Zandvoort DTM: Timo Scheider fastest for Audi in wet practice
Timo Scheider topped a rain-affected second DTM practice session for Audi at Zandvoort on Saturday morning
The rain began to fall within seconds of the 90-minute session beginning. Abt Sportsline driver Scheider just had time to complete his pacesetting 1m37.308s lap on slick tyres before the water had a chance to settle.
Within 10 minutes the track was virtually flooded, with the most standing water collecting on the inside of the Audi S.
The rain had eased off considerably by the 45-minute mark. Consistently the fastest drivers in the conditions were HWA Mercedes duo Jamie Green and Ralf Schumacher, and Schnitzer BMW driver Bruno Spengler. All were lapping in the mid-1m46s bracket while the rest were in the high 1m47s or slower.
More rain fell during the short, mid-session break, although it only took until the 60-minute mark for the times to fall below those set in the wet earlier on.
David Coulthard was the first man to dip into the 1m45s at this point, while Green made it into the 1m44s just 10 minutes later.
While this was happening, a number of drivers took trips off the circuit as they began to push harder. Miguel Molina beached his car in the gravel at Renaultbocht while Spengler managed to escape with a trip onto the grass at the same point. Green went off at Tarzan, but managed to regain the circuit despite filling his HWA Mercedes with gravel.
Schumacher went straight over the Audi S and was lucky to regain the track without continuing straight on into the wall. His session ended later on as he locked his rear axle under braking for Tarzan and stopped in the gravel.
Scheider ended up fastest in the damp conditions at the end of the session, but his 1m43.859s lap was still six seconds slower than he had managed an hour and a half earlier.
Pos Driver Team/Car Time Gap 1. Timo Scheider Abt Audi 1m37.308s 2. Adrien Tambay Abt Audi 1m39.559s + 2.251s 3. Robert Wickens Mucke Mercedes 1m41.660s + 4.352s 4. Christian Vietoris HWA Mercedes 1m44.229s + 6.921s 5. Mattias Ekstrom Abt Audi 1m44.364s + 7.056s 6. Gary Paffett HWA Mercedes 1m44.461s + 7.153s 7. Edoardo Mortara Rosberg Audi 1m44.477s + 7.169s 8. Jamie Green HWA Mercedes 1m44.630s + 7.322s 9. David Coulthard Mucke Mercedes 1m44.792s + 7.484s 10. Mike Rockenfeller Phoenix Audi 1m44.821s + 7.513s 11. Dirk Werner Schnitzer BMW 1m44.863s + 7.555s 12. Filipe Albuquerque Rosberg Audi 1m44.939s + 7.631s 13. Bruno Spengler Schnitzer BMW 1m44.959s + 7.651s 14. Ralf Schumacher HWA Mercedes 1m45.023s + 7.715s 15. Augusto Farfus RBM BMW 1m45.474s + 8.166s 16. Martin Tomczyk RMG BMW 1m45.539s + 8.231s 17. Andy Priaulx RBM BMW 1m45.548s + 8.240s 18. Roberto Merhi Persson Mercedes 1m45.585s + 8.277s 19. Joey Hand RMG BMW 1m46.177s + 8.869s 20. Susie Wolff Persson Mercedes 1m47.042s + 9.734s 21. Rahel Frey Abt Audi 1m47.794s + 10.486s 22. Miguel Molina Phoenix Audi 1m48.487s + 11.179s
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About this article
| Series | DTM |
| Drivers | Timo Scheider |
| Author | Jamie O'Leary |
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