C1 – Rast sets a new record at Hockenheim, Mercedes off the podium

The first race of the championship final at Hockenheim smiled on the outgoing champion, who remains more than ever in the fight for the title thanks to a duel won against the overall leader Paffett.

Published on 13/10/2018 à 14:49

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C1 – Rast sets a new record at Hockenheim, Mercedes off the podium

Rene Rast (Audi) preserved its chances of preserving its crown in the German Touring Championship (DTM) on Saturday by winning Race 1 at Hockenheim. (Germany). The 31-year-old pilot only 15 points behind Gary Paffett (Mercedes) in the title race.

5th win in a row Incredible! @ReneRastRacing wins the race at #Hockenheimring SHOWDOWN ON SUNDAY#DTMFinale #weloveDTM #FeelTheRoar pic.twitter.com/CfGeCef5BT

- DTM (@DTM) 13th October, 2018

The outgoing DTM champion managed to convert his third place on the starting grid into a fifth consecutive success. It's simply a new record in the discipline!

To put it simply, the race was crystal clear in its first part. Gary Paffett took the lead thanks to team politics, leaving Lucas Auer in second place until a stuck accelerator forced him to retire. René Rast quietly moved back into second position.

Lap 1: @GaryPaffett overtakes @LucasAuer1 and takes the lead. @ReneRastRacing on P4 @PaulDiResta already P5 pic.twitter.com/htDDVQYhHZ

- DTM (@DTM) 13th October, 2018

After the pit stops, the Paffett-Rast duel held in suspense for around ten minutes. With the help of the DRS, the two drivers exchanged first place several times :

Great racing of @GaryPaffett and @ReneRastRacing pic.twitter.com/A3E5qjp7fD

- DTM (@DTM) 13th October, 2018

But a door torn off the side of Augusto Farfus' BMW would change everything. The Safety Car entered with a quarter of an hour to go, bringing together the entire peloton. The restart was fatal to Gary Paffett, who not only was unable to attack René Rast, but was overwhelmed by Timo Glock (BMW) and Robin Frijns (Hear).

Oh. @augustofarfus has lost the left-side door… Safety car! pic.twitter.com/oGOwB0lJjK

- DTM (@DTM) 13th October, 2018

Second in the general classification, Paul di Resta (Mercedes) was not outstanding, and finished eighth. The Scotsman is rejected six points behind Gary Paffett.

special mention to Loïc duval (Audi). The Frenchman took advantage of the restart 10 minutes from the finish to move up the hierarchy, and transform a pale 16th place into fifth place overall!

The last race of the season will start on Sunday at 13:15 p.m.