Jamie Green fastest with final-minute effort at Zandvoort
Jamie Green topped the opening DTM practice session at Zandvoort on Friday thanks to a fast final-minute effort in his HWA Mercedes
The British driver's 1m33.427-second lap hauled him up from fifth place and knocked Spaniard Roberto Merhi off the top spot by 0.226s.
Behind Merhi's Persson Mercedes was Nurburgring winner Bruno Spengler who, like Green, saved his best effort for the final minute; the Schnitzer BMW man knocking the Mucke Mercedes' of David Coulthard and Robert Wickens down to fourth and fifth.
Filipe Albuquerque was the fastest Audi driver in sixth, one space ahead of fellow Team Rosberg driver Edoardo Mortara. Susie Wolff completed a good day for Persson in eighth with HWA team-mates Ralf Schumacher and points leader Gary Paffett completing the top 10.
Schumacher caused the only red flag of the 90 minutes when the rear wing of his car caught an air line as he exited his pit stall and ripped it from its mounting; the result being injuries to four members of his pit crew, all of whom were taken to hospital for examination.
Adrien Tambay was at the centre of the biggest incident late-on as he put his two outside wheels onto the grass exiting Marlborobocht during the final minute.
The Frenchman did not regain the track in time to slow down sufficiently for the following right-hander and ploughed off into the gravel trap.
Pos Driver Team/Car Time Gap 1. Jamie Green HWA Mercedes 1m33.427s 2. Roberto Merhi Persson Mercedes 1m33.653s + 0.226s 3. Bruno Spengler Schnitzer BMW 1m34.094s + 0.667s 4. David Coulthard Mucke Mercedes 1m34.123s + 0.696s 5. Robert Wickens Mucke Mercedes 1m34.404s + 0.977s 6. Filipe Albuquerque Rosberg Audi 1m34.510s + 1.083s 7. Edoardo Mortara Rosberg Audi 1m34.525s + 1.098s 8. Susie Wolff Persson Mercedes 1m34.631s + 1.204s 9. Ralf Schumacher HWA Mercedes 1m34.659s + 1.232s 10. Gary Paffett HWA Mercedes 1m34.677s + 1.250s 11. Mattias Ekstrom Abt Audi 1m34.782s + 1.355s 12. Andy Priaulx RBM BMW 1m34.795s + 1.368s 13. Joey Hand RMG BMW 1m34.813s + 1.386s 14. Mike Rockenfeller Phoenix Audi 1m34.857s + 1.430s 15. Dirk Werner Schnitzer BMW 1m34.891s + 1.464s 16. Adrien Tambay Abt Audi 1m35.037s + 1.610s 17. Augusto Farfus RBM BMW 1m35.076s + 1.649s 18. Rahel Frey Abt Audi 1m35.224s + 1.797s 19. Christian Vietoris HWA Mercedes 1m35.277s + 1.850s 20. Martin Tomczyk RMG BMW 1m35.304s + 1.877s 21. Timo Scheider Abt Audi 1m35.319s + 1.892s 22. Miguel Molina Phoenix Audi 1m36.090s + 2.663s
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