Wickens overtook Wittmann for third at Turn 1 on lap 21. In a separate manoeuvre, Paffett gained seventh place from Green at Turn 15, while five laps later, Ekström was able to pass Green for eighth at the same point.

Wittmann overtook Wickens at Turn 15 on lap 31, starting his charge to catch the leaders, who where lapping regularly within six-tenths of a second of each other. The leaders upped their pace, with Wittmann switching his focus to keep third.

At the chequered flag, Rast took his second victory of the season ahead of Rockenfeller, with Wittmann completing the podium.

Wickens was the best-placed Mercedes in fourth, followed by Glock. Auer was sixth, with Paffett holding off Ekström for seventh as both came to the finish line together. Green was ninth, with Mercedes’ Maro Engel completing the top ten.

Dieter Gass, the head of Audi Sport, said: “Fantastic Race. René and Mike did a very good race, it’s unfortunate about the incident of Mattias, but we are delighted with the result.”

The DTM is back on track tomorrow morning for the third and final free practice at 9:40 MSK, 8:40 CET.