2004 Adria Race

2004 Adria Race
The Adria International Raceway returned for 2004.
Race Information
Date	16 May 2004
No.	69 (3 of 2004)
Event	DTM Adria 2004
Location	Adria International Circuit Adria, Veneto, Italy
Format	125 km / 70 min (Championship Race)
Lap length	2.702 km (1.679 mi)
Distance	47 laps / 126.994 km (78.910 mi)
Qualifying Result
Pole Sitter	Mattias Ekström
Team	Audi Sport Team Abt
Time	1:11.342
Fastest Lap
Driver	Bernd Schneider
Team	Vodafone/DC Bank AMG-Mercedes
Time	1:12.039 on lap 20
Race Result
First	Second	Third
Mattias Ekström	Christijan Albers	Jean Alesi
Winner Team	Audi Sport Team Abt
Time	57:52.607
Race Guide
Previous		Next
2004 Estoril Race		2004 Lausitzring Race

The 2004 Adria Race, otherwise known as DTM Adria 2004, was the third race of the 2004 DMSB Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters Championship, staged at the Adria International Circuit in Adria, Veneto, Italy, on 16 May 2004. The race would be the second and final DTM race to be held at Adria, and would see Mattias Ekström secure victory.

The Swede was the man to beat in qualifying too, with Ekström taking the #5 Audi Team Abt car around Adria in 1:11.342. He hence beat Jean Alesi by 0.031s, with Christijan Albers also within half a tenth of pole position, while Heinz-Harald Frentzen led the Opel challenge from sixth.

Background

Two weeks after the DMSB Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters made its debut in Portugal, the Series arrived at another of its newer hosts, the Adria International Raceway in Adria, Veneto, Italy. The short 2.702 km circuit would be unchanged for the DTM's second visit after its successful debut in 2003, with the field likewise unchanged after the battle of Estoril.

Albers' Ascent

Victory for Christijan Albers saw the Dutchman move to the top of the Championship with eighteen points, leaving him four clear of Mattias Ekström in second. Gary Paffett was next up in third having lost the Championship lead, and was instead level with Martin Tomczyk and Tom Kristensen on ten points. Bernd Schneider was next up after his first points of the campaign, with Jean Alesi and Laurent Aïello also having claimed their first points of the season.

In the Teams' Championship Audi Team Abt led the charge after the second race, with Vodafone/DC Bank AMG-Mercedes two points behind in second. Former leaders AMG-Mercedes were down to third, two ahead of the second ABT Sportsline squad, while OPC Team Phoenix led the Opel charge in fifth. Elsewhere, Audi had overhauled Mercedes-AMG to lead the Manufacturers' Championship by two points, the first time the Stuttgart squad had been led since the Championship was introduced.

Entry List

The full entry list for the 2004 Adria Race is displayed below:

2004 Adria Race Entry List
No.	Name	Entrant	Constructor	Chassis	Livery
1	Bernd Schneider	Vodafone/DaimlerChrysler AMG-Mercedes	AMG-Mercedes	C-Klasse DTM
2	Christijan Albers	Vodafone/DaimlerChrysler AMG-Mercedes	AMG-Mercedes	C-Klasse DTM
3	Marcel Fässler	OPC Team Holzer 1	Opel	Vectra GTS V8
4	Laurent Aïello	OPC Team Phoenix	Opel	Vectra GTS V8
5	Mattias Ekström	Audi Sport Team Abt	Audi	A4 DTM
6	Martin Tomczyk	Audi Sport Team Abt	Audi	A4 DTM
7	Gary Paffett	AMG-Mercedes	AMG-Mercedes	C-Klasse DTM
8	Jean Alesi	AMG-Mercedes	AMG-Mercedes	C-Klasse DTM
9	Heinz-Harald Frentzen	OPC Team Holzer 2	Opel	Vectra GTS V8
10	Manuel Reuter	OPC Team Holzer 2	Opel	Vectra GTS V8
11	Christian Abt	Audi Sport Team Abt Sportsline	Audi	A4 DTM
12	Tom Kristensen	Audi Sport Team Abt Sportsline	Audi	A4 DTM
14	Peter Dumbreck	OPC Team Holzer 1	Opel	Vectra GTS V8
15	Timo Scheider	OPC Team Phoenix	Opel	Vectra GTS V8
16	Jeroen Bleekemolen	OPC Euroteam	Opel	Astra V8 Coupé DTM
17	Markus Winkelhock	Original-Teile AMG-Mercedes	AMG-Mercedes	CLK-DTM
18	Stefan Mücke	Original-Teile AMG-Mercedes	AMG-Mercedes	CLK-DTM
20	Jarek Janiš	Sonax Dark Dog AMG-Mercedes	AMG-Mercedes	CLK-DTM
21	Bernd Mayländer	Sonax Dark Dog AMG-Mercedes	AMG-Mercedes	CLK-DTM
44	Emanuele Pirro	Audi Sport Infineon Team Joest	Audi	A4 DTM
45	Frank Biela	Audi Sport Infineon Team Joest	Audi	A4 DTM
Source:

Qualifying

Results

The final qualifying result for the 2004 Adria Race are outlined below:

2004 Adria Race Qualifying Result
Super Pole Results
Pos.	No.	Name	Team	Time	Gap	Ave. Speed	Grid
1st	5	Mattias Ekström	Audi Team Abt	1:11.342	—	136.346 km/h	1
2nd	8	Jean Alesi	AMG-Mercedes	1:11.373	+0.031s	136.286 km/h	2
3rd	2	Christijan Albers	Vodafone/DC Bank AMG-Mercedes	1:11.386	+0.044s	136.262 km/h	3
4th	7	Gary Paffett	AMG-Mercedes	1:11.494	+0.152s	136.056 km/h	4
5th	6	Martin Tomczyk	Audi Team Abt	1:11.499	+0.157s	136.046 km/h	5
6th	9	Heinz-Harald Frentzen	OPC Team Holzer 2	1:11.510	+0.168s	136.025 km/h	6
7th	12	Tom Kristensen	Audi Team Abt Sportsline	1:11.526	+0.184s	135.995 km/h	7
8th	1	Bernd Schneider	Vodafone/DC Bank AMG-Mercedes	1:11.702	+0.360s	135.661 km/h	8
9th	15	Timo Scheider	OPC Team Phoenix	1:11.830	+0.488s	135.419 km/h	9
10th	45	Frank Biela	Audi Team Joest	1:12.410	+1.068s	134.335 km/h	10
Qualifying Results
Pos.	No.	Name	Team	Time	Gap	Ave. Speed	Grid
1st	5	Mattias Ekström	Audi Team Abt	1:11.133	—	136.746 km/h	SP
2nd	8	Jean Alesi	AMG-Mercedes	1:11.322	+0.189s	136.384 km/h	SP
3rd	2	Christijan Albers	Vodafone/DC Bank AMG-Mercedes	1:11.336	+0.203s	136.357 km/h	SP
4th	7	Gary Paffett	AMG-Mercedes	1:11.345	+0.212s	136.340 km/h	SP
5th	1	Bernd Schneider	Vodafone/DC Bank AMG-Mercedes	1:11.373	+0.240s	136.286 km/h	SP
6th	12	Tom Kristensen	Audi Team Abt Sportsline	1:11.470	+0.337s	136.101 km/h	SP
7th	9	Heinz-Harald Frentzen	OPC Team Holzer 2	1:11.542	+0.409s	135.964 km/h	SP
8th	15	Timo Scheider	OPC Team Phoenix	1:11.655	+0.522s	135.750 km/h	SP
9th	6	Martin Tomczyk	Audi Team Abt	1:11.706	+0.573s	135.653 km/h	SP
10th	45	Frank Biela	Audi Team Joest	1:11.787	+0.654s	135.500 km/h	SP
11th	18	Stefan Mücke	Original-Teile AMG-Mercedes	1:11.789	+0.656s	135.497 km/h	11
12th	17	Markus Winkelhock	Original-Teile AMG-Mercedes	1:11.794	+0.661s	135.487 km/h	12
13th	11	Christian Abt	Audi Team Abt Sportsline	1:11.824	+0.691s	135.431 km/h	13
14th	3	Marcel Fässler	OPC Team Holzer 1	1:11.824	+0.691s	135.431 km/h	14
15th	21	Bernd Mayländer	Sonax Dark Dog AMG-Mercedes	1:11.952	+0.819s	135.190 km/h	15
16th	44	Emanuele Pirro	Audi Team Joest	1:11.960	+0.827s	135.175 km/h	16
17th	14	Peter Dumbreck	OPC Team Holzer 1	1:11.963	+0.830s	135.169 km/h	17
18th	20	Jarek Janiš	Sonax Dark Dog AMG-Mercedes	1:11.966	+0.833s	135.163 km/h	18
19th	10	Manuel Reuter	OPC Team Holzer 2	1:11.993	+0.860s	135.113 km/h	19
20th	4	Laurent Aïello	OPC Team Phoenix	1:12.039	+0.906s	135.026 km/h	20
21st	16	Jeroen Bleekemolen	OPC Euroteam	1:12.562	+1.429s	134.053 km/h	21
107% Time: 1:16.112
Source:

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

Grid

The starting grid for the 2004 Adria Race in shown below:

		16	Jeroen Bleekemolen	1:12.562			10	Manuel Reuter	1:11.993			14	Peter Dumbreck	1:11.963			21	Bernd Mayländer	1:11.952			11	Christian Abt	1:11.824			18	Stefan Mücke	1:11.789			15	Timo Scheider	1:11.830			12	Tom Kristensen	1:11.562			6	Martin Tomczyk	1:11.499			2	Christijan Albers	1:11.386			5	Mattias Ekström	1:11.342
						4	Laurent Aïello		1:12.039		20	Jarek Janiš		1:11.966		44	Emanuele Pirro		1:11.960		3	Marcel Fässler		1:11.824		17	Markus Winkelhock		1:11.794		45	Frank Biela		1:12.410		1	Bernd Schneider		1:11.702		9	Heinz-Harald Frentzen		1:11.510		7	Gary Paffett		1:11.494		8	Jean Alesi		1:11.373

Race

Results

The final classification of the 2004 Adria Race is displayed below:

2004 Adria Race Result
Pos.	No.	Name	Team	Laps	Race Time	Fastest lap	Pts.
1st	5	Mattias Ekström	Audi Team Abt	47	57:52.607	1:12.106	10
2nd	2	Christijan Albers	Vodafone/DC Bank AMG-Mercedes	47	+3.156s	1:12.235	8
3rd	8	Jean Alesi	AMG-Mercedes	47	+10.198s	1:12.258	6
4th	7	Gary Paffett	AMG-Mercedes	47	+14.294s	1:12.407	5
5th	15	Timo Scheider	OPC Team Phoenix	47	+24.003s	1:12.234	4
6th	4	Laurent Aïello	OPC Team Phoenix	47	+28.140s	1:12.799	3
7th	18	Stefan Mücke	Original-Teile AMG-Mercedes	47	+33.082s	1:12.718	2
8th	6	Martin Tomczyk	Audi Team Abt	47	+35.301s	1:12.185	1
9th	44	Emanuele Pirro	Audi Team Joest	47	+45.253s	1:12.594
10th	12	Tom Kristensen	Audi Team Abt Sportsline	47	+58.130s	1:12.799
11th	1	Bernd Schneider	Vodafone/DC Bank AMG-Mercedes	47	+1:04.647	1:12.039
12th	9	Heinz-Harald Frentzen	OPC Team Holzer 2	47	+1:09.816	1:12.972
13th	10	Manuel Reuter	OPC Team Holzer 2	47	+1:12.434	1:12.607
14th	16	Jeroen Bleekemolen	OPC Euroteam	46	+1 Lap	1:14.118
Ret	11	Christian Abt	Audi Team Abt Sportsline	32	Retired	1:12.974
Ret	3	Marcel Fässler	OPC Team Holzer 1	19	Retired	1:12.607
Ret	20	Jarek Janiš	Sonax Dark Dog AMG-Mercedes	18	Retired	1:13.305
Ret	21	Bernd Mayländer	Sonax Dark Dog AMG-Mercedes	15	Retired	1:13.577
Ret	45	Frank Biela	Audi Team Joest	7	Retired	1:13.773
Ret	17	Markus Winkelhock	Original-Teile AMG-Mercedes	4	Retired	1:13.528
Ret	14	Peter Dumbreck	OPC Team Holzer 1	3	Retired	1:13.723
Source:

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

Milestones

• Second and final DMSB Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters Championship race to be held at the Adria International Raceway.
  • Also the final DTM race to be held in Italy until the 2007 Mugello Race.
• Mattias Ekström claimed his fifth pole position.
• Fourth win for Ekström.
• ABT Sportsline claimed their nineteenth victory as an entrant.
• Audi earned their nineteenth win as a manufacturer.
  • Also the first win for Audi as an official manufacturer entrant.

Standings

There were no changes to the top of the field in the Drivers' Championship after the third round of the season, with Christijan Albers having held the lead at the head of table. The Dutchman had seen his lead reduced to two points by Adria winner Mattias Ekström, while both had moved clear of Gary Paffett in third, eleven off of Albers. Martin Tomczyk and Tom Kristensen then completed the top five, while Stefan Mücke had become the twelfth scorer of the season.

Audi Team Abt continued to head the charge in the Teams' Championship, and had increased their advantage to five over closest challengers Vodafone/DC Bank AMG-Mercedes. AMG-Mercedes were next up in third, seven behind their sister squad, while OPC Team Phoenix were up to fourth ahead of Audi Team Abt Sportsline. In the Manufacturers' Championship AMG-Mercedes had moved back to the top of the table, having moved eight clear of Audi in second.

 

2004 Drivers' Championship Pos. Name Pts. +/- 1st Christijan Albers 26 ◄0 2nd Mattias Ekström 24 ◄0 3rd Gary Paffett 15 ◄0 4th Martin Tomczyk 11 ◄0 5th Tom Kristensen 10 ◄0 6th Jean Alesi 8 ▲4 7th Timo Scheider 8 ◄0 8th Bernd Schneider 4 ▼2 9th Laurent Aïello 4 ▲2 10th Peter Dumbreck 3 ▼3 11th Emanuele Pirro 2 ▼2 12th Stefan Mücke 2 ▲5

2004 Teams' Championship Pos. Name Pts. +/- 1st Audi Team Abt 35 ◄0 2nd Vodafone/DC Bank AMG-Mercedes 30 ◄0 3rd AMG-Mercedes 23 ◄0 4th OPC Team Phoenix 12 ▲1 5th Audi Team Abt Sportsline 10 ▼1 6th OPC Team Holzer 1 3 ◄0 7th Audi Team Joest 2 ◄0 8th Original-Teile AMG-Mercedes 2 ▲3 2004 Manufacturers' Championship Pos. Name Pts. +/- 1st AMG-Mercedes 55 ▲1 2nd Audi 47 ▼1 3rd Opel 15 ◄0

Only point scoring drivers and teams are shown.

References

Images and Videos:

• Liveries: byggxx, 'Rennwagen (2004)', dtm.fandom.com/de, (DTM Wiki/de, 2021), https://dtm.fandom.com/de/wiki/Kategorie:Rennwagen_(2004), (Accessed 20/07/2021)

References: