2020 Zolder II Race 2

2020 Zolder II Race 2
The Circuit Zolder returned to the DTM in 2020.
Race Information
Date	18 October 2020
No.	267
Event	DTM Zolder II 2020
Location	Circuit Zolder Heusden-Zolder, Limburg, Belgium
Format	55 min + 1 lap
Lap length	4.011 km (2.492 mi)
Distance	40 laps / 160.440 km (99.693 mi)
Qualifying Result
Pole Sitter	Ferdinand von Habsburg
Team	Audi Sport Team WRT
Time	1:18.879
Fastest Lap
Driver	René Rast
Team	Audi Sport Team Rosberg
Time	1:20.140 on lap 18
Race Result
First	Second	Third
René Rast	Nico Müller	Robert Kubica
Winner Team	Audi Sport Team Rosberg
Time	1:00:29.757
Race Guide
Previous		Next
2020 Zolder II Race 1		2020 Hockenheim Race 1

The 2020 Zolder II Race 2, formally known as the 2020 DTM Zolder II Race 2, was the sixteenth race of the 2020 DMSB Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters Championship, staged at the Circuit Zolder in Heusden-Zolder, Limburg, Belgium, on 18 October 2020. The race would see René Rast secure his fourth straight victory to enhance his lead in the Championship, as Robert Kubica claimed his maiden DTM podium.

Qualifying for the final race of four at Zolder would see Ferdinand von Habsburg secure his maiden pole position, elbowing out Rast from top spot on the grid by 0.069s. Rast himself would start from second ahead of fellow title pretender Robin Frijns and Fabio Scherer, Nico Müller would start from fifth, while Jonathan Aberdein was the best BMW pilot on the grid in sixth.

Habsburg would duly covert pole position into an early lead at the start of the race, with the Austrian racer edging out Rast into the first corner. Behind, meanwhile, Müller would get the jump on both Frijns and Scherer to claim third into the first corner, with the rest of the field making it through the first corner without issue.

Indeed, the opening tour would be very tame, with Habsburg establishing a small lead over Rast, who had Müller and Frijns on his tail. Indeed, it was only when Aberdein misjudged a lunge on Scherer that there was any action of note at the start of the second tour, with that contact hitting Scherer's car hard enough that it slammed into Frijns.

All three cars were too heavily damaged to continue, with a Safety Car scrambled to clear up the debris of one ruined BMW and two broken Audis. After a short intervention the race resumed with Habsburg holding the lead, until the SC was scrambled again after two quick-fire incidents.

The first collision saw debutante Benoît Tréluyer smack into the back of Lucas Auer into the first corner, removing himself from contention. Auer, meanwhile, would end his race just two corners later when he slammed into Philipp Eng, a collision which also caused Eng's BMW to catch fire on the side of the circuit.

Fortunately Eng would escape from his cockpit without issue, as the field gathered behind the SC for another spell. On lap eleven the race resumed with Habsburg again leading the field away, with Rast, Müller, Mike Rockenfeller and Jamie Green forming an all-Audi top five in a field with just ten cars.

Habsburg and Müller were the first to stop on lap thirteen, while Rast and Rockenfeller pitted a lap later and jumped ahead. Habsburg and Müller then cleared Rockenfeller after the stops to go hunting after Rast, although the defending Champion had ample pace to keep his two closest stablemates at bay.

Into the closing stages and Habsburg's pace would waver, allowing Müller to pass with ease to secure second after a long-gone Rast. Furthermore, as Habsburg tumbled another driver rose to the occasion, with Kubica slicing past Green, Rockenfeller and then Habsburg in the closing stages, with stablemate Timo Glock following him up the order.

With that the race was run, with Rast cruising to victory ahead of main title rival Müller to extend his recently gained Championship lead. Kubica, meanwhile, would complete the podium ahead of Glock, while Green passed Rockenfeller to secure his best result of the season since the opening round. Sheldon van der Linde was next up ahead of Marco Wittmann and Harrison Newey, while Habsburg's pace collapse left him as the last placed finisher and a lap down in tenth.

Background

There would be no changes to the Circuit Zolder ahead of the fourth and final race at the Belgian circuit, with the entry list likewise remaining unchanged.

Rast's Continued Rise

A third victory in succession for René Rast saw the German racer move to the top of the Championship with three races to go, the defending Champion having moved onto 267 points for the season. That put him ten clear of former leader Nico Müller, with the Swiss ace himself only five ahead of third placed Robin Frijns as those three all remained in the title fight. Behind, Mike Rockenfeller had just kept ahead of Timo Glock, the lead BMW pilot, while Ferdinand von Habsburg had moved into the top ten after his maiden podium.

In the Teams' Championship Audi Team Abt had seen their title winning margin slightly reduced, although they had still increased their tally to 529 points for the season. Behind, Audi Team Rosberg had secured second in the Championship, while third place was now a serious fight between Audi Team Phoenix and BMW Team RMG as just two points separated them. In the Manufacturers' Championship, meanwhile, Audi had smashed through the 1,000 point barrier, while BMW sat on 432.

Entry List

The full entry list for the 2020 Zolder II Race 2 is displayed below:

2020 Zolder II Race 2 Entry List
No.	Name	Entrant	Constructor	Chassis	Engine	Livery
4	Robin Frijns	Audi Sport Team Abt Sportsline	Audi	RS5 Turbo DTM	Audi RC8 TFSI 2.0l I4t
8	Robert Kubica	BMW Team ART Orlen	BMW	M4 Turbo DTM	BMW P48 Turbo 2.0l I4t
10	Harrison Newey	Audi Sport Team WRT	Audi	RS5 Turbo DTM	Audi RC8 TFSI 2.0l I4t
11	Marco Wittmann	BMW Team RMG	BMW	M4 Turbo DTM	BMW P48 Turbo 2.0l I4t
13	Fabio Scherer	Audi Sport Team WRT	Audi	RS5 Turbo DTM	Audi RC8 TFSI 2.0l I4t
16	Timo Glock	BMW Team RMG	BMW	M4 Turbo DTM	BMW P48 Turbo 2.0l I4t
19	Benoît Tréluyer	Audi Sport Team Phoenix	Audi	RS5 Turbo DTM	Audi RC8 TFSI 2.0l I4t
22	Lucas Auer	BMW Team RMR	BMW	M4 Turbo DTM	BMW P48 Turbo 2.0l I4t
25	Philipp Eng	BMW Team RBM	BMW	M4 Turbo DTM	BMW P48 Turbo 2.0l I4t
27	Jonathan Aberdein	BMW Team RMR	BMW	M4 Turbo DTM	BMW P48 Turbo 2.0l I4t
31	Sheldon van der Linde	BMW Team RBM	BMW	M4 Turbo DTM	BMW P48 Turbo 2.0l I4t
33	René Rast	Audi Sport Team Rosberg	Audi	RS5 Turbo DTM	Audi RC8 TFSI 2.0l I4t
51	Nico Müller	Audi Sport Team Abt Sportsline	Audi	RS5 Turbo DTM	Audi RC8 TFSI 2.0l I4t
53	Jamie Green	Audi Sport Team Rosberg	Audi	RS5 Turbo DTM	Audi RC8 TFSI 2.0l I4t
62	Ferdinand von Habsburg	Audi Sport Team WRT	Audi	RS5 Turbo DTM	Audi RC8 TFSI 2.0l I4t
99	Mike Rockenfeller	Audi Sport Team Phoenix	Audi	RS5 Turbo DTM	Audi RC8 TFSI 2.0l I4t
Source:

Qualifying

Results

The final qualifying result for the 2020 Zolder II Race 2 are outlined below:

2020 Zolder II Race 2 Qualifying Result
Pos.	No.	Name	Team	Time	Gap	Ave. Speed	Grid
1st	62	Ferdinand von Habsburg	Audi Team WRT	1:18.879	—	182.558 km/h	1
2nd	33	René Rast	Audi Team Rosberg	1:18.948	+0.069s	182.398 km/h	2
3rd	4	Robin Frijns	Audi Team Abt	1:18.984	+0.105s	182.315 km/h	3
4th	13	Fabio Scherer	Audi Team WRT	1:19.012	+0.133s	182.250 km/h	4
5th	51	Nico Müller	Audi Team Abt	1:19.035	+0.156s	182.197 km/h	5
6th	27	Jonathan Aberdein	BMW Team RMR	1:19.063	+0.184s	182.133 km/h	6
7th	53	Jamie Green	Audi Team Rosberg	1:19.101	+0.222s	182.045 km/h	7
8th	25	Philipp Eng	BMW Team RBM	1:19.333	+0.454s	181.513 km/h	8
9th	99	Mike Rockenfeller	Audi Team Phoenix	1:19.388	+0.509s	181.387 km/h	9
10th	8	Robert Kubica	BMW Team ART	1:19.412	+0.533s	181.332 km/h	10
11th	31	Sheldon van der Linde	BMW Team RBM	1:19.462	+0.583s	181.218 km/h	11
12th	10	Harrison Newey	Audi Team WRT	1:19.468	+0.589s	181.205 km/h	12
13th	22	Lucas Auer	BMW Team RMR	1:19.488	+0.609s	181.159 km/h	13
14th	16	Timo Glock	BMW Team RMG	1:19.540	+0.661s	181.040 km/h	14
15th	11	Marco Wittmann	BMW Team RMG	1:19.725	+0.846s	180.620 km/h	15
16th	19	Benoît Tréluyer	Audi Team Phoenix	1:20.201	+1.322s	179.548 km/h	16
Source:

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

Grid

The starting grid for the 2020 Zolder II Race 2 in shown below:

		11	Marco Wittmann	1:19.725			22	Lucas Auer	1:19.488			31	Sheldon van der Linde	1:19.462			99	Mike Rockenfeller	1:19.388			53	Jamie Green	1:19.101			51	Nico Müller	1:19.035			4	Robin Frijns	1:18.984			62	Ferdinand von Habsburg	1:18.879
	19	Benoît Tréluyer		1:20.201		16	Timo Glock		1:19.540		10	Harrison Newey		1:19.468		8	Robert Kubica		1:19.412		25	Philipp Eng		1:19.333		27	Jonathan Aberdein		1:19.063		13	Fabio Scherer		1:19.012		33	René Rast		1:18.948

Race

Results

The final classification of the 2020 Zolder II Race 2 is displayed below:

2020 Zolder II Race 2 Result
Pos.	No.	Name	Team	Laps	Race Time	Fastest lap	Pts.
1st	33	René Rast	Audi Team Rosberg	40	1:00:29.757	1:20.140	252
2nd	51	Nico Müller	Audi Team Abt	40	+11.500s	1:20.577	18
3rd	8	Robert Kubica	BMW Team ART	40	+25.785s	1:20.899	15
4th	16	Timo Glock	BMW Team RMG	40	+29.572s	1:21.206	12
5th	53	Jamie Green	Audi Team Rosberg	40	+30.209s	1:21.061	10
6th	99	Mike Rockenfeller	Audi Team Phoenix	40	+31.971s	1:21.424	8
7th	31	Sheldon van der Linde	BMW Team RBM	40	+33.095s	1:21.559	6
8th	11	Marco Wittmann	BMW Team RMG	40	+47.199s	1:21.614	4
9th	10	Harrison Newey	Audi Team WRT	40	+47.651s	1:21.490	2
10th	62	Ferdinand von Habsburg	Audi Team WRT	39	+1 Lap	'1:20.841	13
Ret	22	Lucas Auer	BMW Team RMR	6	Collision	1:34.403
Ret	19	Benoît Tréluyer	Audi Team Phoenix	6	Collision	1:35.050
Ret	25	Philipp Eng	BMW Team RBM	5	Collision	1:33.542
Ret	27	Jonathan Aberdein	BMW Team RMR	2	Damage	—
Ret	13	Fabio Scherer	Audi Team WRT	2	Collision	—
Ret	4	Robin Frijns	Audi Team Abt	1	Collision	—	1
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.

Milestones

• Maiden and only pole position for Ferdinand von Habsburg.
• 23rd win for René Rast.
• Robert Kubica secured his first and only podium finish.

Standings

René Rast had extended his recently won lead in the Championship with his fourth straight win, with the defending Champion nineteen points clear at the head of the table. Nico Müller was his closest challenger having lost the lead to the German veteran, with Rast able to win the title at the penultimate round if he outscored Müller by nine points. Behind, Robin Frijns was still mathematically in the hunt in third, although the now 42 point deficit he faced meant he would need a near-perfect weekend at the finale, and see both Müller and Rast fail to score.

Audi Team Abt had once again been outscored in the Teams' Championship for only the third time in 2020, although the German squad had still added to their title winning tally. Behind Audi Team Rosberg had moved even further clear in second, while BMW Team RMG had moved six clear of Audi Team Phoenix to secure third. In the Manufacturers' Championship Audi continued to lead the way as their huge tally grew once again, the Ingolstadt marque having moved onto 1,102 points for the campaign.

2020 Drivers' Championship Pos. Name Pts. +/- 1st René Rast 304 ◄0 2nd Nico Müller 285 ◄0 3rd Robin Frijns 262 ◄0 4th Mike Rockenfeller 117 ◄0 5th Timo Glock 116 ◄0 6th Sheldon van der Linde 105 ◄0 7th Marco Wittmann 95 ◄0 8th Loïc Duval 88 ◄0 9th Jamie Green 67 ▲1 10th Ferdinand von Habsburg 65 ▼1 11th Lucas Auer 51 ◄0 12th Philipp Eng 45 ◄0 13th Jonathan Aberdein 45 ◄0 14th Harrison Newey 27 ◄0 15th Fabio Scherer 20 ◄0 16th Robert Kubica 16 ◄0 17th Benoît Tréluyer 0 ◄0

2020 Teams' Championship Pos. Name Pts. +/- 1st Audi Team Abt 547 ◄0 2nd Audi Team Rosberg 371 ◄0 3rd BMW Team RMG 211 ▲1 4th Audi Team Phoenix 205 ▼1 5th BMW Team RBM 150 ◄0 6th Audi Team WRT 100 ◄0 7th BMW Team RMR 96 ◄0 8th BMW Team ART 16 ◄0 2020 Manufacturers' Championship Pos. Name Pts. +/- 1st Audi 1,102 ◄0 2nd BMW 469 ◄0

References

Images and Videos:

• Liveries: byggxx, 'Rennwagen (2020)', dtm.fandom.com/de, (DTM Wiki/de, 2021), https://dtm.fandom.com/de/wiki/Kategorie:Rennwagen_(2020), (Accessed 29/05/2021)

References: