A first for Lucas Auer. The Mercedes-Benz driver claimed the maiden win of his DTM career on Sunday at the Lausitzring, making him the first Austrian to win a race in what is probably the most popular international touring car series. The race tyre of exclusive DTM partner Hankook provided the 21-year-old with enough traction and security at the Lausitzring to comfortably take the first victory of his career.Klettwitz/Germany, 05 June 2016
The third weekend of the 2016 DTM season at the Lausitzring is one that Lucas Auer will never forget. The young Austrian impressed with seventh place in Saturday’s opening race. On Sunday, Auer was the fastest man in qualifying in his Mercedes-AMG C 63 DTM, before leading from start to finish to win race two in dominant fashion.
Audi driver Mattias Ekström started the race from ninth place and employed the same strategy as he used in Spielberg. The Swede was one of the last drivers to come into the pits for his tyre change on lap 31, and was then able to work his way into second place. Robert Wickens (Mercedes-Benz) came home third after 46 laps of racing to take the lead in the Drivers’ Championship. The pick of the BMW drivers in sixth place was Marco Wittmann, who leaves the Lausitzring second in the overall standings, ahead of Mattias Ekström.
Manfred Sandbichler, Hankook Motorsport Director Europe: “We have had a great DTM weekend with thrilling racing and victory for Lucas Auer, who became the first Austrian to win in the DTM. In total there have been six different winners in the six races so far, and the lead has changed hands in the Drivers’ Championship after nearly every race. That shows the strength in depth in the DTM. The Hankook race tyre performed to its usual high quality again today, in track temperatures of 41 degrees. The Hankook slicks offered all 24 drivers optimal support from the first lap to the last. The conditions will be completely different again at the Norisring in three weeks. Hopefully the racing will be just as exciting as it was today.”
BMW Team MTEK completed the fastest pit stop at the Lausitzring, in a time of 31.428 seconds. Their efforts were rewarded with 25 points towards the Hankook Best Pit Stop Award. The winning crew also receives the traditional prize at the next race weekend, which takes place at the Norisring in Nuremberg. Come the end of the season, the exclusive tyre partner of the DTM presents the highest-scoring, and thus the fastest, team with what has become a much sought-after trophy.
Lucas Auer (Mercedes-Benz): “I am overjoyed to be the first Austrian to win a race in the DTM. The Hankook race tyre was incredibly consistent all weekend here at the Lausitzring. I drove a very long second stint in the race, but had plenty of grip right through to the finish, so was able to bring home my first win.”
Mattias Ekström (Audi): “Generally speaking, everything went very well for us this weekend. I was surprised that the Hankook race tyre had so much grip, given the many different types of rubber left on the track from the various racing series. I had the feeling that actually gave the tyres even more grip. Racing like that is great fun.”
Robert Wickens (Mercedes-Benz): “The Hankook race tyre was very good. We came in early for the tyre change, and the new set also had an awful lot of grip. However, the slick cooled down in the slow zone, and Mattias took advantage of that and overtook me on his fresh tyres. I was happy with my third place, which allowed me to move to the top of the Drivers’ Championship.”
Marco Wittmann (BMW): “It was a good weekend for us. We finished fourth and sixth. We were not expecting that coming into the event. Today I climbed from eighth to sixth. That was all very positive. I had a lot of grip with the Hankook race tyre, particularly at the start of the second stint. However, the slicks did cool down a bit in the slow zone, which meant I needed a bit of time to get the tyre working again. On the whole, I am very happy.”
