Zandvoort: Albers takes advantage

The Dutchman (AMG Mercedes) spent the first portion of the race sitting on the tail of Scheider (Holzer Opel), the two pulling clear of the pack whilst locked in an intense battle. But Scheider's brilliant showing all came to nothing when he made his second pit stop. A basic error saw the young German pull away before the locking nut on his right front tyre had been fastened. Scheider crawled to a halt at the exit of the pit lane, allowing Albers a clear run to a dominant victory.

The start of the race proved chaotic, as front-row starter Martin Tomcyzk made a terrible getaway, blocking his Abt Audi team-mate Mattias Ekstrom in the process. This allowed Manuel Reuter (Holzer Opel) up into third, although it wasn't long before he was passed by team-mate Alain Menu.

However, Menu's race didn't last long, as he was punted at Hugenholtz by Peter Terting (Abt Audi), who was out of position having not made his first pit stop. With those ahead of him hitting trouble, the way was clear for Bernd Schneider (AMG Mercedes) to rise through the field. The Mercedes ace came home second to ensure he (just) leads the championship heading into the Hockenheim finale.

Ekstrom recovered from his first-lap misfortune to finish third. He had a particularly entertaining scrap with Manuel Reuter, which ended when the pair made contact heading into the Audi S, putting the Swede ahead for good.

Reuter came home fourth, ahead of the AMG Mercedes duo of Jean Alesi and Marcel Fassler. Dutchman Jeroen Bleekemolen (Phoenix Opel) and Karl Wendlinger (Abt Audi) rounded out the points scoring positions.

Laurent Aiello (Abt Audi) had a tough race on his way to ninth, which included a pit lane collision with Thomas Jager (AMG Mercedes). Peter Dumbreck (Phoenix Opel) narrowly avoided contact with Jager moments earlier - which followed a similar incident at this first pit stop when he hit Tomcyk. The Scot finished 10th. Briton Gary Paffett (AMG Mercedes) finished 12th, the first of the 2002 Mercedes.