DTM champion Rast in hospital after huge race one Lausitzring crash

A safety car with 40 minutes to go in the race had bunched the field up, and Rast was clipped on his left-rear by Audi stablemate Loic Duval.

Rast's car began to spin, pitching left, before it dug in on the grass on the outside of the corner and flipped twice, landing on its wheels without a roof.

Rast's wave after the shunt from in the cockpit was easily viewable, and he then left the car under his own effort.

"I feel surprisingly well and I have no pain," said Rast. "As we can see the car is very safe."

Rast was taken to hospital for routine checks and X-rays. He reported no pain, but as of 1600hrs local time he was still in hospital under observation.

Audi Team Rosberg confirmed that the car wouldn't be able to start tomorrow, and that it would be dismantled for a full investigation before being prepared for the next round in Hungary.

"The race result is secondary for us today," said Audi Motorsport head Dieter Gass. "The main thing is that nothing happened to our drivers in the two accidents.

"It was proved once again just how high the safety level is in the DTM and how safe the Audi RS 5 DTM is."

The crash came as part of a nightmare race for Audi. At the start, ninth-place starter Nico Muller stalled and the unsighted Jamie Green was unable to avoid the Swiss driver's car when he happened upon it, crashing into its rear and ending both their races.

Only Mike Rockenfeller (11th) and Robin Frijns who earned a stop/go penalty for an offence under the safety car and finished 13th, finished the race for the marque.

Rast is already 52 points behind current leader Timo Glock in his title defence year, and the BMW driver could extend that gap in tomorrow's race.