Last lap win for Alzen in DTM thriller.

In an exciting finish to the DTM's visit to Zandvoort, Uwe Alzen took his Mercedes-Benz CLK past fastest qualifier and erstwhile race leader Christian Abt on the last lap after a breathtaking fight, crossing the finish line as the race winner.

After the Norisring in Nuremberg, it was Alzen's second DTM-victory of the season. Bernd Schneider, who secured the title early in the previous round at the A1-Ring, came third. 40,000 spectators attended the first-ever DTM-race at the Dutch dune track in Zandvoort. Local hero Patrick Huisman finished fourth.

"The final lap of the race was one of my best ever", said Alzen. "The fight with Christian was hard but fair. Finally, I had the edge in accelerating and I am totally happy."

Audi driver Abt said: "Of course, it hurts a little bit having lost out on possibly my first DTM-victory by a small margin like that. Unfortunately, I lost four seconds in an overtaking manoeuvre, and these were the four seconds I missed in the end. I regret that I ran into the back of Uwe's car after the finish. All of a sudden, he braked in front of his pit box. My car started swerving, then I hit him."

With his victory, Alzen strengthened his second place in the championship, although he still lacks one point. It was more helpful to him that his main rival, Frenchman Laurent Aiello, retired after a curious accident. Abt Sportsline just had completed Aiello's mandatory pit stop. The Frenchman drove to the pitlane exit, as Peter Dumbreck with the Mercedes-Benz CLK drove off just in front of his car. In the collision, the front flipper of the Abt-Audi came loose and on the following lap, Aiello landed in the gravel trap. Team boss Hans-J?rgen Abt: "Without the front flipper, he lacked the necessary downforce. Too bad, as Laurent was in a good position in the race."

Opel-junior Timo Scheider, just 22 years old, had a great fight in the Opel Astra V8 Coup? with 25-year old Swiss driver Marcel F?ssler. F?ssler finished fifth, Scheider came sixth.

"I made up from 17th on the grid to sixth place and I am proud of it", said Scheider. "We have shown here once more, that the Opel Astra is more competitive in the race than in qualifying. I am looking forward to the final round of the DTM at Hockenheim, as we are racing on the long track there, which suits our car." Opel motorsport director Volker Strycek analysed: "Without the two time penalties that Manuel Reuter got for speeding in the pitlane, a podium finish would have been possible for him. And Alain Menu drove the second fastest lap of the race. That makes us happy."

Results:
1. Uwe Alzen (Mercedes) 43min57.311secs
2. Christian Abt (Abt-Audi) -0.322secs
3. Bernd Schneider (Mercedes) -0.681secs
4. Patrick Huisman (Mercedes) -2.290secs
5. Marcel F?ssler (Mercedes) -12.177secs
6. Timo Scheider (Opel) -17.513secs
7. Peter Dumbreck (Mercedes) -20.543secs
8. Darren Turner (Mercedes) -20.933secs
9. David Saelens (Mercedes) -21.559 secs
10. Michael Bartels (Opel) -25.159secs

Championship points (after nine of ten rounds):
1. Bernd Schneider (Mercedes) 149 points
2. Uwe Alzen (Mercedes) 97
3. Laurent Aiello (Abt-Audi) 75
4. Peter Dumbreck (Mercedes) 72
5. Marcel F?ssler (Mercedes) 68
6. Patrick Huisman (Mercedes) 60
7. Thomas J?ger (Mercedes) 42
8. Mattias Ekstr?m (Abt-Audi) 32
9. Christian Abt (Abt-Audi) 29
10. Marcel Tiemann (Mercedes) 26