20.4.2004
Points for Opel at Hockenheim DTM opener

Opel opened its 2004 DTM season with a double points haul in Sunday's DTM season-opener at Hockenheim.

Opel opened its 2004 DTM season with a double points haul in Sunday's DTM season-opener at Hockenheim. Both Peter Dumbreck and Timo Scheider finished in the top eight in their Vectra GTS V8 racecars.

The weekend ended well with Opel on the pace throughout testing, finishing Friday's first session with three cars in the top five. Laurent Aiello (OPC Team Phoenix) was the fastest, with Scheider (OPC Team Holzer) and Marcel Fässler (OPC Team Phoenix) third and fifth respectively.

During the qualifying session Dumbreck hit the wall on his first flying lap in the Mercedes Arena when the rear wheels of his Valvoline-backed OPC Team Phoenix car locked-up under braking. The car was severely damaged and required his team to work through the night to get it back in shape for race day.

Despite this problem, three Opels made it into the top 10 Super Pole qualifying session, with Scheider, Manuel Reuter (OPC Team Holzer) and Fässler. After the single-lap Super Pole session, they would start seventh, eighth and ninth respectively in Sunday's race.

Both Scheider and Fässler were pushed into spins in the opening lap. Aiello led the initial Opel charge in eighth, ahead of Frentzen. Dumbreck soon emerged as the star of the show as he worked his way through towards the front of the field.

Dumbreck briefly held second position during the pit stop cycle but after making his own second stop became embroiled in a battle with Martin Tomczyk's fifth placed Audi and was forced to settle for sixth.

After his early setback, Scheider finished eighth in the final points-paying position. He led a quartet of Opels, with Aiello, Reuter, Frentzen, and Jeroen Bleekemolen's OPC Euroteam Astra Coupe up next.

DTM, Race:
1. G Paffett/Mercedes 37 laps/1h00m30.147s, 2. C Albers/Mercedes +2.258s, 3. M Ekström/Audi +9.200s, 4. T Kristensen/Audi +11.798, 5. M Tomczyk/Audi +13.836s, 6. P Dumbreck/Opel +14.652, 7. E Pirro/Audi +43.364s, 8. T Scheider/Opel +50.358s, 9. L Aiello/Opel +1m01.180s, 10. M Reuter/Opel + 1m04.788s, 11. H-H Frentzen/Opel + 1m06.619s, 12. J Bleekemolen/Opel +1m07.094s, ... M Fässler/Opel retired

DTM, standings after one of ten races:
1. Paffett 10 points, 2. Albers 8, 3. Ekström 6, 4. Kristensen 5, 5. Tomczyk 4, 6. Dumbreck 3, 7. Pirro 2, 8. Scheider 1.

The DTM now moves on to its first round outside Germany of the season, at Estoril in Portugal on May 2.

Formula 3: Nico Rosberg secures two victories
Opel started its Formula 3 Euroseries campaign in style at Hockenheim winning both races with Team Rosberg driver Nico Rosberg in his Opel-powered Dallara car. After a lights-to-flag win on Saturday, Rosberg took full advantage when the Mercedes-powered ASM cars of Jamie Green and Alexandre Prémat collided during Sunday's race to score an opportunistic victory. Prema Powerteam's F3 rookie Frank Perera also finished in the top three in the opening race using Opel power.