Tyre gamble pays off for Lucas Auer at the Nürburgring
Anna Pasternak/Hankook tire | 9.8.17 | Pneumatiky Hankook
DTM, Hankook 2017
Tyre gamble pays off for Lucas Auer at the Nürburgring
Lucas Auer held his nerve to claim the fourth victory of his DTM career at the Nürburgring on Saturday. Like all the other drivers, the Mercedes-Benz driver started in damp conditions on the wet tyres provided by exclusive DTM partner Hankook. However, he opted not to switch to the premium tyre maker’s slick as the track started to dry out. This strategy paid dividends, as it started to rain again a little further into the race. This allowed Lucas Auer to cross the finish line in first place after 33 laps. In doing so, he has reduced the gap to leader Mattias Ekström (Audi) to just one point in the Drivers’ Championship.
NÜRBURGRING/GERMANY, 9TH SEPTEMBER 2017
As has so often been the case in the past, the weather played a key role at the classic in the Eifel Mountains. It started to rain at the Nürburgring shortly before the start of race 13 in what is probably the strongest international touring car series. As such, all the drivers started Saturday’s race on the wet tyre provided by exclusive DTM partner Hankook. Augusto Farfus made a lightning start from fourth on the grid. The BMW driver overtook pole sitter Lucas Auer to move to the front of the field, and set about consistently opening a gap on the wet track.
As the track started to dry out, many of the drivers, including race leader Augusto Farfus, decided to come into the pits and switch to the premium tyre maker’s slick. This proved to be the wrong tactic, as it started to rain again shortly after. The main beneficiaries of the weather were the Mercedes-Benz drivers, who, with the exception of Gary Paffett, all came in very late for their pit stop between laps 24 and 29. By this time, it was clear that the Hankook wet tyre was the correct choice. As such, Lucas Auer was followed over the line by fellow Mercedes-Benz drivers Paul Di Resta, Robert Wickens and DTM newcomer Maro Engel in places two to four to complete a top-four lock-out for the Stuttgart-based manufacturer.
The best of the Audi drivers were René Rast and Jamie Green in fifth and sixth place. Rast drops to third place in the Drivers’ Championship on the back of this result. The unluckiest man at the Nürburgring was their fellow Audi driver Mattias Ekström, who switched to the Hankook slick at exactly the same time as it began to rain again. He eventually came home outside the points in 15th place. Augusto Farfus was the top BMW driver in eighth.
Manfred Sandbichler, Hankook Motorsport Director Europe: “It was another incredibly exciting race, with the typical fun and games with the weather, which we have experienced so many times here at the Nürburgring. Mercedes-Benz did everything right, coming in late for their pit stops, and had a little luck on their side. The Hankook wet tyre supported this strategy perfectly, as Lucas Auer and his fellow Mercedes-Benz drivers were still able to clock fast lap times on it, even as sections of the track were drying out. It is forecast to be dry on Sunday. We could have a completely different result then. That is how exciting and unpredictable the DTM is this year.”
Lucas Auer (Mercedes-Benz): “It was extremely difficult, as we were not only driving on a very wet surface, but also on a dry track on the Hankook wet tyres. I am happy with my win. It was a great performance and everything came together for me, from the car to the Hankook race tyre.”
Paul Di Resta (Mercedes-Benz): “I felt great right from the start on the Hankook wet tyre. This meant I was able to push hard on the wet track. I must pay a big compliment to the Hankook engineers, who supported us superbly in these tough conditions. I am very happy with this result.”
Robert Wickens (Mercedes-Benz): “We had great pace with the Hankook race tyre on the very wet track. However, we were a little fortunate with our late pit stops. When the track started to dry out, I actually intended to switch to the Hankook slick. Then it began to rain again, and I decided at the last second to stay out. The Hankook wet tyre was consistently quick. We actually had a better tyre pressure with the second set, and were able to contribute to this great top-four lock-out for Mercedes-Benz.”
Jamie Green (Audi): “We were not so strong in wet conditions at the Nürburgring this weekend, and have not managed to get the maximum grip out of the Hankook wet tyre. I was a little bit lucky with my late pit stop, which allowed me to climb into sixth place.”
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