Alzen breaks DTM duck – despite tyre criticisms…

After out-dragging pole-sitter Bernd Schneider's Mercedes at the rolling start for race one, Opel ace Alzen was never headed on his way to his maiden DTM victory, despite having to soak up constant pressure from runaway championship leader Schneider.

"That was a perfect start for me," he said. "The Opel's a little bit faster than the Mercedes on the straights and I managed to get ahead before the first corner. After that, I had to be absolutely on the limit every single lap because I could always see Bernd in my mirrors."

Last month at the Nurburgring, Alzen had criticised Dunlop's DTM control tyre, saying it offered too little grip for the championship's 'hard chargers', but Opel motorsport boss Volker Strycek dismissed the criticisms and praised Alzen for his persistence.

"Sure the window to work in with these tyres is small," said Strycek, "but the DTM was designed to be a championship that tested the drivers and the engineers. The tyre is the same for everybody and I have to say that Uwe has been getting stronger and stronger in recent races and has now moved into the window."

Despite taking his first DTM win, Alzen admitted to being disappointed that he could not make it a victory double. The German had led race two before spinning off and rejoining in fourth.

"It's very important that I took my first ever DTM win," he said, "but at the moment, all I keep thinking about is that I threw away another victory. The spin was totally my fault, but the track is so slippery that if you go half a metre off the racing line, you're going to spin."