2001 Nürburgring I Qualifying Race

2001 Nürburgring I Qualifying Race
The GP-Strecke of the Nürburgring.
Race Information
Date	6 May 2001
No.	19
Event	Eifelrennen 2001
Location	Nürburgring GP-Strecke Nürburg, Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany
Format	35 km (Qualifikationslauf)
Lap length	4.556 km (2.831 mi)
Distance	7 laps / 31.892 km (19.817 mi)
Qualifying Result
Pole Sitter	Laurent Aïello
Team	Team Abt Sportsline
Time	1:37.025
Fastest Lap
Driver	Alain Menu
Team	OPC Euroteam
Time	1:41.723 on lap 5
Race Result
First	Second	Third
Laurent Aïello	Martin Tomczyk	Peter Dumbreck
Winner Team	Team Abt Sportsline
Time	12:47.545
Race Guide
Previous		Next
2001 Hockenheim Opening Feature Race		2001 Nürburgring I Feature Race

The 2001 Nürburgring I Qualifying Race, otherwise known as the Eifelrennen 2001 Qualifikationslauf, was the third race of the 2001 DMSB Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters Championship, staged at the Nürburgring in Nürburg, Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany on 6 May 2001. The race would see Laurent Aïello secure his maiden DTM victory for himself, ABT Sportsline and Audi, and claim pole position for the Eifelrennen Feature Race.

Indeed, in a complete reversal of form from the 2000 season, the Abt-Audis were the car to beat around the GP-Strecke, as Aïello swept to pole position in qualifying. His pace was backed by rookie Martin Tomczyk in the "Junior" Abt-Audi as the German youth secured second, while Bernd Schneider topped the Mercedes contingent in third, while Yves Olivier was the best of the Opel runners in tenth.

The start of the race saw Aïello and Tomczyk leap into an early lead, before obtaining a major break at the first corner. Indeed, a collision between Schneider and Marcel Fässler sent the rest of the field scattering across the circuit in avoidance, with Mattias Ekström and Peter Dumbreck punching through to secure third and fourth.

Further around the opening tour parts of damaged cars would go flying into the air, while Olivier spun to the back of the field after contact with Thomas Jäger. Joachim Winkelhock subsequently spun into the gravel at the hairpin, before Manuel Reuter had a heavy accident on an increasingly wet track and ended his race prematurely.

The early laps saw Dumbreck engage Ekström for third, while Jäger and Fässler fought heavily for fifth just behind. Out front, meanwhile, Aïello would draw away from Tomczyk while the German racer escaped from the Ekström/Dumbreck scrap, while Alain Menu set the fastest lap mid-race.

Dumbreck eventually made his way past Ekström with a strong lunge, before Jäger finally escaped from Fässler and sent his #6 Mercedes past the #23 Audi. He and Dumbreck duly went off to hunt the two leading Audis with rain falling increasingly heavily at the Nürburgring, although time was fast running out.

Ultimately time would run-out for the duo, with Aïello sweeping across the line ahead of Tomczyk to secure the landmark win for Audi, having also secured their maiden pole position. Dumbreck was next up ahead of Jäger, while Pedro Lamy claimed fifth just ahead of a fired up Schneider, who had risen from the midfield to sixth.

Background

Bernd Schneider had retained the lead in the Championship as the opening day came to a conclusion, having claimed a maximum haul of 23 points. Marcel Fässler was his closest challenger in second on fifteen, while Peter Dumbreck completed the early top three in with fourteen. Next up was Uwe Alzen after his strong run in the Feature, with ten drivers on the scoresheet after the first day of the campaign.

Reigning Teams' Champions D2 AMG-Mercedes had opened their title defence with a near-perfect day in Hockenheim, having fallen just three points shy of a maximum points haul. They hence had established a twelve point advantage over sister squad Warsteiner AMG-Mercedes, while Original Teile AMG-Mercedes and Service 24h AMG-Mercedes had nine apiece in third and fourth. Abt Sportsline and Eschmann AMG-Mercedes were the only other scorers.

Entry List

The full entry list for the 2001 Nürburgring I Qualifying Race is displayed below:

2001 Nürburgring I Qualifying Race Entry List
No.	Name	Entrant	Constructor	Chassis	Livery
1	Bernd Schneider	D2 AMG-Mercedes	AMG-Mercedes	CLK-DTM 2001	File:BSC 01 Livery.png
2	Peter Dumbreck	D2 AMG-Mercedes	AMG-Mercedes	CLK-DTM 2001	File:DUM 01 Livery.png
3	Joachim Winkelhock	Opel Team Holzer I	Opel	Astra V8 Coupé DTM 2001	File:WIN 01 Livery.png
4	Timo Scheider	Opel Team Holzer I	Opel	Astra V8 Coupé DTM 2001	File:TSC 01 Livery.png
5	Uwe Alzen	Warsteiner AMG-Mercedes	AMG-Mercedes	CLK-DTM 2001	File:ALZ 01 Livery.png
6	Marcel Fässler	Warsteiner AMG-Mercedes	AMG-Mercedes	CLK-DTM 2001	File:FAE 01 Livery.png
7	Manuel Reuter	Opel Team Phoenix	Opel	Astra V8 Coupé DTM 2001	File:REU 01 Livery.png
8	Yves Olivier	Opel Team Phoenix	Opel	Astra V8 Coupé DTM 2000	File:OLI 01 Livery.png
9	Bernd Mayländer	Eschmann AMG-Mercedes	AMG-Mercedes	CLK-DTM 2001	File:MAY 01 Livery.png
10	Patrick Huisman	Eschmann AMG-Mercedes	AMG-Mercedes	CLK-DTM 2001	File:HUI 01 Livery.png
11	Michael Bartels	Opel Team Holzer II	Opel	Astra V8 Coupé DTM 2001	File:BAR 01 Livery.png
14	Thomas Jäger	Original Teile AMG-Mercedes	AMG-Mercedes	CLK-DTM 2000	File:JAE 01 Livery.png
15	Christijan Albers	Original Teile AMG-Mercedes	AMG-Mercedes	CLK-DTM 2000	File:ALB 01 Livery.png
16	Alain Menu	OPC Euroteam	Opel	Astra V8 Coupé DTM 2000	File:MEN 01 Livery.png
17	Hubert Haupt	OPC Euroteam	Opel	Astra V8 Coupé DTM 2000	File:HAU 01 Livery.png
18	Christian Abt	Team Abt Sportsline	Abt-Audi	TT-R 2001	File:ABT 01 Livery.png
19	Laurent Aïello	Team Abt Sportsline	Abt-Audi	TT-R 2001	File:AIE 01 Livery.png
20	Peter Mamerow	Mamerow Racing Team	Opel	Astra V8 Coupé DTM 2000	File:MAM 01 Livery.png
22	Mattias Ekström	Team Abt Sportsline Junior	Abt-Audi	TT-R 2001	File:EKS 01 Livery.png
23	Martin Tomczyk	Team Abt Sportsline Junior	Abt-Audi	TT-R 2001	File:TOM 01 Livery.png
24	Pedro Lamy	Service 24h AMG-Mercedes	AMG-Mercedes	CLK-DTM 2000	File:LAM 01 Livery.png
42	Darren Turner	Service 24h AMG-Mercedes	AMG-Mercedes	CLK-DTM 2000	File:TUR 01 Livery.png
Source:

Qualifying

Results

The final qualifying result for the 2001 Nürburgring I Qualifying Race are outlined below:

2001 Nürburgring I Qualifying Race Qualifying Result
Pos.	No.	Name	Team	Time	Gap	Ave. Speed	Grid
1st	19	Laurent Aïello	Abt Sportsline	1:37.025	—	169.045 km/h	1
2nd	23	Martin Tomczyk	Abt Sportsline Junior	1:37.194	+0.169s	168.751 km/h	2
3rd	1	Bernd Schneider	D2 AMG-Mercedes	1:37.255	+0.230s	168.645 km/h	3
4th	6	Marcel Fässler	Warsteiner AMG-Mercedes	1:37.271	+0.246s	168.617 km/h	4
5th	14	Thomas Jäger	Original Teile AMG-Mercedes	1:37.275	+0.250s	168.610 km/h	5
6th	18	Christian Abt	Abt Sportsline	1:37.410	+0.385s	168.376 km/h	6
7th	15	Christijan Albers	Original Teile AMG-Mercedes	1:37.615	+0.590s	168.023 km/h	7
8th	22	Mattias Ekström	Abt Sportsline Junior	1:37.716	+0.691s	167.849 km/h	8
9th	2	Peter Dumbreck	D2 AMG-Mercedes	1:37.787	+0.762s	167.727 km/h	9
10th	8	Yves Olivier	OPC Team Phoenix	1:37.793	+0.768s	167.717 km/h	10
11th	5	Uwe Alzen	Warsteiner AMG-Mercedes	1:37.928	+0.903s	167.486 km/h	11
12th	24	Pedro Lamy	Service 24h AMG-Mercedes	1:38.016	+0.991s	167.335 km/h	12
13th	4	Timo Scheider	OPC Team Holzer I	1:38.026	+1.001s	167.318 km/h	13
14th	9	Bernd Mayländer	Eschmann AMG-Mercedes	1:38.209	+1.184s	167.007 km/h	14
15th	3	Joachim Winkelhock	OPC Team Holzer I	1:38.225	+1.200s	166.979 km/h	15
16th	10	Patrick Huisman	Eschmann AMG-Mercedes	1:38.276	+1.251s	166.893 km/h	16
17th	7	Manuel Reuter	OPC Team Phoenix	1:38.279	+1.254s	166.888 km/h	17
18th	42	Darren Turner	Service 24h AMG-Mercedes	1:38.367	+1.342s	166.738 km/h	18
19th	16	Alain Menu	OPC Euroteam	1:38.550	+1.525s	166.429 km/h	19
20th	11	Michael Bartels	OPC Team Holzer II	1:38.867	+1.842s	165.895 km/h	20
21st	17	Hubert Haupt	OPC Euroteam	1:39.992	+2.967s	164.029 km/h	21
22nd	20	Peter Mamerow	Opel Team Mamerow	1:40.376	+3.351s	163.401 km/h	22
107% Time: 1:43.816
Source:

• Bold indicates a driver's best/qualifying time.

Grid

	Pos.	Pos.
	Driver	Driver
		______________
Row 1	______________	1
	2	Laurent Aïello
	Martin Tomczyk	______________
Row 2	______________	3
	4	Bernd Schneider
	Marcel Fässler	______________
Row 3	______________	5
	6	Thomas Jäger
	Christian Abt	______________
Row 4	______________	7
	8	Christijan Albers
	Mattias Ekström	______________
Row 5	______________	9
	10	Peter Dumbreck
	Yves Olivier	______________
Row 6	______________	11
	12	Uwe Alzen
	Pedro Lamy	______________
Row 7	______________	13
	14	Timo Scheider
	Bernd Mayländer	______________
Row 8	______________	15
	16	Joachim Winkelhock
	Patrick Huisman	______________
Row 9	______________	17
	18	Manuel Reuter
	Darren Turner	______________
Row 10	______________	19
	20	Alain Menu
	Michael Bartels	______________
Row 11	______________	21
	22	Hubert Haupt
	Peter Mamerow	______________

Race

Results

The final classification of the 2001 Nürburgring I Qualifying Race is displayed below:

2001 Nürburgring I Qualifying Race Result
Pos.	No.	Name	Team	Laps	Race Time	Fastest lap	Pts.
1st	19	Laurent Aïello	Abt Sportsline	7	12:47.545		3
2nd	23	Martin Tomczyk	Abt Sportsline Junior	7	+3.351s		2
3rd	2	Peter Dumbreck	D2 AMG-Mercedes	7	+10.638s		1
4th	14	Thomas Jäger	Original Teile AMG-Mercedes	7	+10.873s
5th	24	Pedro Lamy	Service 24h AMG-Mercedes	7	+11.079s
6th	1	Bernd Schneider	D2 AMG-Mercedes	7	+11.593s
7th	5	Uwe Alzen	Warsteiner AMG-Mercedes	7	+12.059s
8th	6	Marcel Fässler	Warsteiner AMG-Mercedes	7	+12.639s
9th	42	Darren Turner	Service 24h AMG-Mercedes	7	+13.251s
10th	22	Mattias Ekström	Abt Sportsline Junior	7	+13.474s
11th	9	Bernd Mayländer	Eschmann AMG-Mercedes	7	+13.796s
12th	10	Patrick Huisman	Eschmann AMG-Mercedes	7	+14.075s
13th	15	Christijan Albers	Original Teile AMG-Mercedes	7	+14.604s
14th	8	Yves Olivier	OPC Team Phoenix	7	+24.871s
15th	17	Hubert Haupt	OPC Euroteam	7	+25.500s
16th	4	Timo Scheider	OPC Team Holzer I	7	+26.156s
17th	16	Alain Menu	OPC Euroteam	7	+45.714s	1:41.723
18th	20	Peter Mamerow	Opel Team Mamerow	7	+55.956s
19th	3	Joachim Winkelhock	OPC Team Holzer I	7	+1:33.071
20th	11	Michael Bartels	OPC Team Holzer II	6	+1 Lap
Ret	18	Christian Abt	Abt Sportsline	2	Damage
Ret	7	Manuel Reuter	OPC Team Phoenix	0	Accident
Source:

• Bold indicates a driver started from pole.
• Italics indicate that a driver set fastest lap.

Milestones

• Maiden pole position for Laurent Aïello.
• ABT Sportsline claimed their first pole position as an entrant.
  • Audi secured their maiden pole as a manufacturer.
• Aïello secured his first DTM victory.
• ABT Sportsline claimed their maiden win as an entrant.
  • First victory for Audi as a manufacturer.
• Martin Tomczyk claimed his maiden podium finish.
  • Also Tomczyk's first points finish.

Standings

There had been no major changes to the order as a result of the Qualifikationslauf at the Nürburgring, with Bernd Schneider still heading the charge. Indeed, while Peter Dumbreck had moved level with Marcel Fässler for second, but was behind on countback, only Laurent Aïello and Martin Tomczyk had physically moved up the order. The former had moved up ahead of Pedro Lamy, while Tomczyk had shot up into the top ten with his second place.

Likewise, there had been little change in the Teams' Championship, with D2 AMG-Mercedes heading the charge with 38 points to their credit. Warsteiner AMG-Mercedes were next up ahead of Original Teile AMG-Mercedes, while Service 24h AMG-Mercedes had remained in third and fourth. Behind, Abt Sportsline had made ground in fifth on eight points, while Abt Sportsline Junior were on the board as the only movers.

2001 Drivers' Championship Pos. Name Pts. +/- 1st Bernd Schneider 23 ◄0 2nd Marcel Fässler 15 ◄0 3rd Peter Dumbreck 15 ◄0 4th Uwe Alzen 10 ◄0 5th Thomas Jäger 9 ◄0 6th Laurent Aïello 7 ▲1 7th Pedro Lamy 6 ▼1 8th Darren Turner 3 ◄0 9th Bernd Mayländer 2 ◄0 10th Martin Tomczyk 2 ▲11 11th Christian Abt 1 ▼1

2001 Teams' Championship Pos. Name Pts. +/- 1st D2 AMG-Mercedes 38 ◄0 2nd Warsteiner AMG-Mercedes 25 ◄0 3rd Original Teile AMG-Mercedes 9 ◄0 4th Service 24h AMG-Mercedes 9 ◄0 5th Abt Sportsline 8 ◄0 6th Eschmann AMG-Mercedes 2 ◄0 7th Abt Sportsline Junior 2 ▲5

Only point scoring drivers and teams are shown.

References

Images and Videos:

References: