Audi wins the 2013 DTM Championship

Audi Cars - Mike Rockenfeller wins 2013 DTM Championship

The 2013 DTM Champion drives an Audi. At the penultimate race of the season, Mike Rockenfeller in the Schaeffler Audi RS 5 DTM secured the drivers’ title early in the prestigious touring car racing series, in front of 41,000 spectators. At the same time, Audi and Audi Sport Team Phoenix took the lead of the manufacturers’ and team standings.

“Audi is providing the DTM Champion for an amazing ninth time and for the fifth time in seven years. This provides proof yet again of ‘Vorsprung durch Technik’ and the powerful performance of our RS models,” said the Chairman of the Board of Management of AUDI AG, Rupert Stadler, who, like fellow board member Dr. Ulrich Hackenberg, was keeping his fingers crossed for Mike Rockenfeller on location and later joined the celebration in the pits.

“We’re competing against two of our strongest competitors in the DTM – the success, which every ‘Audian’ can be proud of, has corresponding value.”

Audi Cars - Audi RS5 DTM win 2013 DTM Championship

Before the finale at the Hockenheimring, Rockenfeller has a 26-point advantage and is thus ranking at the top of the standings, out of reach by any rival.

The race began well for Rockenfeller, as he overtook the BMW of pole-sitter Marco Wittmann. In taking second place, he only needed to stay there to secure the title.

Following an attack against the leading BMW of his title rival Augusto Farfus while running on option tyres, he later switched to the harder standard tyres and concentrated on safely bringing home second place – assisted in the process by his team mate Timo Scheider, who let Rockenfeller pass after his second pit stop.

Audi Cars - Audi wins 2013 DTM Championship

“Winning the DTM title one race before the end of the season is fantastic. I think it’ll take me a while to realise what we managed to do,” said Rockenfeller after the race.

“I’d like to thank Audi, Audi Sport Team Phoenix and Timo (Scheider) as well, who helped me today, very much. On option tyres, I was very fast at the beginning of the race but after Augusto’s first stop, [I was] not fast enough anymore. After switching to standard tyres, it wasn’t going quite as well, but it was still enough in the end. I’m very proud of Audi and the team. After the difficult last year, we worked hard in the winter and improved the car. Being consistently quick and to score points was the key to success.”

Timo Scheider in the AUTO TEST Audi RS 5 DTM of Audi Sport Team Abt Sportsline, in third place, managed to clinch his first podium result of the season on his favourite track. The two-time DTM Champion switched from standard to option tyres early and, by using this strategy, moved in front of Rockenfeller and Wittmann. After letting his teammate go ahead, Scheider concentrated on covering Rockenfeller from behind.

Motorsports / DTM 2013, 2. Rennen Brands Hatch (GBR)

A fast-and-furious race was driven by Mattias Ekström in the Red Bull Audi RS 5 DTM, who saved the softer option tyres for the final attack and battled his way forward position by position with spectacular overtaking manoeuvres. On the final lap alone, the Swede made up three places and secured fourth place.

Adrien Tambay (Audi ultra RS 5 DTM), Filipe Albuquerque (Audi Financial Services RS 5 DTM/Audi Sport Team Rosberg) and Miguel Molina (Audi RS 5 DTM), by claiming positions six, eight and ten, contributed their share to Audi, with a score of 325 points, taking the lead in the manufacturers’ standings as well, in front of BMW (317) and Mercedes-Benz (239). In the team classification, Audi Sport Team Phoenix has a three-point advantage over BMW Team RBM before the finale.

“Congratulations and a sincere ‘thank you’ to Mike (Rockenfeller), Audi Sport Team Phoenix and the entire Audi squad!” said Dieter Gass, who has been Head of DTM at Audi Sport since the 2013 season.

“Mike secured the drivers’ title early. In the manufacturers’ and team standings, we’re now in front as well. You really can’t wish for more than that. Mike’s a worthy Champion, who made no mistakes today even under high pressure. Timo (Scheider) backed him and deserves having clinched his first podium this season. The recovery by Mattias (Ekström) was sensational as well. There are many reasons for celebrating tonight – and that’s what we’re definitely going to do. ‘Thank you’ also to everyone in Ingolstadt and Neckarsulm, with the teams and with the suppliers who have made this DTM title possible for Audi.”

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