Premat sidelined as rivals escape injury.

DTM debutant Alex Premat was the only serious human casualty of the opening lap accident that marred the first round of this year's DTM series, as Tom Kristensen, Adam Carroll and Susie Stoddart all escaped injury in the four-car pile-up.

After slight contact with another car, Kristensen spun at the entrance to the Parabolica and was an unavoidable target for those in the following pack. While Carroll sustained no injury at all, Kristensen and Pr?mat both required medical attention at the scene of the crash, before being taken to Hockenheim's on-site medical centre and, later, to local hospitals for further medical checks.

While Kristensen was found to have suffered extensive bruising, his Audi team-mate is reported to have sustained a rupture of a lumbar vertebrae in the 160kph impact. Although doctors have confirmed that the injury will not result in any permanent damage, Premat's DTM career will be put on hold for several weeks.

Carroll and Stoddart both walked away the accident, with the former GP2 frontrunner frustrated at not being able to capitalise on a decent start to his tin-top adventure.

"It's easy to say after the event, but I actually think I could have had a good race," he said, having gridded 17th, "I made a decent move into turn two and would have got past a few people, but then it was game over!"