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Turn 1 gets the chop

The fourth round of the DTM series at EuroSpeedway Lausitz will run on the circuit's regular road circuit after the new initiative to use the banked Turn 1 ended in dramatic failure yesterday (Friday)

A number of cars suffered punctures as a result of the high cornering loads exerted on tyres and the hot temperatures at the eastern German track. Two drivers hit the wall in turn one, Laurent Aiello and Christian Abt of the Abt Sportsline Audi team, but only Abt's was directly due to a tyre failure.

The German motorsport authority, the DMSB, met with the three DTM manufacturers, Abt-Audi, Opel and Mercedes, and tyre supplier, Dunlop. They decided to revert to the regular layout as track temperatures were some 15-degrees more than when Turn 1 was tested last year, while the Abt squad didn't take part in that test and were on the backfoot from the start.

The decision has met with relief from some quarters, but disappointment from others. Yesterday's testing pacesetters Christijan Albers (Mercedes) and Peter Dumbreck (Opel) both said they enjoyed the challenge of the corner, whereas Opel's veteran Manuel Reuter, for one, voiced his personal concern at the risk of further accidents.

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