13.8.2001
Opel Misses Out on its Hard-Earned Rewards
Opel left the sixth round of the DTM at EuroSpeedway Lausitz on Sunday,
August 12, with much to be optimistic about and even more to be frustrated
over following an afternoon of incident-packed racing that promised much,
but ultimately delivered little.
Manuel Reuter (Opel Team Phoenix) was the highest Opel finisher, taking
seventh in the main pitstop race. But like several of his teammates, his
afternoon was ruined by the heavy-handed race tactics of many of the opposition
drivers.
After four weeks of intensive testing and development, Opel came to the
part road course, part oval track confident it had made significant progress
in its ongoing efforts to get the Astra V8s back at the sharp end of the
ultra-competitive DTM grid.
Third overall for Reuter in Friday's free practice sessions showed how
much had been achieved by the Opel Performance Center (OPC) and its race
teams, and despite qualifying only eighth when wet conditions made Saturday
afternoon's battle for pole position a lottery, the German was confident
of a strong race performance.
Amazingly, Reuter was hit three times by Audi drivers in the short, eight-lap
qualification race - including a first impact even before the lights went
green. That hit from behind damaged his Astra V8's diffuser, bent its
left rear suspension and left the 2000 DTM runner-up fighting massive
oversteer in the right-hand corners, but still he persevered to finish
13th.
In the longer, 23-lap pitstop race, an early stop for new tyres on lap
three and a fast turnaround by his Phoenix mechanics ensured Reuter was
well-placed to benefit when a safety car period to clear track debris
mixed up the order. At the re-start, he was again the target of some overly
robust driving, but kept going to finish seventh.
Reuter wasn't the only Opel driver to suffer at the hands of others. Alain
Menu (Opel Euroteam) had qualified a season-best third on his first visit
to the track, but was spun down the order at the very first corner of
the qualification race. He fought back to 11th, but lost any chance of
a points finish when he lost his bonnet as the result of accident damage
in the pitstop race.
Continuing the theme of unfulfilled promise, Michael Bartels (Opel Team
Holzer) took the sixth spot in qualifying, but was pushed out of the reckoning
by a Mercedes driver in the qualifying race. His pitstop race ended early
after another clash.
Timo Scheider (Opel Team Holzer) was also looking good for a top-five
finish and running on fourth, but the youngster mistakenly left the pits
under red lights after a stop during the safety car period and was imposed
a stop-go penalty that dropped him down the order to 11th.
Opel motorsport boss Volker Strycek summed up the feelings of the drivers
and their hard-working engineers and mechanics, saying: "We were
made to look a lot worse than we really are. The driving style of some
of the guys in those races were beyond belief. When three of our top drivers
are removed from the frame through no fault of their own in the very first
lap, how can we be happy?"
"It's been a difficult time for everybody, but we've never given
up for a moment," he added. "I'm proud of that and I'm pleased
to have had so much support from within Opel over the last months. We've
made a major step forward this weekend and we haven't been allowed to
show it."
But despite their justifiable frustrations, Reuter and Menu are looking
ahead to the second visit to the Nürburgring for round seven of the
DTM on August 26th.
EUROSPEEDWAY – 2001 DTM – Round 6 – RESULTS
1. Dumbreck (Mercedes CLK) 23 laps in 42m19s096 ; 2. Schneider (Mercedes
CLK) + 0m00s664 ;
3. Ekström (Audi TT-R) + 0m09s101 ; 4. Jäger (Mercedes CLK)
+ 0m13s105 ; 5. Huisman (Mercedes CLK) + 0m19s734 ; 6.
Tomczyk (Audi TT-R) + 0m21s735 ; 7. Reuter (Opel Astra V8 Coupe) + 0m23s092
; 8. Fässler (Mercedes CLK) + 0m23s784 ;
9. Turner (Mercedes CLK) + 0m27s142 ; 10. Saelens (Mercedes CLK) + 0m28s675
; 11. Scheider (Opel Astra V8 Coupe) +
0m30s017 ; 12. Aiello (Audi TT-R) + 0m30s805 ; 13. Mayländer (Mercedes
CLK) + 0m44s024 ; 14. Winkelhock (Opel Astra
V8 Coupe) + Om53s518 ; 15. Haupt (Opel Astra V8 Coupe) + 1m05s412 ; 16.
Albers (Mercedes CLK) + 1m08s859 ; 17.
Mamerow (Opel Astra V8 Coupe) + 1m11s831; 18. Abt (Audi TT-R) + 1m32s643
; 19. Menu (Opel Astra V8 Coupe) + 1 lap;
DNF Alzen (Mercedes CLK) ; DNF Olivuer (Opel Astra V8 Coupe) ; DNF Bartels
(Opel Astra V8 Coupe).
2001 DTM – DRIVERS POINT STANDINGS
1. Schneider (Mercedes) 108 points ; 2. Dumbreck (Mercedes) 65 ; 3. Fässler
(Mercedes) 54 ; 4. Alzen (Mercedes) 47 ; 5.
Aiello (Audi) 37 ; 6. Jäger (Mercedes) 32 ; 7. Huisman (Mercedes)
30 ; 8. Ekström (Audi) 30 ; 9. Tiemann (Mercedes) 26 ; 10.
Tomczyk (Audi) 23 ; 11. Albers (Mercedes) 15 ; 12. Lamy (Mercedes) 12
; 13. Winkelhock (Opel) 10 ; 14. Abt (Audi) 10 ; 15.
Reuter (Opel) 7 ; 16. Bartels (Opel) 7 ; 17. Turner (Mercedes) 5 ; 18.
Mayländer (Mercedes) 2 ; 19. Scheider (Opel) 1 ; 20.
Saelens (Mercedes) 1.
2001 DTM – TEAMS POINT STANDINGS
1. D2 AMG Mercedes 173 points ; 2. Warsteiner AMG Mercedes 101 ; 3. Team
Eschmann AMG Mercedes 58 ; 4. Abt
Sportsline Junior 53 ; 5. Team Original Teile AMG Mercedes 47 ; 6. Abt
Sportsline 47 ; 7. 24 Stunden Service AMG
Mercedes 18 ; 8. Opel Team Holzer I 11 ; 9. Opel Team Phoenix 7 ; 10.
Opel Team Holzer II 7.