V8Star: Mutsch takes third win

Kurt Thiim finished third on the road but was subsequently excluded for a technical irregularity with his exhaust. This promoted championship leader Johnny Ceccotto into the final podium spot, only for the former F1 driver to receive a protest that he overtook during a caution period.

The race stewards decided not to impose a penalty, but this decision was challenged by the Zakspeed team - so the final result will not be 100 percent confirmed until after a meeting an appeal court meeting in six weeks' time.

The controversy should take nothing away from Mutsch's performance, which was outstanding. As he admitted, the only time he was under any pressure was at the restart following the caution period.

"Only at the second start, Robert Lechner came a little closer for a brief moment. Apart from that, it was a clear run," he said.

Steffen Widmann enjoyed his best run of the season to take second, while Ceccotto's provisional third ensures that he keeps his championship lead.

Ceccotto leads the standings with 148 points, eight ahead of Lechner, while Mutsch has 139.