Qualifying race: Dumbreck keeps cool in the wet

Rain began to spit just minutes before the start of the race, sending mechanics into a frenzy of tyre changes on the grid. Dumbreck made an excellent start from pole, but the first corner saw contact between the top three, as the Opel of Michael Bartels pushed Mattias Ekstrom's Audi into Dumbreck.

The result was that all three slowed in the middle of the corner, and Bartels was spun around by a combination of Christijan Albers (Mercedes) and Christian Abt (Audi) behind him. After all his fine work in qualifying, the unfortunate Bartels had to restart at the back of the field.

Dumbreck led by just a tenth of a second at the end of the opening lap, as Ekstrom attacked into the first corner of the second lap. The Scot repelled the Swede and, although Mattias was never far away, Peter always looked in control of the race.

Abt dropped away in a solitary third, while series leader Bernd Schneider lived up to his promised motto of "attack" and passed 16 cars ahead of him on the grid to take a stunning fourth. Patrick Huisman (Mercedes) battled past his team mate Marcel Tiemann for fifth, with Marcel Fassler storming to sixth from 18th on the grid, ahead of Tiemann and the top Opel of Manuel Reuter.

Dumbreck proved he could handle the pressure from the Audi rookie, but can he fend off the attentions of his fired up superstar team mate in the main race? Find out on Autosport.com whether he can, and whether that bloomin' great black cloud that appears to be coming our way is about to dump its contents again...


Peter Dumbreck, 2001 D2 Mercedes CLK, 9 laps
Mattias Ekstrom, Abt Sportsline Audi TT-R, +0.9s
Christian Abt, 2001 Abt Sportsline Audi TT-R, +4.9s
Bernd Schneider, 2001 D2 Mercedes CLK, +12.6s
Patrick Huisman, 2001 Eschmann-Manthey Mercedes CLK, +16.6s
Marcel Fassler, 2001 Warsteiner Mercedes CLK, +17.8s
Marcel Tiemann, 2001 Eschmann-Manthey Mercedes CLK, 18.1s
Manuel Reuter, 2001 Phoenix Opel Astra Coupe, +18.8s
Darren Turner, 2000 Rosberg Mercedes CLK, +19.6s
Hubert Haupt, 2000 Euroteam Opel Astra Coupe, +20.1s