DTM battle rolls on at Brands Hatch

The DTM visits Brands Hatch this weekend for its annual British round. I can't wait.

The opening two rounds of the season at Hockenheim and Lausitz have thrown up plenty of surprises and some brilliant racing, proving that the new for 2012 technical rules package has spiced things up a notch.

But if the evidence of those races is anything to go by, then Mercedes is the manufacturer to beat. Or to be more precise, its HWA drivers Gary Paffett and Jamie Green are.

A dominant one-two finish at Hockenheim for the new C-coupe was followed up by second and fourth places at Lausitz behind the BMWs of Bruno Spengler and Augusto Farfus. But beyond the all-important finishing position, a quick read between the lines identified that there was once again a clear pace advantage for the Merc at the 'roval' course.

As you'd expect for a series officiated by Germans, the DTM does a very good job of looking after the finer details, and its 36-page post-race booklet from timing expert Wiege Live offers an insight into the race that goes far beyond the final results.

After making it up from third to second off the line, Paffett spent the whole race on Spengler's bootlid and did seem to have a pace advantage. After completing the first of three race stints 0.303mph slower than Spengler, he was 0.082 and 0.040mph up on the BMW over the remaining ones, the Mercedes able to use its tyres more easily, but losing out in a straight line largely due to its drivers running more rear-wing angle.

Jamie Green was impressive too © XPB

Green was equally impressive, but nine laps spent behind Edoardo Mortara's Audi early on and a slow first pitstop due to a problem getting a right-rear wheel correctly attached, denied him the podium finish his pace deserved. Green was, in fact, the fastest man during a 26-lap long opening stint, completing it at an average speed 0.192mph quicker than Spengler.

Both Paffett and Green have designs on winning in front of their home crowd, and both are overdue a victory on UK soil, Paffett's last such result coming in Formula Vauxhall 13 years ago, and Green last spraying the bubbly in British Formula 3 in 2003.

In terms of who is more likely to do it, Green has come closest in the DTM at Brands Hatch and was on course for his first series win in 2006 when he ran wide at Graham Hill Bend under pressure from Mattias Ekstrom and let the Audi man through. But Paffett has the greater momentum and put his C-class on the front row last year. Either result would be popular.

BMW Back with a bang

And then there's BMW; back in the series for the first time in 20 years and already winning races again, courtesy of Schnitzer Motorsport and Mr Spengler at Lausitz. I must admit to having something of a soft spot for Schnitzer, the reason being that when I first took an active interest in tin-top racing, in 1993, it was the FINA-liveried 318is that were doing the winning in the British Touring Car Championship, courtesy of Steve Soper and 'Smokin' Jo Winkelhock.

Embossed on my mind is the sight of Winkelhock - on his way to the title - making the most incredible start I've ever seen to move into the lead at Pembrey from sixth on the grid (watch from 1m10), as is the memory of the sensational-looking long-tailed McLaren F1 GTR that Soper and JJ Lehto raced in the inaugural FIA GT season four years later.

Spengler won for BMW on second outing © XPB

So it was with great pleasure that I have this year made the acquaintance of team chief Charly Lamm, a man who has been involved in the team that was formed by his step-brothers one way or another since the early 1970s.

Lamm's success at the helm of Schnitzer is unquestionable. World, European, British, German and even Japanese crowns in touring cars plus 24 Hour wins at Le Mans (with the V12 LMR), Spa and the Nurburgring...

But the Lausitz one meant something more than most of them, as was obvious when we chatted in BMW's hospitality unit post-race.

"In my time with BMW, we've won a lot, but this.... We started this from nothing, and we have 10 years experience that we're missing to the other manufacturers in the DTM, so this one is very special," he said.

It showed. After his crew worked every hour available to repair the damaged cars of Spengler and Dirk Werner at Hockenheim, virtually everything that could go right, did once the M3s hit the track at Lausitz less than five days later. Even a €2000 fine for the team for allowing Spengler to leave the pits in practice with an unsecured front-right wheel failed to derail things.

Make no bones about it, BMW is a serious threat in its return season - more so than Audi looks at the moment anyway due to problems with getting the A5's Hankook rubber to work within its peak performance window. Even if Brands Hatch isn't likely to be the scene of another win (the manufacturer hasn't raced or tested at the British venue), the cars will certainly pick up useful points.

RAT PACK RETURNS

And of course I can't sign off without mentioning Saturday's Volkswagen Scirocco-R Cup support race and the unusually high number of star drivers taking part.

Hill returns to racing action at Brands © XPB

After last year's debacle with Anthony and Nicolas Hamilton not being allowed to race because of the status of their licences and Mark Higgins missing all of the pre-race sessions because he was competing on a round of the British Rally Championship, this year's 'Legend drivers' are of an altogether more known variety.

Damon Hill's first four-wheeled race since he retired from grand prix racing 13 years ago is, of course, the main attraction. But the 1996 F1 world champion has brought along his old mates from F3 in the late 1980s to reunite British racing's very own 'Rat Pack'.

Joining Hill in racing to raise money for the HALOW charity, of which he is a patron, are Mark Blundell, David Brabham, Martin Donnelly, Julian Bailey and Perry McCarthy.

The smart money's on Brabham showing best as the only member of the gang still racing full-time, although Blundell did get on the Brands podium two years ago and certainly looked no slouch in the Grand-Am races he's done since. Let's hope Hill does himself justice though...