Jamie Green overtook Martin Tomczyk at the final corner to snatch a stunning last-gasp DTM victory in changeable weather conditions at the Norisring on Sunday.
The HWA Mercedes driver lay third with only three laps left, but nosed inside Bruno Spengler’s Schnitzer BMW at Turn 4 and then closed-down a 1.9-second deficit to pass the reigning champion’s RMG BMW with the chequered flag in sight.
Green had started from the front row in wet conditions, but found himself turning his polesitting team-mate Gary Paffett around at the first corner after a chain reaction further back caused Augusto Farfus (RBM BMW) to lock up and nudge Mattias Ekstrom’s Abt Audi into Green’s C-coupe.
He ran fourth for much of the opening part of the race, moving up to third when his team-mate Ralf Schumacher – who had been leading – slowed exiting Turn 4 with the first signs of an electrical glitch that would eventually cause his retirement.
He struggled to stay within four seconds of the BMWs of Tomczyk and Spengler for the next 45 laps, but once most of the dampness had subsided, his silver Mercedes became easily the fastest car on track.
From 3.6s back with seven laps to go, Green relentlessly closed in on the cars ahead and passed both by the flag to record his fourth Norisring win in the DTM.
Paffett was equally impressive, the points leader putting in a staggering 57-lap stint on a set of wet Hankooks to emerge fifth after his first mandatory tyre stop. That became fourth when Christian Vietoris, driving the fourth HWA car, let him by on the run to the first corner.
Vietoris was on course for fifth, but gambled on switching to slick tyres at his final stop and was passed by Mucke Mercedes driver David Coulthard – who took the best result of his DTM career in fifth – the Phoenix Audi of Mike Rockenfeller and Andy Priaulx’s RBM BMW by the finish.
Vietoris was eighth, ahead of first-time points-scorers Robert Wickens (Mucke Mercedes) and Dirk Werner (Schnitzer BMW), both of whom had been severely delayed at the start as they attempted to avoid Paffett’s spun car and the Rosberg Audi of Edoardo Mortara.
Results - 78 laps:
Pos Driver Team/Car Time/Gap
1. Jamie Green HWA Mercedes 1h15m00.005s
2. Martin Tomczyk RMG BMW + 0.687s
3. Bruno Spengler Schnitzer BMW + 2.335s
4. Gary Paffett HWA Mercedes + 14.666s
5. David Coulthard Mucke Mercedes + 36.861s
6. Mike Rockenfeller Phoenix Audi + 37.062s
7. Andy Priaulx RBM BMW + 44.529s
8. Christian Vietoris HWA Mercedes + 46.236s
9. Robert Wickens Persson Mercedes + 49.254s
10. Dirk Werner Schnitzer BMW + 49.301s
11. Filipe Albuquerque Rosberg Audi + 1 lap
12. Miguel Molina Phoenix Audi + 1 lap
13. Roberto Merhi Persson Mercedes + 1 lap
14. Joey Hand RMG BMW + 1 lap
15. Adrien Tambay Abt Audi + 2 laps
16. Timo Scheider Abt Audi + 2 laps
17. Rahel Frey Abt Audi + 3 laps
Retirements:
Ralf Schumacher HWA Mercedes 45 laps
Edoardo Mortara Rosberg Audi 41 laps
Susie Wolff Persson Mercedes 20 laps
Augusto Farfus RBM BMW 15 laps
Mattias Ekstrom Abt Audi 1 lap
