HOCHZWEIMOTORSPORTIMAGES/T
RIENI
TZ
Second in race two
puts Wittmann (r) right
in the title huntWittmann defended
from points leader
Rast in the downpourRockenfeller returned
to winning ways aft er
a two-year droughtRACE CENTRE WORLD OF SPORT40 AUTOSPORT.COM 25 JULY 2019reigniting their scrap after both drivers
made their mandatory stop.
But in the torrential conditions, the
out-lap was all the more challenging.
Second-placed Wittmann was able to
make up a defi cit of several seconds
to get by at the Mandeveen bend and
return to the lead.
Muller then got his tyres up to
temperature before Rast could pass him
and held on to second at the fl ag, making
it two Audis on the podium.
Wittmann’s turbulent form continued
on Sunday as he failed to set a competitiveDutch deluge
masterclass
rescues Marco’s
home disaster
but not until the pitstop window, and it
was growing title contender Nico Muller
who would prove to be a thorn in his side.
Muller, second in the standings, could only
qualify sixth but climbed the order in the
opening stint after overcoming Timo Glock
in a tight battle that led to Glock skating
over the gravel at De Strubben.
Muller made further progress by
dispatching WRT Audi’s Pietro Fittipaldi
and Loic Duval. Then, running third, he
extended his fi rst stint right up until lap
26 out of 31 and pitted to emerge ahead of
Wittmann and Rast, boosted by the pairDTM
ASSEN (NLD)
20-21 JULY
ROUND 5/9“Today’s setback is tomorrow’s comeback.”
That quote, attributed to Marco Wittmann,
made for a nice motivational post for BMW
and its driver after his home weekend at
the Norisring proved a disaster thanks to
a retirement and a middling eighth place
that put a dent in the two-time DTM
champion’s bid for a third crown.
But that easy-to-disregard PR line proved
spot-on after a remarkable Assen weekend
acted as a reminder of why Wittmann
is probably championship leader
Rene Rast’s greatest threat.
Wittmann bounced back immediately,
taking pole position for the Assen opener
despite free practice form and paddock
whispers suggesting Audi had taken a clear
step over BMW in recent rounds. But the
answer as to which manufacturer is the
DTM’s pacesetter became murky when
a heavy downpour caused the fi rst race to
begin behind the safety car. Conditions were
so bad that Audi’s Jamie Green – running
mid-pack – admitted to lifting on the
straights, so poor was visibility.
Up ahead, Wittmann held off second-
placed Rast through the slow fi rst sector
when the safety car peeled in, and had
to defend again through the Haarbocht
right-hander down to the De Strubben
hairpin before the battle came to a close
when Daniel Juncadella stopped his Aston
Martin Vantage at the side of the track.
Following the safety car called to retrieve
the Aston, Wittmann made a superb restart
to pull a gap of over a second to Rast, and
his victory hopes were given a boost when
Rast ran slightly wide at the chicane.
Wittmann would again come under threat