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Autosport
Autosport
Sport
Richard Asher

DTM Sachsenring: Mercedes driver Stolz scores first win of 2023

HRT driver Stolz enjoyed a perfect rolling start from pole position, as his rivals tiptoed through the tight, technical opening sequence of corners.

A brief safety car intervention to clear debris destroyed the clear lead Stolz had already built up, but the German simply pulled away again.

He then pitted at the first opportunity when the window opened, despite this meaning a long second stint that would ask much of his Pirellis on a scorching hot day, but it ensured Stolz track position over Thomas Preining's Porsche.

Stolz then managed a comfortable 2.688s lead to the end and claimed his second career DTM win, his first since the Nurburgring last season.

Preining had run third behind fellow 911 driver Ayhancan Guven before the pitstops, but pitting one lap earlier and good work from his Manthey EMA crew vaulted him past the Turkish driver's Team Bernhard example and into a runner-up position he held to the end.

Guven kept Preining within sight to score his first DTM podium, ahead of the battling ABT Audis of Ricardo Feller and Kelvin van der Linde.

Defending DTM champion Sheldon van der Linde brought his Schubert BMW home sixth ahead of Dennis Olsen in the second Manthey EMA Porsche, with Rene Rast (Schubert BMW) right on their tail.

Pre-event points leader Mirko Bortolotti had a disappointing race at the twisty Sachsenring and lost the lead of the championship to Preining as a result.

The SSR Performance Lamborghini driver ran fourth before the pitstops, but then it all unravelled. His troubles began with an ABS problem that led to the rear wheels spinning while the car was jacked up during his pit visit.

Officials took a dim view and Bortolotti was immediately issued a slow-lap penalty. On top of all that, Bortolotti had to contend with flat spots on his front tyres after a big lock-up exiting the pits.

Bortolotti had to settle for ninth place and will go into Sunday’s second race with a six-point deficit to Preining.

DTM Sachsenring Race 1 Results (45 laps):

 
 
       
Driver Info
 
 
 
   
Cla Driver # Car Laps Time Interval Pits Points
1 Germany L. Stolz Mercedes-AMG Team HRT 4 Mercedes-AMG GT3 Evo 45 -     25
2 Austria T. Preining Manthey EMA 91 Porsche 911 GT3 R 45 +2.688 2.688   20
3 Turkey A. Güven KÜS Team Bernhard 24 Porsche 911 GT3 R 45 +0.942     16
4 Switzerland R. Feller Abt Sportsline 7 Audi R8 LMS Evo II 45 +6.968 6.026   13
5 South Africa K. van der Linde Abt Sportsline 3 Audi R8 LMS Evo II 45 +0.269     11
6 South Africa S. Van Der Linde Schubert Motorsport 1 BMW M4 GT3 45 +5.457 5.188   10
7 Norway D. Olsen Manthey EMA 90 Porsche 911 GT3 R 45 +0.355     9
8 Germany R. Rast Schubert Motorsport 33 BMW M4 GT3 45 +0.788 0.433   8
9 Italy M. Bortolotti SSR Performance 92 Lamborghini Huracán GT3 Evo 2 45 +7.735 6.947   7
10
T. Vermeulen Emil Frey Racing
69 Ferrari 296 GT3 45 +2.422     6
11
F. Perera SSR Performance
94 Lamborghini Huracán GT3 Evo 2 45 +0.461     5
12 Germany L. Heinrich KÜS Team Bernhard 75 Porsche 911 GT3 R 45 +1.464 1.003   4
13 India A. Maini Mercedes-AMG Team HRT 36 Mercedes-AMG GT3 Evo 45 +0.591     3
14
J. Owega Mercedes-AMG Team Landgraf
84 Mercedes-AMG GT3 Evo 45 +5.393 4.802   2
15 Germany M. Dienst Toksport WRT 99 Porsche 911 GT3 R 45 +0.493     1
16
T. Heinemann Toksport WRT
9 Porsche 911 GT3 R 45 +0.614 0.121    
17 Germany D. Schumacher Mercedes-AMG Team Winward 27 Mercedes-AMG GT3 Evo 45 +7.005 6.391    
18 Germany M. Wittmann Project 1 Motorsport 11 BMW M4 GT3 45 +0.690      
19 Germany L. Engstler Liqui Moly Team Engstler 8 Audi R8 LMS Evo II 45 +7.615 6.925    
20
S. Holzem Project 1 Motorsport
56 BMW M4 GT3 45 +5.145      
21 Italy A. Deledda SSR Performance 6 Lamborghini Huracán GT3 Evo 2 45 +7.939 2.794    
22 Switzerland P. Niederhauser Tresor Orange1 83 Audi R8 LMS Evo II 36 9 laps      
23 Austria L. Auer Mercedes-AMG Team Winward 22 Mercedes-AMG GT3 Evo 35 1 lap      
24 Austria C. Schmid GRT Grasser Racing Team 63 Lamborghini Huracán GT3 Evo 2 27 8 laps      
25 Germany M. Engel Mercedes-AMG Team Landgraf 48 Mercedes-AMG GT3 Evo 23 4 laps      
26 Italy M. Drudi Tresor Orange1 40 Audi R8 LMS Evo II 18 5 laps      
27 United Kingdom J. Aitken Emil Frey Racing 14 Ferrari 296 GT3 10 8 laps      
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