2001 Spielberg Qualifying Race

2001 Spielberg Qualifying Race
The A1-Ring made its DTM debut in 2001.
Race Information
Date	9 September 2001
No.	31
Event	Rundstreckenrennen A1-Ring 2001
Location	A1-Ring Spielberg, Styria, Austria
Format	35 km (Qualifikationslauf)
Lap length	4.326 km (2.688 mi)
Distance	8 laps / 34.608 km (21.504 mi)
Qualifying Result
Pole Sitter	Bernd Schneider
Team	D2 AMG-Mercedes
Time	1:28.713
Fastest Lap
Driver	Bernd Schneider
Team	D2 AMG-Mercedes
Time	1:29.325 on lap 4
Race Result
First	Second	Third
Bernd Schneider	Peter Dumbreck	Uwe Alzen
Winner Team	D2 AMG-Mercedes
Time	12:02.162
Race Guide
Previous		Next
2001 Nürburgring II Feature Race		2001 Spielberg Feature Race

The 2001 Spielberg Qualifying Race, otherwise known as the Rundstreckenrennen A1-Ring 2001 Qualifikationslauf, was the fifteenth race of the 2001 DMSB Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters Championship, staged at the A1-Ring in Spielberg, Styria, Austria on 9 September 2001. The race would see Bernd Schneider sweep to his fifth victory of the campaign and fourth career Grand Slam, securing pole position for the Feature Race.

Qualifying for the 35 km sprint had seen Schneider best D2 AMG-Mercedes teammate Peter Dumbreck by almost three tenths of a second. Third man in the title fight Uwe Alzen was next up in third ahead of Abt-Audi's lead driver Laurent Aïello, while Alain Menu headed the Opel charge from seventh.

The start of the race saw Schneider get the jump on Dumbreck, although the Brit almost managed to challenge around the outside of the first corner. Schneider held him off with the inside line and hence claimed the lead, as behind Christian Abt was spun in the middle of the mob by Joachim Winkelhock and rejoined at the back of the field.

The rest of the opening lap would prove fairly tame, with most of the action surrounding Menu, who was fighting the two Audis of Aïello and Martin Tomczyk. Schneider, meanwhile, would break clear of Dumbreck over the course of the opening tour, with Alzen and Aïello, once he had broken clear of Menu.

There was more action on the second tour, as Mattias Ekström tried to lunge inside of Timo Scheider at turn two, but would only succeed in spinning the #4 Opel into the barriers as they exited the corner. Thomas Jäger went inside the pair to try and avoid, but the speed of Scheider's spin meant that the German racer's car was thrown onto two wheels.

All three were out as a result, with quick work from the marshals seeing the debris dragged clear without the need of a Safety Car. That meant that Schneider could continue to build his lead at the head of the hunt, as Peter Mamerow joined the list of retirements after contact at turn six. Joachim Winkelhock was another man to have a trip across the gravel due to contact, while Abt's car was retired late on.

Out front, meanwhile, Schneider would cruise to victory, setting him up to claim the Championship with two entire rounds to spare in the Spielberg Feature. Dumbreck was three seconds back in second, with Alzen a second away, while Aïello, Menu and Tomczyk completed the top six.

Background

Bernd Schneider had moved ominously close to retaining the DTM crown as the seventh race weekend came to a close, having moved onto 114 points for the season. That meant that he held a 49 point lead over second placed teammate Peter Dumbreck, and could win the title with victory at the Spielberg round. Behind, Uwe Alzen was 50 points back in third, four ahead of Laurent Aïello, while Marcel Fässler still had a mathematical chance of taking the title in fifth.

In the Teams' Championship it was D2 AMG-Mercedes who remained in command of the title hunt, although their advantage had been reduced across the weekend. Indeed, sister squad Warsteiner AMG-Mercedes had closed the gap down to 61 points with 120 left to fight for, while Eschmann AMG-Mercedes were still mathematical contenders in third, albeit some 108 points back. Abt Sportsline, meanwhile, had overtaken their sister team Abt Sportsline Junior to claim fourth after a strong weekend.

Entry List

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

2001 Spielberg 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	David Saelens	Service 24h AMG-Mercedes	AMG-Mercedes	CLK-DTM 2000	File:SAE 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 Spielberg Qualifying Race are outlined below:

2001 Spielberg Qualifying Race Qualifying Result
Pos.	No.	Name	Team	Time	Gap	Ave. Speed	Grid
1st	1	Bernd Schneider	D2 AMG-Mercedes	1:28.713	—	175.550 km/h	1
2nd	2	Peter Dumbreck	D2 AMG-Mercedes	1:29.008	+0.295s	174.968 km/h	2
3rd	5	Uwe Alzen	Warsteiner AMG-Mercedes	1:29.016	+0.303s	174.952 km/h	3
4th	19	Laurent Aïello	Abt Sportsline	1:29.145	+0.432s	174.699 km/h	4
5th	23	Martin Tomczyk	Abt Sportsline Junior	1:29.341	+0.628s	174.316 km/h	5
6th	9	Bernd Mayländer	Eschmann AMG-Mercedes	1:29.349	+0.636s	174.300 km/h	6
7th	16	Alain Menu	OPC Euroteam	1:29.363	+0.650s	174.273 km/h	7
8th	22	Mattias Ekström	Abt Sportsline Junior	1:29.530	+0.817s	173.948 km/h	8
9th	6	Marcel Fässler	Warsteiner AMG-Mercedes	1:29.599	+0.886s	173.814 km/h	9
10th	11	Michael Bartels	OPC Team Holzer II	1:29.623	+0.910s	173.767 km/h	10
11th	4	Timo Scheider	OPC Team Holzer I	1:29.654	+0.941s	173.705 km/h	11
12th	10	Patrick Huisman	Eschmann AMG-Mercedes	1:29.655	+0.942s	173.705 km/h	12
13th	18	Christian Abt	Abt Sportsline	1:29.681	+0.968s	173.655 km/h	13
14th	14	Thomas Jäger	Original Teile AMG-Mercedes	1:29.757	+1.044s	173.508 km/h	14
15th	15	Christijan Albers	Original Teile AMG-Mercedes	1:29.965	+1.252s	173.107 km/h	15
16th	7	Manuel Reuter	OPC Team Phoenix	1:30.021	+1.308s	172.999 km/h	16
17th	24	David Saelens	Service 24h AMG-Mercedes	1:30.299	+1.586s	172.467 km/h	17
18th	3	Joachim Winkelhock	OPC Team Holzer I	1:30.366	+1.653s	172.339 km/h	18
19th	42	Darren Turner	Service 24h AMG-Mercedes	1:30.423	+1.710s	172.230 km/h	19
20th	8	Yves Olivier	OPC Team Phoenix	1:30.525	+1.812s	172.036 km/h	20
21st	17	Hubert Haupt	OPC Euroteam	1:30.699	+1.986s	171.706 km/h	21
22nd	20	Peter Mamerow	Opel Team Mamerow	1:31.695	+2.982s	169.841 km/h	22
107% Time: 1:34.922
Source:

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

Grid

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

Race

Results

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

2001 Spielberg Qualifying Race Result
Pos.	No.	Name	Team	Laps	Race Time	Fastest lap	Pts.
1st	1	Bernd Schneider	D2 AMG-Mercedes	8	12:02.162	1:29.325	3
2nd	2	Peter Dumbreck	D2 AMG-Mercedes	8	+2.879s		2
3rd	5	Uwe Alzen	Warsteiner AMG-Mercedes	8	+3.994s		1
4th	19	Laurent Aïello	Abt Sportsline	8	+4.431s
5th	16	Alain Menu	OPC Euroteam	8	+9.140s
6th	23	Martin Tomczyk	Abt Sportsline Junior	8	+9.412s
7th	6	Marcel Fässler	Warsteiner AMG-Mercedes	8	+11.189s
8th	11	Michael Bartels	OPC Team Holzer II	8	+13.758s
9th	9	Bernd Mayländer	Eschmann AMG-Mercedes	8	+14.013s
10th	24	David Saelens	Service 24h AMG-Mercedes	8	+17.741s
11th	15	Christijan Albers	Original Teile AMG-Mercedes	8	+18.094s
12th	10	Patrick Huisman	Eschmann AMG-Mercedes	8	+18.652s
13th	7	Manuel Reuter	OPC Team Phoenix	8	+19.011s
14th	42	Darren Turner	Service 24h AMG-Mercedes	8	+20.988s
15th	8	Yves Olivier	OPC Team Phoenix	8	+24.079s
16th	3	Joachim Winkelhock	OPC Team Holzer I	8	+39.540s
17th	17	Hubert Haupt	OPC Euroteam	8	+56.726s
18th*	18	Christian Abt	Abt Sportsline	5	Damage
Ret	20	Peter Mamerow	Opel Team Mamerow	4	Accident
Ret	22	Mattias Ekström	Abt Sportsline Junior	3	Damage
Ret	4	Timo Scheider	OPC Team Holzer I	2	Collision
Ret	14	Thomas Jäger	Original Teile AMG-Mercedes	2	Collision
Source:

• Bold indicates a driver started from pole.
• Italics indicate that a driver set fastest lap.
• * Abt was still classified despite retiring as he had completed 75% of the race distance.

Milestones

• Bernd Schneider secured his eleventh victory.
  • This was also Schneider's fourth Grand Slam.
• Nineteenth victory for HWA Team as an entrant.
  • Mercedes registered their nineteenth win as a manufacturer.

Standings

Victory in the Qualifying race at the A1-Ring had enhanced Bernd Schneider's lead at the head of the hunt, moving him 50 clear of teammate Peter Dumbreck. That meant that victory for Schneider in the 2001 Spielberg Feature Race would guarantee him the title with four races to spare, regardless of where Dumbreck finished. The Brit, as well as fellow title pretenders Uwe Alzen and Laurent Aïello, would therefore have to outscore Schneider in the Spielberg Feature just to keep their title bids alive.

In the Teams' Championship D2 AMG-Mercedes had enhanced their lead in the title chase, having moved onto 184 points after their Qualifikationslauf one-two. That left them with a 65 point margin over sister squad Warsteiner AMG-Mercedes in second, while Eschmann AMG-Mercedes had slipped 110 points back in third. The latter were hence still mathematically in the title hunt, for their were still 115 points on offer, although both they and fourth placed Abt Sportsline would fall out of the hunt if they failed to score a one-two in the Spielberg Feature.

2001 Drivers' Championship Pos. Name Pts. +/- 1st Bernd Schneider 117 ◄0 2nd Peter Dumbreck 67 ◄0 3rd Uwe Alzen 65 ◄0 4th Laurent Aïello 60 ◄0 5th Marcel Fässler 54 ◄0 6th Patrick Huisman 42 ◄0 7th Thomas Jäger 42 ◄0 8th Mattias Ekström 30 ◄0 9th Marcel Tiemann 26 ◄0 10th Martin Tomczyk 23 ◄0 11th Christijan Albers 17 ◄0 12th Manuel Reuter 15 ◄0 13th Pedro Lamy 12 ◄0 14th Christian Abt 11 ◄0 15th Joachim Winkelhock 10 ◄0 16th Darren Turner 8 ◄0 17th Michael Bartels 7 ◄0 18th Bernd Mayländer 6 ◄0 19th David Saelens 2 ◄0 20th Timo Scheider 1 ◄0

2001 Teams' Championship Pos. Name Pts. +/- 1st D2 AMG-Mercedes 184 ◄0 2nd Warsteiner AMG-Mercedes 119 ◄0 3rd Eschmann AMG-Mercedes 74 ◄0 4th Abt Sportsline 71 ◄0 5th Original Teile AMG-Mercedes 59 ◄0 6th Abt Sportsline Junior 53 ◄0 7th Service 24h AMG-Mercedes 22 ◄0 8th OPC Team Phoenix 15 ◄0 9th OPC Team Holzer I 11 ◄0 10th OPC Team Holzer II 7 ◄0

Only point scoring drivers and teams are shown.

References

Images and Videos:

References: