Sachsenring DTM: Ludwig does the double
Klaus Ludwig swept the board at the Sachsenring, easily dominating a shortened race two with another lights-to-flag win
With tyre problems such a factor in the day's first 30-lapper, the second race was reduced to 24 laps. The Mercedes veteran probably breathed a sigh of relief, since he had actually punctured on the slowdown lap of the first race.
As in race one, Peter Dumbreck finished a deferential second, with Bernd Schneider third - but it took another Opel tyre failure to secure the point-leader's second podium of the day. Opel's Eric Helary had grabbed third at the rolling start and held it until lap 20 when, you guessed it, his car suffered a right front tyre failure, pitching him into one of the Sachsenring's luxurious expanses of gravel.
After that, what had promised to be a close fight between Mercedes and Opel degenerated into something of a Mercedes benefit, with Marcels Fassler and Tiemann taking fourth and fifth.
Best of the Opels was Michael Bartels, who tenaciously held onto sixth, but it was a bad day for Russelheim's title hopes. Its two main men, Manuel Reuter and Jo Winkelhock, could manage only an 11th and a 10th respectively after starting from the back, the consequence of their race one punctures and shunts.
1 Klaus Ludwig, Mercedes, 24 laps
2 Peter Dumbreck, Mercedes, +0.9s
3 Bernd Schneider, Mercedes, +1.9s
4 Marcel Fassler, Mercedes, +9.9s
5 Marcel Tiemann, Mercedes, +18.3s
6 Michael Bartels, Opel, +27.3s
7 Timo Scheider, Opel, +27.8s
8 Darren Turner, Mercedes, +28.3s
9 Thomas Jager, Mercedes, +28.6s
10 Jo Winkelhock, Opel, +29.1s
Previous article
Race one: Ludwig's back! Dumbreck on podium
Next article
Nurburgring preview: Can Opel bounce back?
Round 2: Lausitzring - Race 2 Highlights
Round 2: Lausitzring - Race 1 Highlights
DTM: Round 1 - Monza Race 2 highlights
DTM: Round 1 - Monza Race 1 highlights
DTM 2021 Gerhard Berger on the coming season
The number-crunching behind the new-look DTM's equalisation drive
Switching to GT3 regulations marked a fresh start for the DTM in 2021, but it has also drawn a line in the sand against other series using similar cars by engaging AVL Racing to develop a bespoke Balance of Performance system. Here’s how it works
The initial verdict on DTM's move to GT3 cars
OPINION: Facing collapse last year, the DTM has shifted its philosophy from a championship for silhouette-based touring cars to GT machines not too dissimilar to those racing across multiple series worldwide. But despite some initial BoP-based teething troubles, there were some pleasant findings as the 'new DTM' got underway at Monza
Why Albon has his work cut out in the new-look DTM
The DTM moves into its bold new GT3 era with welcome support from Red Bull, which enters two AF Corse-run Ferraris. That includes one for ex-F1 driver Alex Albon, who’s determined to make a success of his GT switch - but he knows it won't be easy...
The slow-burner threatening to unseat Audi's DTM king
It's taken him a while to emerge as a consistent title challenger, but in the final year of DTM's Class One rule set, Nico Muller has smoothed the rough edges and has double champion stablemate Rene Rast working harder than ever to keep up in the title race
How a DTM failure became an unlikely Nurburgring conqueror
Opel's fortunes in the DTM had taken a turn for the worst by 2003 - hardly the pedigree that suggested it could take on the toughest 24-hour race of them all. But that's exactly what it did
The season that revitalised a sleeping giant
On the 20th anniversary of the resumption of hostilities in the DTM, Autosport revisits a classic season that brought a staple of German motorsport back to life with a bang and set in motion the careers of some notable names
Does 2000 hold the answers to DTM's current crisis?
It's 20 years since the DTM roared back into life at a packed Hockenheim with a back-to-basics approach as the antidote to its high-tech past. Now it's on its knees again, so is it time to recall the lessons learned in 2000?
The last-chance saloon of Germany's forgotten tin-top champions
The Opel Vectra GTS was the last in the line of the marque's DTM challengers, but failed to hit the lofty heights of its predecessors when financial constraints hit
