Test 1: Schneider rules in the wet
The only British round of the DTM greeted the field with typical summer weather conditions - namely blowing a gale and raining constantly. Bernd Schneider coped with the conditions the best, pipping AMG Mercedes team-mate Jean Alesi late in the opening test session at Donington Park
Schneider lapped in 1m39.745, which eclipsed Alesi's earlier 1m39.863s effort. Mattias Ekstrom showed that the Abt Sportsline Audi team has been hard at work in the break since the previous round at Norisring, setting the third quickest time at 1m39.920s.
Early practice pacesetter Peter Dumbreck slumped to fourth in his Opel Astra Coupe on 1m39.969s, the session underlining his thoughts that the car will be quick on the sweeping sections of Donington, but struggled compared to the Mercs in the stop/start Grand Prix Loop element. Series leader Christijan Albers was only fifth fastest in his AMG Mercedes, just outpacing team-mate Marcel Fassler.
Despite the wet conditions, the session was reasonably uneventful. Ekstrom spun at Goddards, while both OPC Euroteam Opels of Joachim Winkelhock and Jeroen Bleekemolen managed to escape the clutches of the Melbourne gravel trap.
Bernd Schneider (D) AMG Mercedes-Benz CLK, 1m39.745s
Jean Alesi (F) AMG Mercedes-Benz CLK, 1m39.863s
Mattias Ekstrom (S) Abt-Audi TT-R, 1m39.920s
Peter Dumbreck (GB) Phoenix Opel Astra V8 Coupé, 1m39.969s
Christijan Albers (NL) AMG Mercedes-Benz CLK, 1m40.227s
Marcel Fässler (CH) AMG Mercedes-Benz CLK, 1m40.451s
Martin Tomczyk (D) Abt-Audi TT-R, 1m40.505s
Christian Abt (D) Abt-Audi TT-R, 1m40.541s
Manuel Reuter (D) Opel Astra Coupe, 1m40.505s
Karl Wendlinger (A) Abt-Audi TT-R, 1m40.701s
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