2002 Zolder Qualifying Race

2002 Zolder Qualifying Race
The Circuit Zolder debuted in 2002.
Race Information
Date	5 May 2002
No.	39
Event	DTM Zolder 2002
Location	Circuit Zolder Zolder, Heusden-Zolder, Belgium
Format	35 km (Qualifikationslauf)
Lap length	4.011 km (2.492 mi)
Distance	7 laps / 28.077 km (17.446 mi)
Qualifying Result
Pole Sitter	Martin Tomczyk
Team	Team Abt Sportsline Junior
Time	1:28.202
Fastest Lap
Driver	Christian Abt
Team	Team Abt Sportsline
Time	1:44.723 on lap 4
Race Result
First	Second	Third
Laurent Aïello	Mattias Ekström	Michael Bartels
Winner Team	Team Abt Sportsline
Time	16:12.876
Race Guide
Previous		Next
2002 Hockenheim Opening Feature Race		2002 Zolder Feature Race

The 2002 Zolder Qualifying Race, formally known as the DTM Zolder 2002 Qualifikationslauf, was the third round of the 2002 DMSB Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters Championship, staged at the Circuit Zolder in Zolder, Heusden-Zolder, Belgium on 5 May 2002. The race, which was the first DTM race to be staged in Belgium since the series was reformed in 2000, would see Laurent Aïello sweep to victory in heavy rain.

Qualifying for the second Qualifikationslauf had seen Martin Tomczyk secure his first official DTM pole, beating Mattias Ekström by a tenth of a second as Abt-Audi dominated the session. Indeed, lead Abt-Audi duo Aïello and Christian Abt would share the second row, while Michael Bartels and Timo Scheider shared the third row for Opel and Team Holzer. There would also be a spectacular accident for Joachim Winkelhock, which saw the German racer roll his Opel.

Heavy rain greeted the field ahead of the race, resulting in the officials declaring that the race would start behind the Safety Car. Regardless after two "formation" laps the Safety Car pulled aside, leaving Tomczyk to lead the field away in single-file.

Tomczyk duly eased away from Ekström as the race started, as behind Aïello and Abt led the rest of the field through without issue. However, there would be drama alter around the opening tour, as Abt spun on his own at turn two and dropped down, before Tomczyk spun out altogether at the chicane.

The #23 Audi's demise allowed Ekström to inherit the lead, although he would soon wave Aïello at bay as Abt-Audi gamed how to set the grid for the Feature Race. Behind, Alain Menu would have an off-track excursion all on his own, while Uwe Alzen was the first of the Mercedes to have an off.

The order soon settled, with Aïello pulling clear of Ekström, while Bartels swatted aside a series of challenges from teammate Scheider for third. Elsewhere, Abt was carving his way back up the field, notably elbowing his way back past Bernd Schneider for fifth, before Yves Olivier smashed out of the race after trying to use a wet kerb.

Indeed, Olivier's accident wrote off the rest of the race, as the Safety Car was deployed for a second time, before the officials decided to end the race early with a lap to spare. Aïello was therefore declared as the victor ahead of Ekström, while Bartels and Scheider completed the top four ahead of Abt and Schneider.

Background

Laurent Aïello ended the opening weekend of the season with the lead in the Championship, leaving Hockenheim with twelve points. Mattias Ekström had secured second, while Jean Alesi left his maiden DTM race meeting in third place, just ahead of Martin Tomczyk and Bernd Schneider. Timo Scheider and Karl Wendlinger were the only other scorers.

In the Teams' Championship, meanwhile, it was Team Abt Sportsline whom led the charge, holding a seven point lead over sister squad Team Abt. Vodafone AMG-Mercedes were next up in third ahead of Team ABT Sportsline Junior, while OPC Team Holzer were the only other scorers in fifth.

Entry List

The full entry list for the 2002 Zolder Qualifying Race is displayed below:

2002 Zolder Qualifying Race Entry List
No.	Name	Entrant	Constructor	Chassis	Livery
1	Bernd Schneider	Vodafone AMG-Mercedes	AMG-Mercedes	CLK-DTM 2002
2	Jean Alesi	Vodafone AMG-Mercedes	AMG-Mercedes	CLK-DTM 2002
3	Laurent Aïello	Team Abt Sportsline	Abt-Audi	TT-R 2002
4	Karl Wendlinger	Team Abt	Abt-Audi	TT-R 2002
5	Uwe Alzen	Warsteiner AMG-Mercedes	AMG-Mercedes	CLK-DTM 2002
6	Marcel Fässler	Warsteiner AMG-Mercedes	AMG-Mercedes	CLK-DTM 2002
7	Manuel Reuter	OPC Team Phoenix	Opel	Astra V8 Coupé DTM 2002
8	Joachim Winkelhock	OPC Team Phoenix	Opel	Astra V8 Coupé DTM 2002
9	Mattias Ekström	Team Abt	Abt-Audi	TT-R 2002
10	Christian Abt	Team Abt Sportsline	Abt-Audi	TT-R 2002
11	Thomas Jäger	Original-Teile AMG-Mercedes	AMG-Mercedes	CLK-DTM 2001
12	Peter Dumbreck	Original-Teile AMG-Mercedes	AMG-Mercedes	CLK-DTM 2001
14	Timo Scheider	OPC Team Holzer	Opel	Astra V8 Coupé DTM 2002
15	Michael Bartels	OPC Team Holzer	Opel	Astra V8 Coupé DTM 2002
16	Bernd Mayländer	OASE/CEB AMG-Mercedes	AMG-Mercedes	CLK-DTM 2001
17	Patrick Huisman	OASE/CEB AMG-Mercedes	AMG-Mercedes	CLK-DTM 2001
18	Alain Menu	OPC Euroteam	Opel	Astra V8 Coupé DTM 2001
19	Yves Olivier	OPC Euroteam	Opel	Astra V8 Coupé DTM 2001
23	Martin Tomczyk	Team Abt Sportsline Junior	Abt-Audi	TT-R 2002
24	Stefan Mücke	Service 24h AMG-Mercedes	AMG-Mercedes	CLK-DTM 2001
42	Christijan Albers	Service 24h AMG-Mercedes	AMG-Mercedes	CLK-DTM 2001
Source:

Qualifying

Results

The final qualifying result for the 2002 Zolder Qualifying Race are outlined below:

2002 Zolder Qualifying Race Qualifying Result
Pos.	No.	Name	Team	Time	Gap	Ave. Speed	Grid
1st	23	Martin Tomczyk	Team Abt Sportsline Junior	1:28.202	—	162.322 km/h	1
2nd	9	Mattias Ekström	Team Abt	1:28.317	+0.115s	162.111 km/h	2
3rd	3	Laurent Aïello	Team Abt Sportsline	1:28.396	+0.194s	161.966 km/h	3
4th	10	Christian Abt	Team Abt Sportsline	1:28.408	+0.206s	161.944 km/h	4
5th	15	Michael Bartels	OPC Team Holzer	1:28.542	+0.340s	161.699 km/h	5
6th	14	Timo Scheider	OPC Team Holzer	1:28.661	+0.459s	161.482 km/h	6
7th	1	Bernd Schneider	Vodafone AMG-Mercedes	1:28.687	+0.485s	161.435 km/h	7
8th	5	Uwe Alzen	Warsteiner AMG-Mercedes	1:28.714	+0.512s	161.386 km/h	8
9th	18	Alain Menu	OPC Euroteam	1:28.876	+0.674s	161.091 km/h	9
10th	17	Patrick Huisman	OASE/CEB AMG-Mercedes	1:29.275	+1.073s	160.371 km/h	10
11th	19	Yves Olivier	OPC Euroteam	1:29.290	+1.088s	160.344 km/h	11
12th	42	Christijan Albers	Service 24h AMG-Mercedes	1:29.432	+1.230s	160.090 km/h	12
13th	2	Jean Alesi	Vodafone AMG-Mercedes	1:29.466	+1.264s	160.029 km/h	13
14th	7	Manuel Reuter	OPC Team Phoenix	1:29.645	+1.443s	159.709 km/h	14
15th	6	Marcel Fässler	Warsteiner AMG-Mercedes	1:29.728	+1.526s	159.562 km/h	15
16th	4	Karl Wendlinger	Team Abt	1:29.867	+1.665s	159.315 km/h	16
17th	11	Thomas Jäger	Original-Teile AMG-Mercedes	1:30.370	+2.168s	158.428 km/h	17
18th	12	Peter Dumbreck	Original-Teile AMG-Mercedes	1:30.664	+2.462s	157.914 km/h	18
107% Time: 1:34.376
NC*	16	Bernd Mayländer	OASE/CEB AMG-Mercedes	1:40.248	+12.046s	142.817 km/h	19
NC*	24	Stefan Mücke	Service 24h AMG-Mercedes	1:53.537	+25.335s	126.101 km/h	20
NC	8	Joachim Winkelhock	OPC Team Phoenix				21
Source:

• Bold indicates a driver's best/qualifying time.
• * Mayländer, Mücke and Winkelhock failed to set a time within 107% but were allowed to start at the stewards' discretion.

Grid

The starting grid for the 2002 Zolder Qualifying Race in shown below:

		8	Joachim Winkelhock				16	Bernd Mayländer	1:40.248			11	Thomas Jäger	1:30.370			6	Marcel Fässler	1:29.728			2	Jean Alesi	1:29.466			19	Yves Olivier	1:29.290			18	Alain Menu	1:28.876			1	Bernd Schneider	1:28.687			15	Michael Bartels	1:28.542			3	Laurent Aïello	1:28.396			23	Martin Tomczyk	1:28.202
						24	Stefan Mücke		1:53.537		12	Peter Dumbreck		1:30.664		4	Karl Wendlinger		1:29.867		7	Manuel Reuter		1:29.645		42	Christijan Albers		1:29.432		17	Patrick Huisman		1:29.275		5	Uwe Alzen		1:28.714		14	Timo Scheider		1:28.661		10	Christian Abt		1:28.408		9	Mattias Ekström		1:28.317

Race

Results

The final classification of the 2002 Zolder Qualifying Race is displayed below:

2002 Zolder Qualifying Race Result
Pos.	No.	Name	Team	Laps	Race Time	Fastest lap	Pts.
1st	3	Laurent Aïello	Team Abt Sportsline	7	16:12.876		3
2nd	9	Mattias Ekström	Team Abt	7	+1.885s		2
3rd	15	Michael Bartels	OPC Team Holzer	7	+4.659s		1
4th	14	Timo Scheider	OPC Team Holzer	7	+6.461s
5th	10	Christian Abt	Team Abt Sportsline	7	+9.169s	1:44.723
6th	1	Bernd Schneider	Vodafone AMG-Mercedes	7	+13.597s
7th	17	Patrick Huisman	OASE/CEB AMG-Mercedes	7	+17.165s
8th	5	Uwe Alzen	Warsteiner AMG-Mercedes	7	+20.215s
9th	2	Jean Alesi	Vodafone AMG-Mercedes	7	+22.701s
10th	6	Marcel Fässler	Warsteiner AMG-Mercedes	7	+25.269s
11th	7	Manuel Reuter	OPC Team Phoenix	7	+27.432s
12th	4	Karl Wendlinger	Team Abt	7	+31.091s
13th	42	Christijan Albers	Service 24h AMG-Mercedes	7	+34.691s
14th	11	Thomas Jäger	Original-Teile AMG-Mercedes	7	+37.793s
15th	24	Stefan Mücke	Service 24h AMG-Mercedes	7	+40.567s
16th	12	Peter Dumbreck	Original-Teile AMG-Mercedes	7	+42.697s
17th	18	Alain Menu	OPC Euroteam	7	+46.671s
18th	8	Joachim Winkelhock	OPC Team Phoenix	7	+50.169s
19th	16	Bernd Mayländer	OASE/CEB AMG-Mercedes	7	+51.756s
20th*	19	Yves Olivier	OPC Euroteam	4	Accident
21st*	23	Martin Tomczyk	Team Abt Sportsline Junior	3	Spin
Source:

• ³ Indicates a driver was awarded points for qualifying in the top three.
• Bold indicates a driver started from pole.
• Italics indicate that a driver set fastest lap.
• * Olivier and Tomczyk were still classified despite retiring as they had completed 75% of the race distance.

Milestones

• Maiden pole position for Martin Tomczyk.
• Laurent Aïello secured his sixth win.
• ABT Sportsline claimed their eighth victory as an entrant.
  • Abt-Audi registered their eighth victory as a manufacturer.
• Third and final podium finish Michael Bartels.
  • This was also Bartel's final points finish.

Standings

Victory for Laurent Aïello in the Qualifikationslauf had moved him further ahead in the early Championship hunt, putting him on fifteen points. Mattias Ekström had therefore slipped six behind in second, while Jean Alesi was a further five behind in third. Indeed, the order had proved fairly static after the third race, with Michael Bartels the only major mover after his first point of the campaign.

Team Abt Sportsline had remained at the head of the charge in the Teams' Championship, and had increased their tally to fifteen points. Sister squad Team Abt had likewise remained in second, but slipped five behind, with no changes to the order behind. As a result Vodafone AMG-Mercedes held third ahead of Team Abt Sportsline Junior, while OPC Team Holzer had moved level with the latter in fifth.

2002 Drivers' Championship Pos. Name Pts. +/- 1st Laurent Aïello 15 ◄0 2nd Mattias Ekström 9 ◄0 3rd Jean Alesi 4 ◄0 4th Martin Tomczyk 3 ◄0 5th Bernd Schneider 3 ◄0 6th Timo Scheider 2 ◄0 7th Michael Bartels 1 ▲9 8th Karl Wendlinger 1 ▼1

2002 Teams' Championship Pos. Name Pts. +/- 1st Team Abt Sportsline 15 ◄0 2nd Team Abt 10 ◄0 3rd Vodafone AMG-Mercedes 7 ◄0 4th Team Abt Sportsline Junior 3 ◄0 5th OPC Team Holzer 3 ◄0

Only point scoring drivers and teams are shown.

References

Images and Videos:

• Liveries: byggxx, 'Rennwagen (2002)', dtm.fandom.com/de, (DTM Wiki/de, 2015), https://dtm.fandom.com/de/wiki/Kategorie:Rennwagen_(2002), (Accessed 29/05/2020)

References: