Zandvoort 2: Matsuura keeps title alive

Matsuura made a fine start from pole in his PREMA-run Dallara-Opel and fended off Paffett's Team Rosberg partner, and Saturday race winner, Kimmo Liimatainen at the first corner. Liimatainen was more concerned with keeping PREMA's second driver Ryan Briscoe behind him, and that allowed Matsuura the break he needed.

Paffett had a nightmare race on a weekend where he appeared out of sorts. He dropped to eighth on the opening lap but then ran wide on the exit of Hugenholtz hairpin, allowing Vitantonio Liuzzi (BSR Dallara-Opel) through. Following a similar mistake at Nissan a few laps later, he spun off into the Mitsubishi-bocht gravel trap while trying to defend his position from Markus Winkelhock's Mucke-run Dallara-Mercedes.

The rest of the race was a procession, with Matsuura winning by over five seconds from Liimatainen, Briscoe, Robert Doornbos (Ghinzani Dallara-Opel) and Frank Diefenbacher (BSR Dallara-Opel).

Matsuura now trails Paffett by 18 points with 22 on offer in the series finale at Hockenheim next weekend.


1 Kousuke Matsuura, PREMA Dallara-Opel, 19 laps
2 Kimmo Liimatainen, Rosberg Dallara-Opel, +5.5s
3 Ryan Briscoe, PREMA Dallara-Opel, +9.1s
4 Robert Doornbos, Team Ghinzani Dallara-Mugen, +14.8s
5 Frank Diefenbacher, BSR Dallara-Opel, +20.1s
6 Marcel Lasee, Mucke Dallara-Mercedes, +21.0s