Qualification race: Abt leads the train

The Abt Sportsline Audi TT-R driver led the race from start to finish, heading home a tightly packed six-car train at the finish of the eight lap sprint.

The whole Abt squad has pledged to help Laurent Aiello get second in the championship, and both Abt and his rear gunner Mattias Ekstrom appeared to dictate a slower pace to give Aiello more opportunity to pass fourth placed Patrick Huisman.

The Dutchman had problems of his own, as the dashboard of his Mercedes appeared to come lose and begin flapping around in his face. Amazingly, he kept his cool, and his position, to stay ahead of Aiello.

Huisman also launched a couple of attacks on third placed Peter Dumbreck, but never got close enough to try a real passing move.

Abt won the race ahead of Ekstrom, Dumbreck, Huisman, Aiello and Marcel Fassler. The latter pulled a stunning move on team mate Uwe Alzen at Mitsubishi-bocht and immediately reeled in the leading pack, but could do nothing about those ahead.

Manuel Reuter was the top Opel in ninth, sustaining race long pressure from recently crowned champion Bernd Schneider, who was only able to make up a couple of places from his starting position of 14th.

Bernd Maylander, meanwhile, suffered a massive accident at the ultra-fast Rob Slotemaker-bocht. He was uninjured but his Mercedes is wrecked.