N'ring race 2: Where there’s Mucke there’s class

For starters, the front row of the grid, comprising championship leader Frank Diefenbacher and Toshihiro Kaneishi, made awful getaways and Mucke rocketed between them to take the lead on the run to the first corner. Another pile-up, just like Saturday's race but this time amongst the tail enders, then brought out the safety car.

The complex of the race changed at the restart - or rather just before it. Mucke let the pace car move away and attacked the Veedol S chicane before the final corner. Kaneishi did likewise, got sideways and bounced across the kerbs, allowing Diefenbacher to pass him - but, crucially, before the race had officially restarted.

That meant Diefenbacher was given a stop/go penalty, which cost him 23secs and dropped him to the tail of the field. He battled back to 16th, but scored a big, fat zero for the second race running and lost him his series lead to winner Mucke, who cruised to a 7.3secs victory.

Markus Winkelhock survived a grassy moment to take third, passing Saturday winner Kaffer, the latter losing his clutch in the closing stages and he tumbled down the order to seventh at the flag. Kousuke Matsuura scored his second fourth place of the weekend, ahead of Tony Schmidt and Tom van Bavel.

Britain's Gary Paffett came off worst from a frantic scrap for eighth, dropping as low as 14th at one point, before a desperate lunge on the final lap somehow grabbed him a point in 10th. His weekend tally, however, wasn't good enough to stay in the top six in the points table.


1 Stefan Mucke, ADDC Dallara F300-Opel, 18 laps
2 Toshihiro Kaneishi, BSR Dallara F301-Opel, +7.3s
3 Markus Winkelhock, ADDC Dallara F300-Opel, +9.7s
4 Kousuke Matsuura, Prema Dallara F301-Opel, +11.5s
5 Tony Schmidt, GM Dallara F301-Toyota, 11.9s
6 Tom van Bavel, JB Motorsport, Dallara F399-Opel, +20.8s
7 Pierre Kaffer, Team Kolles Dallara F301-Mugen, +21.5s
8 Zsolt Baumgartner, Trella Dallara F301-Opel, +23.2s
9 Robert Lechner, KMS Dallara F301-Opel, +23.9s
10 Gary Paffett, Rosberg Dallara F301-Renault, +24.3s


1 Mucke 50
2 Diefenbacher 43
3 Kaneishi 41
4 Kaffer 37
5 Winkelhock 34
6 Van Bavel 20