Marco Wittmann emerged victorious in the second DTM Series race of the weekend at the Norisring.
The driver, in his home race, started seventh place for BMW after a qualifying session that was dominated by Mercedes.
Yesterday’s race winner Edoardo Mortara was second for Mercedes with pole-sitter Dani Juncadella finishing in third for the first podium of his DTM career.
At the start, as the drivers went down to Turn 1 for the first time, Lucas Auer got a good run from third on the grid to challenge Juncadella for the lead.
The move did not pay off and Gary Paffett, having started from second, got back ahead of his team-mate.
At the end of the first lap Mortara, Joel Eriksson, Nico Müller, Mike Rockenfeller, and Jamie Green all opt to pit at their earliest opportunity.
Out front Auer finds a way back past Paffett to run in second behind Juncadella.
Having been battling with eventual race winner Wittmann, Paul di Resta takes to the pits and is closely followed by Mortara.
Mortara and di Resta then set about battling over the honours of being the lead car to gave already pitted, with the Italian coming out on top.
Paffett was next to pit with Wittmann following the next lap, with the German coming out ahead.
While trying to get heat into his tyres, Paffett was passed by Mortara.
Mortara’s next target was Wittmann ahead as Paffett found himself swamped as he struggled heating up his tyres behind.
BMW duo Bruno Spengler and Augusto Farfus found themselves doing this group as they left the pits with Spengler coming out ahead and Farfus amongst the pack.
Despite many attempts Mortara tried to pass Spengler but to no avail.
With Mortara fighting Spengler hard, Wittmann found his opportunity to pass the Mercedes driver before too getting pass his team-mate and breaking away from the pack.
From the lead Juncadella pits, with Auer follows suit as the Austria returns to the track ahead of Juncadella.
Juncadella makes quick work of Auer, though and is soon back in front of his team-mate.
Wittmann too passes Auer and sets about reducing the gap to Juncadella.
Another position lost for Auer as Mortara also passes the Austrian.
It was not long before Wittmann took the race lead and was ahead of Juncadella.
The Spaniard was in pit stop corrected third place, when he was overtaken by Mortara.
Further back, Paffett was under investigation after hitting the rear of Glock in front of him, but the stewards deemed that no action was warranted.
Loïc Duval was the first of those left to pit to serve his stop and came out in seventeenth place.
Reigning champion René Rast pitted next from first place but had a slow stop as there was no jack on the left which dropped him to the back of the field.
Paffett, still trying to find a way past Glock ran wide and was passed by Eriksson and Philipp Eng.
Leaving their stops late on once again Pascal Wehrlein and Robin Frijns benefitted from staying out and were eighth and ninth in the Dutchman’s favour.
With all the drivers having now pitted, Wittmann was officially in the lead.
Duval was handed a drive through penalty as a result of putting Farfus into a spin at the the hairpin. After serving his penalty the Frenchman was in last place.
Out front, Mortara and Juncadella were reducing the gap to Wittmann in the lead in the closing minutes of the race.
Mortara brought the gap down enough to be in the DRS window of the BMW driver but it was not enough as Wittmann held on to win his home race.
Mortara narrowly missed out on the win, with Juncadella close on his tail.
Spengler came home in fourth with Auer completing the top five.
Sixth belonged to di Resta with Müller the best places Audi in seventh.
Late stoppers Frijns and Wehrlein were eighth and ninth as Glock rounded off the points finishers.
DTM rookies Eng and Eriksson finished just behind their team-mate.
Championship leader Paffett, ended the race without any points down in thirteenth.
Audi trio Rast, Green and Rockenfeller were fourteenth, fifteenth and sixteenth.
Farfus and Duval were seventeenth and eighteenth.
Paffett still remains on top of the championship standings with 99 points from Mortara who has 93. Wittmann is third, level on points with Glock on 92.
Di Resta in fifth has 87 points.
The DTM returns in three weeks time at Zandvoort.
2018 DTM Series Results: Norisring – Race Two
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