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Team tactics key to Reuter's title hopes

Opel aces Jo Winkelhock and Uwe Alzen will be key to the final destination of the DTM title, says their team mate and title long-shot Manuel Reuter.

Reuter is joint second in the points, 59 behind Mercedes' runaway championship leader Bernd Schneider. With a maximum of 80 points from the last four races, Reuter needs to win both races, with Schneider finishing out of the top three for the fight to go to the Hockenheim finale.

The Opel star is second on the grid, with Schneider third for the first of tomorrow's two races at the Nurburgring, but with Winkelhock on pole and Alzen fourth, Reuter believes the Russelsheim marque has the tactical upper hand and can fill the all-important podium places.

"I know I have to win both races," said Reuter, "but there is still a chance, and we shall be doing everything we can to keep that hope alive. Jo and Uwe give us a lot more options than Bernd has."

Opel sports boss Volker Strycek said: "After our qualifying performance, I can relax a bit now, because it's very helpful that Jo and Uwe are where they are - and Christian Menzel (seventh) could be a help too in keeping Schneider off the podium."

Winkelhock took his second pole of the season, but concedes that helping Reuter will take a higher priority than winning his second race of the year.

"Sure I'd love to try and win the race," he said, "but we have to see what kind of help Manuel needs. If we're told to help him, that's what we'll do."

Schneider has Mercedes team mates in fifth and sixth on the grid, with Marcel Tiemann just edging Marcel Fassler. But with Fassler still in with a mathematical chance of clinching second in the final standings, Schneider cannot rely on them to the same extent.

"After Oschersleben, I'm used to having Opels around me," said Schneider. "But if it rains, I hope I have the same advantage as I had last time here, because I'm not sure if Opel has improved in the wet."

Schneider won both races when the DTM last race on the Nurburgring, with the winning margin in race one a record for the born again series.

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