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00:00♪
00:30Hello, everyone, and welcome to the first race of the season
00:34in the German Touring Car Masters 2001,
00:38the second year of this very popular series in Germany.
00:42I'm Milt Fitzwater, and today we're coming to you from Hockenheim.
00:46The Grand Prix circuit will not be used today.
00:48They're going to use the famous short course,
00:50which presents certainly all kinds of problems of its own.
00:53The drivers are out waving to the fans.
00:56This is a series where the fans certainly get a chance to meet their drivers up close.
01:01And the track? Well, Hockenheim was built back in 1932.
01:07It has a great tradition. It started Formula 1 racing back in 1977.
01:13And since then, it has been one of the most popular circuits in Europe
01:17and one of the toughest.
01:22Hockenheim is certainly a traditional track.
01:24It's been here a long time. It's very special.
01:26It's a stadium-like atmosphere, particularly when you drive in.
01:30You drive into the stadium, and it's amazing.
01:35Everyone loves this track, but particularly the short course.
01:42I believe you need experience to drive here if you want to do well.
01:45It's tough on tires, especially the left front tires.
01:48And if you have the wrong setup, it can be a long day.
01:54Bösenkelligen.
01:57The Hockenheim Motor Drum certainly offers something for just about everybody.
02:00There even is a museum here, which traces the history of this track.
02:04It all started with motorcycles, and some of them are here.
02:18There's also a different type of action here.
02:20There's go-kart racing, and in many of these German touring cars,
02:23stars have raced on this go-kart circuit.
02:30But the real challenge, of course, is not the go-kart circuit.
02:34It's the short course at Hockenheim, the one that everybody worries about.
02:41You can compare the short course here at Hockenheim with a soccer stadium.
02:46You come into the back of the stadium, and then the fans stand.
02:51Now, when it's sold out, there are some 60,000 fans there.
02:59There is certainly a special atmosphere when all these fans are there.
03:03And you do feel it in the car.
03:07They wave flags. They set off fireworks.
03:12And the course, particularly the short course, is very tough.
03:15It puts tremendous demands on the drivers.
03:20It's also tough on equipment.
03:24It's important that you find the right balance.
03:27There's a mixture of slow and fast corners.
03:34And so the fans get their chance to look around and do some shopping
03:38before it gets serious with racing.
03:42And the fans come in droves.
03:44This is a mecca for touring car racing.
03:51Some 30,000 fans are on hand today.
03:5422 drivers are ready to start the races here
03:58in the brand-new season of the German Touring Car Masters.
04:03And there's the short course, 1.6 miles long.
04:06They'll run 13 laps in the qualifying race,
04:09and the main race will be 38 laps.
04:12There are nine rookie drivers, so to speak,
04:15although some of them have been around for some time,
04:17but they're making their first appearance
04:19in the German Touring Car Masters.
04:21The champ is back, though.
04:23That's Bernd Schneider, and he's on the pull.
04:25Mercedes dominated qualifying.
04:27The top five cars are Mercedes.
04:29Then comes Manuel Reuter in the Opel,
04:31and then the Audi surprised everyone.
04:33Laurent Aiello is starting 7th.
04:35You can't miss him. That's in that yellow Audi.
04:38But the real question is, who's going to get the start here?
04:41On the left is Bernd Schneider, his teammate.
04:44Peter Dumbrek, after qualifying, is right next to him.
04:47And we're underway with the first race of the season.
04:50Schneider gets the jump, going into the right-hander.
04:52The rest of the field sorts itself out.
04:54Dumbrek drops right in behind him.
04:56Then Thomas Jaeger, one of the young drivers, is running 3rd.
05:00Behind him is Pedro Lamy.
05:02The field's sorting itself out.
05:04They have to be a little careful here,
05:06because there's only points for the top three,
05:08and they're minimal points.
05:10This, though, sets the field for the main race.
05:13So you have to finish it.
05:15How hard do you push? How hard do you want to drive?
05:18That's the question.
05:20And right now, it's the first race of the season.
05:22Some of these cars are really getting a roll out here at Hockenheim.
05:25So no one really wants to push that hard.
05:27They want to make the big show.
05:29But look at this. Bernd Schneider out in front.
05:31Dumbrek is running 2nd.
05:33And Patrick Huisman, one of the new drivers in the series from the Netherlands,
05:37goes off the course but is back on.
05:40He has some experience in touring cars,
05:42but here at Hockenheim, it's a whole different world
05:45when it comes to the German touring car masters
05:49and these cars from Mercedes, Opel, and Audi.
05:53So there's your first lap.
05:55It's a very good mixture of the older and younger drivers.
05:58Schneider, the veteran, Dumbrek, Jaeger, all newer.
06:01Lamy is only in his second season in the series,
06:03so you can see it's a very nice mixture of the young and old stars
06:08here at Hockenheim in this brand new series.
06:12Timo Schneider on the left in that red hooded car
06:15ducks inside and goes by Hubert Haupt.
06:18Haupt, also a new driver in the series.
06:20Timo Schneider, one of the very young drivers last year
06:24who put on a good performance,
06:26and is this year, once again for Opel, one of the contenders.
06:29You're riding in the Audi of Christian Abt.
06:31He's back in the pack just a little bit.
06:33As you get a good look at the short course here at Hockenheim,
06:36if you come off this corner right up as close against the wall
06:39as you can imagine, then it's right into the stadium area,
06:42and here is where the fans are, particularly in this corner,
06:45as they head in.
06:46Now you get a good look at the wall here,
06:48how close some of the drivers come to it.
06:50It's one of the two real cement walls
06:52the drivers have to face every single season.
06:54The other is down at the Norris Ring.
06:56Once again, with Christian Abt,
06:58you're on the busy part of the course now.
07:01Headed toward the front straight and the start-finish line,
07:04the pits will be on your right, the stadium on your left,
07:08and Winklehawk, Joachim Winklehawk's car, is in the pitch.
07:13One of the most popular drivers in the series is having problems.
07:18They're switching tires, but it's a little early.
07:20There is a mandatory pit stop, but not in the qualifying race.
07:23It comes in the main race.
07:25Something is not quite right with Winklehawk's car.
07:29He comes back out, but he is way behind.
07:31He started way back in the pack after having a miserable qualifying session.
07:35The weather changed on him.
07:37He took his laps too early, and by the time he got out,
07:39there was no chance to better it, and he started way back in the pack.
07:43You're looking at Alain Meunier.
07:45He is the driver in the white Opel,
07:49and now you're with Manuel Reuter,
07:53second in last year's championship.
07:56And Reuter is right there with the yellow doors.
07:59That's the car you were riding with just a few moments ago.
08:05Fesler going by.
08:06That is that black Mercedes with the green rearview mirrors.
08:11Marcel starting further back in the pack than I'm sure he would like to.
08:14Wow, that was tight against the wall.
08:17And Winklehawk in that orange Opel, more problems.
08:20Headed back to the pitch.
08:22What a shame.
08:23One of the most popular drivers in touring car racing
08:26moved from BMW a couple of years ago over to Opel,
08:31and he's had his problems here in the first race of the season at Hoffenheim.
08:36The change in the series this year,
08:38they ran two 100-kilometer or 60-mile races for a race weekend.
08:44Now they're going to run the qualifying that you're seeing here,
08:46which is about 35 kilometers,
08:49and then that sets up the field for the main race.
08:53And what's really surprising is, one, is how fast this man is, Bernd Schneider.
08:57He's simply leaving everybody behind.
08:59He's already got the nickname the Dominator.
09:02He is literally controlling touring car racing,
09:05and particularly since one of the true veterans
09:07and the winningest touring car driver, Klaus Ludwig,
09:10decided to retire at the end of last season.
09:12So now Bernd Schneider can take over that crown
09:16as Germany's top touring car driver and one of the top ones in Europe.
09:21But he's going to have a lot of young drivers that are going to be pushing him.
09:25His teammate, one of them, Peter Dumbrek.
09:28Dumbrek running second.
09:32But right here, Schneider takes the checkered flag and wins the qualifying race.
09:38There comes Dumbrek, your winner, Bernd Schneider.
09:41And the season is underway in the German touring car masters.
09:44Jaeger comes in very well third.
09:46There is Uwe Ahlson on the inside,
09:48and Lamy was on the outside.
09:50But it's a Mercedes day.
09:53Mercedes dominating once again here in the qualifying race.
09:58Manuel Reuter will be one of your top Opels,
10:01but he's back in the pack.
10:03The top non-Mercedes is Laurent Aiello in the Audi.
10:08He came in eighth.
10:09Manu came in eleventh, and Reuter came in twelfth.
10:13So it's a disappointing start for the Opel crew,
10:16and a little bit of action here toward the end,
10:18as the cars spin just a little bit,
10:21but nobody has any serious damage,
10:23and every student should be able to continue.
10:28Taking a look at another one,
10:29this is the move against Hubert Haupt by one of the Audis.
10:33You can see how Haupt gets way wide and slides.
10:36There it is, the finish for the first qualifying race of the 2001 season.
10:42Bernd Schneider, your winner.
10:44Mercedes dominates right from the start.
10:47Mercedes finishing in the top seven.
10:51Further down the pack, Christian Apt in the second Audi
10:54did very well, coming in in tenth place.
10:57Manuel Reuter in twelfth, Manu in eleventh,
11:00so Opel has a lot of work ahead of them yet.
11:02Some of the young drivers, Tomczyk included,
11:04he's only 19 years old, finishing down in the pack.
11:07And now they have to get the cars ready for the start of the second race.
11:45The Hockenheim Ring.
11:47April 5th, 2001.
11:50German Touring Car Masters comes out of its winter sleep.
11:53Twenty-two drivers have come to the press conference.
11:57Opel with eight, Mercedes with ten,
12:01and the Audis with four.
12:04The excitement builds.
12:05New rules modifications will make it more attractive for the fans.
12:15The format has changed.
12:17There's now qualifying.
12:19Each driver has 12 laps to put in his best time.
12:23And it's going to be carried live on German TV.
12:26Then on race day, there'll be a short 35-kilometer qualification race,
12:30which determines the starting positions for the race.
12:33Then there'll be mandatory pit stops during the main race.
12:36It's a complete program both for the fans at the track
12:39and those watching on television.
12:42There's also been quite a bit done for German television,
12:44including bringing in a former German Touring Car champion,
12:47Klaus Ludwig, to do the color commentary.
12:50So what's hoped is that the television coverage,
12:53coupled with the live action on the track,
12:56is going to make this a very exciting year for the German Touring Car Masters.
13:03The teams have certainly had time to practice the pit stops for the main race,
13:06but for Opel, well, it's not necessarily the pit stops.
13:09That's just part of what they hope is a very successful program this year.
13:13We were runner-up in last year's championship.
13:16We won eight races, and we led the most races.
13:19The advantage of being second is that there's always room for improvement.
13:22We can always move up a place, and that's our goal.
13:25We wouldn't be in the sport if it wasn't.
13:27We have worked hard with that goal in mind.
13:31And for the drivers, they have one goal.
13:33That's to beat the champ, Bernd Schneider.
13:36But it will be tough.
13:39I want to defend my title.
13:41No champion has been able to do that.
13:43I think it will be very difficult,
13:45but Mercedes has certainly given me a car to do it with.
13:51And this man, Manuel Reuter, would like to become champion.
13:55In fact, he's going to find out what it must be like to drive a Mercedes here.
13:59This at the press, not on race day.
14:03These are the two cars that will be some of the top contenders
14:06for the race victories this season in the German Touring Car Masters.
14:24And another attraction this season is a two-seater Formula One car.
14:28This gives a number of people a chance to ride in a Mercedes two-seater Formula One vehicle
14:34and see what it's like in this kind of a car.
14:38And with Formula One's popularity in Europe,
14:40that certainly will be a high point for a number of fans this season,
14:43and certainly a number of drivers who may not have had that experience yet.
14:56So the break is almost over with between the qualifying race here at Hockenheim and the main race.
15:02This year, this is the one that gives all the points.
15:0420 points goes to the victor and the man on the pole, of course, Bernd Schneider.
15:09He's the one that everybody knows they have to beat if they want to have a chance for the title.
15:14He is the top driver in touring cars.
15:17And there's your front row.
15:18Bernd Schneider and his teammate, Peter Dumbrek.
15:22The two AMG Mercedes cars, brand-new versions of the Mercedes for this year.
15:28Next to them is Thomas Jaeger and Pedro Lamy.
15:32They are in cars of last year's make, but with the new motors, both in Mercedes.
15:37Uwe Alsen, new to Mercedes, coming from Opel.
15:40And next to him, Darren Turner, in another of the Rossberg Mercedes.
15:46Behind them comes the first Audi.
15:47First, there's Marcel Fesler.
15:49And then, Laurent Ayel, the Frenchman,
15:52who would love to get back into the competition after having a very difficult year.
15:56Bernd Meilander, a driver who many have seen in Formula 1, is driving the Pace car.
16:01Now in touring cars, Christian Abt, in another of the Audis.
16:07After that, a newcomer, Alain Menuet.
16:10Can't miss that car with the bright rainbow colors.
16:13And then, Manuel Reuter.
16:15Reuter, one of those after the championship.
16:19Christian Albers, another of the new young drivers on the inside.
16:22Christian Albers, another of the new young drivers on the inside.
16:26On the outside, Michel Bartels, a veteran in an Opel.
16:29Those are the top cars in the field.
16:31Twenty cars will be starting the feature race.
16:33Two will not.
16:34Benkelhock was not able to get his car into the field.
16:37And Ekström, Matthias Ekström, also is not going to make the feature race.
16:42He is one of the youngest drivers in the field.
16:45And he didn't quite get the car through the qualifying race.
16:48So, twenty cars, ready to go.
16:51Once again, it comes down to can Bernd Schneider get the jump.
16:54Schneider's on the left.
16:55Peter Dumbrek from England is on the right.
16:58Good crowd on hand, waiting for the green here at Hockenheim on the short course.
17:02The mile and a half circuit, and we're underway.
17:04And once again, Bernd Schneider on the inside gets a tremendous jump.
17:08Dumbrek will duck in between.
17:11And Marcel Fesler comes up with a great start.
17:14But a car goes off the course.
17:17But a great start by the leaders here.
17:20That was Husman who went off the course and came back on.
17:24He lost part of the car.
17:26But look at Schneider.
17:27Bernd Schneider out in front and just continues to roll.
17:31The man is truly amazing.
17:35That is Uwe Ahlsund now, running in third place.
17:38Christian Abt gives you a look at the course coming into the stadium here.
17:43Schneider is your leader, then Dumbrek.
17:45Then comes Ahlsund, then comes Jaeger.
17:48Then comes Lamy.
17:50Those dark colored Mercedes, a little hard to differentiate.
17:52They both have those red rearview mirrors, so you have trouble trying to pick out which one is which.
17:58A battle in the pack, which we can expect all day long.
18:00But it's great that Christian Abt is able to be right up there and battle for position here.
18:04Last year, the Audis were not the cars that everybody thought they would be.
18:08And this year, they are.
18:10And that was a battle right there with Bernd Meilander.
18:14And there's your first lap.
18:15A good mix of old and new.
18:17Schneider, Dumbrek, Ahlsund, Jaeger.
18:23Two veterans and two basic newcomers.
18:27But Schneider is showing the way.
18:28He's already pulled out to a lead.
18:30It's amazing.
18:34Ahlsund.
18:36And Michel Bartels has come into the pits.
18:39Michel Bartels in the Opel has come into the pits.
18:42A second Opel goes out.
18:44Take another look at Huisman.
18:46There's a piece of a car, one of the Audis, laying on the track.
18:49Huisman went wide.
18:51Whether it was to miss that or he lost control, not sure.
18:54But one of the Audis also hit that part.
18:57But Huisman did come back in.
18:58But the question is going to be, how much damage did the gravel do?
19:02And look at this.
19:03Bernd Schneider just continues to roll.
19:06Dumbrek is second.
19:07Uwe Ahlsund is third.
19:08Now, Ahlsund has a lot to prove.
19:10He's brand new to Mercedes this year.
19:12He wants to come back after having what would be called a miserable year with Opel.
19:17So everyone is expecting him to be tough.
19:19He's also a driver who does not compromise when it comes to getting by somebody.
19:24He is not afraid to come up and say,
19:26Hello, I want to go by and give you a short nudge.
19:29And everyone's waiting to see if he can do it.
19:31Right now, we're looking back in the pack at some of the young drivers in the field.
19:34There you can see the Audis coming through.
19:36Timo Scheider.
19:38Tom Cech.
19:40Martin Tom Cech is brand new to the series.
19:42He's driving for Audi.
19:44He's 19 years old.
19:46Youngest driver in the field.
19:49That's the one the fans like.
19:50Very popular driver because he always battles for position.
19:54And that's Uwe Ahlsund.
19:56He started off last season for Opel and just got a little bit better.
20:00But he's still got a long way to go.
20:02And that's Uwe Ahlsund.
20:04He started off last season for Opel and just had a miserable time.
20:07Never did forget it.
20:08And now the menu car is out.
20:10Opel is having a terrible day here.
20:13Quite frankly, it's exactly how they started last year.
20:15Mercedes dominated the first race of the season at the short track.
20:18Opel just wasn't quite ready.
20:20And they had problems all day long.
20:25Fesler.
20:26Moving up in the pack.
20:28As he got by.
20:30Turner.
20:32He now is chasing after the rest of the pack here.
20:36There's your top six.
20:37Schneider, Dunbrek, Ahlsund, Jaeger, Lamy and Turner.
20:40But Turner has just lost a position to Fesler.
20:43This was just before he made the pass.
20:45Aiello, look at that.
20:46The Audi is running in 8th and 9th position with Christian Abt.
20:51Mailander is 10th.
20:52Then comes Tomczak, the 19-year-old, in 11th position.
20:55Timo Scheider.
20:56Another of the young drivers right behind him.
20:59But Laurent Aiello, the Frenchman, right here in this yellow Audi.
21:05Certainly putting on a great show.
21:06It looks like Bartels will be coming back out on the course.
21:09Whether the car is going to be competitive.
21:11He's lost a number of laps.
21:12So whether he'll be able to make something out of this or not, that is a true question here.
21:20But the other question is, how good are these Audis?
21:23Here's the battle once again up front.
21:26There is Fesler.
21:27He continues to move up.
21:29The man is simply charging here.
21:32He is moving by.
21:33He just went by Pedro Lamy.
21:38And continues to roll here.
21:41So he now is up into 5th position.
21:45Fesler, who is one of those highly touted young drivers, had a pretty good year last year.
21:50He's got a top ride this year.
21:51One of the top Mercedes cars.
21:54So Mercedes must see a lot of talent there.
21:58And now he has to prove it.
22:02And here comes Aiello again in that yellow Audi.
22:05He continues to move.
22:07And there you see what happened to Patrick Kuzman's skirt as he came through the gravel.
22:13It went off and the car had problems.
22:18And there's Bartels.
22:19Something has broken off his car.
22:23So the Opel crew just can't buy any kind of luck today.
22:27Michel Bartels will probably have to park it here.
22:30An Opel with only a couple of cars left out in the field.
22:34Manuel Reuter being one of them, but he's way back in the pack.
22:38This is not a great day for them.
22:41Not a great day at all.
22:44Marcel Fesler continues to roll forward.
22:47Here comes Patrick Kuzman into the pitch.
22:49They've got to do some repair work on the front of his car.
22:54He comes from Holland.
22:56It's his first appearance in the German Touring Car Masters,
22:59but he's been around touring cars for some time.
23:02And look at this.
23:06The Audis continue to pull.
23:08App now has gotten by and is moving up behind his teammate Laurent Aiello.
23:13Aiello struggled last year with a car that was not competitive
23:16and he was coming off a year before that when he was champion in Super Touring Cars.
23:21And through sheer talent alone he brought that car forward.
23:24This year the car is much better and he's running up in the top 10.
23:27Last year they were happy to finish in the top 20.
23:30Basically to finish.
23:31Now they're running extremely well.
23:34And this is a very nice battle here between two of the young and up-and-coming touring car drivers.
23:40Thomas Jaeger in a Mercedes ahead of Marcel Fesler.
23:45Two of the fine young drivers in the series.
23:47Fesler is 24 years old.
23:51He's had a great career so far.
23:54And everyone knows he can drive and now he gets a chance to prove it.
24:01Jaeger is also 24 years old.
24:05Second year of touring cars.
24:06So you see the new generation.
24:08But that is the dominator.
24:11Bernd Schneider in front.
24:12Dumbrek from England is running second.
24:15Olsen is running third.
24:17And here comes that battle between Jaeger and Marcel Fesler.
24:24Interesting point here is that actually Jaeger has an older version of the car but obviously has the new motor.
24:34Marcel Fesler has the new version of the car all the way around and yet Jaeger is putting up a great defense here.
24:40This track is not easy to pass on.
24:42There are a couple of places.
24:43This left hander is taken wide open if you want to stay out in front.
24:47Then you're coming up to a swinging right hander.
24:50Which brings you out to the wall.
24:52And then you head into the stadium.
24:55Now there's going to be a pass.
24:56This is one place where it might come.
24:59But it doesn't look like Fesler is going to be close enough to get inside.
25:03There's the hood on the Yves Olivier car coming loose.
25:08That will make for an interesting afternoon.
25:11Laurent Ayala comes by.
25:12This is Christian Abt.
25:14And he's being challenged.
25:16But the Audis continue to run extremely well.
25:19It's really amazing how well they're doing.
25:22Mailander is the man trying to get by Christian Abt.
25:27Mailander is also making his first appearance in the Touring Car Series.
25:31He has driven a number of different types of cars.
25:33The first time he's in the Touring Cars.
25:35Here he tries to go inside.
25:36Not going to make it.
25:38Abt shut the door.
25:39Let's see if he can try again.
25:43You'll have to wait a second here until they get out.
25:46Into the stadium area.
25:48Now you're with Christian Abt.
25:52As he heads into the stadium area.
25:54Being chased by Mailander.
25:58You get a good view of him at work here.
26:00As he heads toward the right-hander that will take him to the start-finish line.
26:05But Mailander can get up and stay with him enough to
26:08get a little striptease coming off the long straightaway here.
26:12He might be able to get by.
26:15There's Tomczyk.
26:18With a spin.
26:19The young driver getting his start in Touring Cars.
26:22Has a thing or two to learn as most all of them do.
26:26There is Laurent Aiello.
26:29He is charging.
26:30It's amazing the show that he is putting on.
26:34And the Audi fans are certainly more than happy.
26:39The car ahead of him is Darren Turner.
26:48Laurent Aiello.
26:51Everyone knows the man has tremendous talent.
26:55And when the car is going to be enough underneath him that he can run with people.
26:59He is just as good as anybody up front.
27:03Right now.
27:04With Baron Schneider.
27:06Sitting on the throne basically.
27:09The question is going to be who is going to take it from him.
27:11And now we start the mandatory pit stops.
27:13In this race all cars have to stop once.
27:16And they have to change all four tires.
27:19This was added this year to make it a little bit more interesting for the fans.
27:22And give a little bit more excitement.
27:24It also means tactics for the teams.
27:26Because sometimes you may not be able to get by somebody.
27:29So you come in the pits.
27:30Change tires.
27:31You get away from them.
27:32And get a chance to make a run at him.
27:33After that person goes into the pits.
27:35Of course that is just one scenario.
27:37There are many many more.
27:39Aiello in.
27:40Relatively long time here.
27:42Pit stop should be around 10-11 seconds.
27:44This one is a little long.
27:48Now he is out.
27:51Relatively long pit stop at 19 seconds.
27:55There is Manuel Reuter.
27:56Opel's hopes ride with him now.
27:59Everybody else has just about fallen out.
28:04Reuter.
28:06Makes his home in Monte Carlo.
28:09He has become a regular Opel driver for the past several years.
28:12And is always a challenger.
28:19But the car has had its problems here in the opening race of the season.
28:23During qualifying they couldn't quite find the set up.
28:25In order to get the best use of the Dunlop tires.
28:28Everybody has to run the same tires.
28:30And Opel has not found the way yet to really get the most out of the tires.
28:33Mercedes obviously has.
28:35And the Opels also have their problems in the wet.
28:38And the qualifying was done in the wet or partially.
28:41And then the regular times came right about in the last 10 minutes of qualifying.
28:45When the rain let up and the track dried out a little bit.
28:47But most of the drivers had already used up the 12 laps of qualifying they were allowed.
28:53Baron Schneider incidentally had real luck on that one.
28:56Here as you take a look at Reuter.
28:57Schneider had had an accident in the first lap of qualifying.
29:00Went in and got the car fixed.
29:02And by the time he was ready to come back out the rain had let up.
29:04And he put in his fast laps and took the pole.
29:06Otherwise he even admitted he probably would have used up his fast laps early.
29:10And not been able to get the pole position.
29:13That was the luck of the draw.
29:16Good chance to ride with Manuel Reuter.
29:18As Thomas Jaeger brings his Mercedes in for his pit stop.
29:29Brings it in about 30 miles an hour.
29:32Is the speed limit on pit lane.
29:37All four.
29:38Time looks good on this one.
29:39This one's not as long as what it was for the Audi L.
29:4211.6.
29:43That's pretty good.
29:44And that probably is what would be considered to be the standard as far as what's going to happen.
29:50You get in quicker and out quicker.
29:51That's that much better.
29:54Here come two teammates.
29:57As the Audi continues to roll.
29:59That is Yves Olivier.
30:01The teammate from Manuel Reuter in the yellow and white Opel.
30:06You can tell the difference in the trim.
30:08But that's just about it.
30:09Ahead of him is Christian Albers.
30:12One of the new young drivers in the field.
30:17But that's the boss right there.
30:19Bernd Schneider.
30:22This man has been superior this last several years.
30:27He also was great when he drove in the prototypes for Mercedes.
30:30Mercedes came back into touring cars.
30:32He was a great driver.
30:34He also was great when he drove in the prototypes for Mercedes.
30:37Mercedes came back into touring cars.
30:39That's his specialty.
30:41And when the car makes it through, he's almost unstoppable.
30:45Last year, he only made one bad mistake.
30:48That was at Oschersleben when he went off.
30:50Other than that, he dominated.
30:53Car ran well.
30:54Jumped off to a lead in the points like he's starting to do here, it looks like.
30:59He's just got to bring the car home and pick up 20 points.
31:03Through all the pit stops, though, that's the change.
31:06And that's where the luck comes.
31:09Are you going to pit at the right time?
31:12Is your competitor going to be able to pit at the right time?
31:14Are you going to take advantage of his stop?
31:16Or are you going to be caught?
31:20Uwe Alsen now coming into the pits.
31:24Alsen, the hard charger.
31:28They certainly come on a little less than what people expected.
31:31In the press conferences and before the season,
31:33he was almost like the number two driver behind Bernd Schneider.
31:38But here, a lot of the young drivers have said,
31:40hey, I can get by him and I'm going to.
31:42And they want to go after Bernd Schneider.
31:44But right now, no one's been able to catch Schneider.
31:47This is the first season for Alsen in a Mercedes.
31:51And you're riding with Bernd Schneider here at Hockenheim
31:54on the short course in the first race of the season
31:57in the German touring car masters.
31:59Down the front straight you go.
32:01Then you see the rest of the pack behind him.
32:06He has opened up a tremendous lead here.
32:08And he continues to roll.
32:13That's Bernd Meilander behind him.
32:16Schneider's teammate, Dumbrek, comes into the pits.
32:21Dumbrek has actually had a good race here.
32:24He's been running up front, but now the pit stops are going to decide
32:27who ends up where, that's for sure.
32:30Most teams do the way this is set up.
32:32Three people to a tire.
32:35One with the sign.
32:39Whoa, 10.1.
32:41Dumbrek with a great stop.
32:44Meanwhile, Schneider continues to roll.
32:51In the infield, as more cars continue to pit.
32:53Here comes Manuel Reuter in.
32:55He'll change all four.
33:00So Schneider continues to lead.
33:05Reuter out in 9.4.
33:07That's some of the best time yet.
33:09Manuel Reuter, who was far back in the pack,
33:13gets all four in 9.4 seconds.
33:18Your leader continues to be Bernd Schneider,
33:20followed by Meilander at this point.
33:24Behind him is Laurent Aiello.
33:27The standings are being shuffled regularly here
33:29because of the pit stops.
33:34It'll sort itself out after everybody has
33:36done their share of changing tires.
33:40Bernd Schneider is a true technician.
33:42He's a tactician that knows exactly what he wants to do.
33:46He has an excellent team behind him.
33:48They've been together for a number of years.
33:51He's driven for Mercedes a number of years.
33:53He has the same engineer.
33:57And he just is the coolest driver you ever can imagine.
34:00He never seems to get upset.
34:02And now it's his turn to change all four.
34:05Makes it to the line, gets down to the speed limit,
34:07and now you ride with him very slowly down pit lane
34:12as he heads for his four-tire change.
34:16This will now be crucial.
34:19He has to go all the way to the end
34:21as the Mercedes pits are way at the end of the pits
34:23right before the chance to go back on the track.
34:27Reuter was 9.4 is the best time.
34:33Schneider is going to be pretty good here.
34:35He's out. 11.4.
34:40So Bernd Schneider has made his pit stop.
34:45Now the thing is is that Marcel Fesler
34:47has taken over the lead.
34:49Another Mercedes is out in front.
34:52So Bernd Schneider now will start to roll
34:56and see where things go as he has done his pits.
35:00The question now is how can Fesler do his pit stop
35:03and either maintain the lead
35:05or maybe stay up in the top group.
35:08The two Audis come in together.
35:10That's a little unusual.
35:11Everybody's been coming in separately,
35:13but the two Audis have come in right together.
35:16You're riding with Christian Abt in his Audi
35:19as he sails back out onto the course.
35:22Rules were changed a little bit this year
35:24so the Audis would be more competitive
35:26than they were last year.
35:27They allowed them aerodynamically to be a little longer
35:29which helped them be a little bit more competitive
35:31with the Mercedes, for instance,
35:33which is the longest car of all three cars.
35:38Bernd Schneider
35:41puts up a good fight.
35:43Schneider
35:46putting in the laps now, waiting to see what happens
35:48when Fesler decides to go in and pit.
35:53Olivier comes out right in front of Schneider.
35:56Yves Olivier in his first season
35:58of the German Touring Car Masters
36:00is being blinked by
36:03Bernd Schneider and says,
36:04Hey, let me by. I've already lapped you once.
36:07And he's got the signal on to pass,
36:10but there's no room to do it yet.
36:13So Schneider's being held up here
36:17by Yves Olivier.
36:18Is he going to get inside? No.
36:20Whoa, this is slowing him down.
36:22Now, Olivier makes space.
36:24Schneider
36:26is getting underway.
36:30There probably needs to be a little
36:32flag, the international flag for passing put out
36:35so that used more often here
36:37if we're going to do these pit stop ideas
36:39because cars who have already been lapped
36:41should not be blocking the faster cars.
36:46There goes the
36:47Hubert Haupt car.
36:50Here comes
36:51Schneider on the inside going through the
36:53anthill corner as it's called
36:55because we're up against that bank there,
36:56a whole bunch of anthills.
36:58Through the S-curve down to the short
37:00section here to straight.
37:02Here they want to keep the foot right to the floor
37:04through this left-hander.
37:06Then they start coming down to get ready
37:08for the right-hander.
37:12Depending on which drivers you talk to,
37:14most of them say they use
37:16usually 3rd, 4th and 5th most of the time
37:19and sometimes in 6th gear
37:20when they come down the long straightaway
37:21but the 3rd, 4th and 5th are the keys.
37:24Even on the long sweeping corners
37:25like this one coming up here
37:27that Schneider is going through
37:30is usually a 3rd gear corner for most of them.
37:33As soon as they're coming out,
37:34then they're moving up and heading toward the end
37:36of the long straightaway here
37:38to get down up into 6th gear.
37:42And there is Marcel Fesler.
37:46That is your leader.
37:48And the Tomczek car is off the course.
37:50Martin Tomczek, the young 19-year-old
37:53German driver in his first race
37:55has gone off the course into the wall
37:57through the tires.
37:58And right now the tires have kind of
38:00blocked him inside of the car.
38:02And it's in a very dangerous place.
38:04You see this point here?
38:05That's one place where the cars are coming
38:06quickly to head into that corner
38:08and they've got to get him out of there.
38:11It's a very dangerous corner.
38:15Another car could go right straight off
38:16in the same place he did.
38:17Something goes wrong.
38:19There's your leader, Marcel Fesler.
38:22And boy, he happens to be a happy man.
38:25Last year he challenged,
38:27tried and tried, didn't get a victory.
38:30The 24-year-old Swiss driver
38:33really wants one here.
38:34There was Tomczek getting out of the car.
38:35He's okay.
38:37Now they've got to get the car out of the way.
38:41And they're bringing out the pace car.
38:43They're bringing out the pace car, the safety car.
38:47And they're doing it because of the position
38:48of that car, the Tomczek car.
38:50It's in a dangerous position.
38:52So they're going to bring out the pace car.
38:59And the safety car is the one
39:00that they're going to have to get behind.
39:01That's the car that's going over to the wreck.
39:03There's the safety car.
39:05The safety car will pick up the leader.
39:08Right now, he's in front of Jaeger.
39:11But Jaeger, I don't think, is the leader.
39:13They're going to have to pick up the other ones.
39:17Dumbrek here is the car that is out in front.
39:24The question now is, what's going to happen to Fesler?
39:26Is he going to be able to get in the pits?
39:28If he does, then he might be able to hold
39:30maybe on one of the top positions.
39:33And there he is.
39:35Fesler comes into the pits to make his four-tire change.
39:38There's your leader.
39:39Everyone else is under the safety car.
39:43He's picked the right moment.
39:44The question is going to be,
39:45is he able to pick up the space?
39:50The crew is ready.
39:53The last of the drivers to make the change.
39:57The last of the drivers to make the change.
40:03Watch the time.
40:07Wow, 9.5. What a great pit stop.
40:12Meanwhile, they still have not got the Tomczek car out of the tires.
40:17Finally getting him loose.
40:19Tomczek was okay. Take a look at it.
40:21Yeah, he went right straight off into the tires.
40:24And then into the wall.
40:28They finally got some of it out,
40:30but they're still holding up the race.
40:32So there's your leader now,
40:34and that is
40:36Bantz Schneider.
40:43Fesler is out
40:45and through some nice work with the pits,
40:47is running in second place at the moment.
40:52But there's a car between he and Schneider.
41:01So the question will be,
41:02when can they make the move?
41:04And look at this, Uwe Ahlson
41:07is also in this group.
41:10Ahlson, the hard charger.
41:14So now the field has moved up on the leader, Bantz Schneider.
41:18However, that second place car
41:20Yves Olivier
41:22is a lap down.
41:25So he does not count in the figuring here,
41:27but he does become a problem
41:29because he is between Schneider
41:32and Marcel Fesler.
41:34Now, Schneider is used to these kind of starts.
41:36He's running the United States.
41:37He's used to these kind of...
41:38Look at the jump he gets.
41:39Wow, he slowed it down.
41:40Gets a great jump.
41:42And off he goes.
41:45That's why he's one of the best touring car drivers in Europe.
41:48But now the question is going to be,
41:50can Marcel Fesler get by
41:54the lapped car, Olivier?
41:59Wow, look at that.
42:01Got really tight coming around.
42:06Right now, he's not able to make that move.
42:09Olivier is not giving any room.
42:11Schneider, meanwhile, look at the time he puts up.
42:13It's amazing.
42:15That first lap on the flying lap
42:17is usually one of the best.
42:20And Schneider is taking advantage of it.
42:22Marcel Fesler is being held up.
42:26Fesler just can't get by.
42:27He wants to.
42:28He just can't do it.
42:30Dumbrecht is behind him.
42:33Now he goes inside.
42:34Can't get by.
42:39Evil Olivier.
42:40First year in the touring car.
42:42Certainly, he's made a name for himself with these drivers.
42:45There isn't much that the Opel drivers can do.
42:47Most of them are out.
42:49Manuel Reuter is further back.
42:51So, this is a case here of just a little bit of pride, it seems.
42:54Fesler gets by.
42:58Here comes Dumbrecht.
42:59And here comes Olsen.
43:00Olsen tries to get inside.
43:02And they bump.
43:04And he didn't make it.
43:06So, Olsen now is being held up.
43:08He's not able to make it.
43:10He's not able to make it.
43:13So, Olsen now is being held up by Olivier.
43:19At a time when everyone had a chance to catch up with Baron Schneider,
43:22it's a lap car that gives Schneider an advantage.
43:25And here are two teammates from the Rosberg team bumping each other.
43:30Wrong time.
43:31Wrong place.
43:34Here comes Olsen.
43:35He goes inside.
43:36This time, he gets by.
43:42And now Olsen puts up the chase.
43:44But there's only a few laps to go.
43:51Olsen is probably too far back.
43:53Schneider, look at this.
43:55Way out in front.
43:56Fesler is second.
43:57There is Dumbrecht.
43:58And then comes Olsen.
44:01Jaeger.
44:02Behind him, Mailander is a car that went a little bit wide and squirrely there.
44:06Look at Laurent Ayala.
44:07He's still in the top ten in that yellow Audi with the red mirrors.
44:13And Christian Abt, the boss, is two cars back.
44:20But even Christian Abt takes his hat off to Ayala how good he is.
44:24There's Mailander's problem.
44:26He got a little off into the dirt and gravel.
44:32The question now is, can these other cars catch up or can't they?
44:36You're looking at back in the pack now.
44:38You're still looking at Laurent Ayala in the Audi.
44:42The leader of that particular group right there is Christian Albers.
44:49But really the question here is, are they going to be able to make up some time and get some space?
44:54The real question too is, can the Audi move up a spot?
44:56It's a Mercedes show so far.
44:59There are your top two.
45:00Dumbrecht is third.
45:01Olsen is fourth.
45:02Mercedes.
45:03Jaeger is fifth.
45:04Mercedes.
45:07Albers.
45:08Lamy.
45:09Turner.
45:10Ayala.
45:11Mailander.
45:12So Abt is just out of the points.
45:14If he can move up one, he gets into the points.
45:17But he's got a hard job here.
45:18There are five cars ahead of him all battling for position.
45:21And you're looking at the traffic jam ahead of him.
45:23Whoa, a lot of bumping going on here.
45:25Ayala is literally holding off two cars at once.
45:31Here they go into that left-hander wide open.
45:34I don't know what car ahead of him is, certainly.
45:37That looks like Dumbrecht.
45:39No, that's not Dumbrecht.
45:41Excuse me.
45:42That is Albers, the young new driver.
45:48Meanwhile, the rest of the back of the pack trying to come up and see what they can do to finish on the day that belongs to Mercedes.
45:54There is Reuter.
45:57One of the lone Opels remaining in the field here at Hockenheim.
46:00A very disappointing day for the Opel crew.
46:03They had so much that they hoped would come right for them this year.
46:06Right now, things are not doing too well.
46:13Next stop on the tour will be the Nürburgring on the Grand Prix course there.
46:18Comes up in a couple of weeks.
46:20Between now and then, you know the Opel crew is going to be busy.
46:25After a race day like this one, no matter what the reason, they know they've got to improve.
46:31This became a Mercedes day and a surprising Audi day as Audi proved how strong they can be.
46:39And that's the man that's proving it.
46:41Laurent Aiello.
46:43Ahead of him is Darren Turner.
46:51And behind him is Mylander.
46:54Apparently Mylander.
46:55Mylander.
46:59The Audi fans certainly have to be happy.
47:01After last year and the miserable year they had,
47:04when they came up with a pretty good finish in the last couple of race weekends,
47:08but to be this strong all day in the first race of the season, of a new season,
47:13wow, great performance.
47:15Way back there, the yellow and white Opel.
47:19Manuel Reuter, way back in the pack.
47:26There is not...
47:27There is one Opel ahead of him.
47:30That's it.
47:33Timo Scheider is ahead of him, but that's about it.
47:36Amazing.
47:39Volker Strzick.
47:42Very emotional man.
47:46He doesn't hide things well.
47:48When things go wrong for Opel, you know it.
47:51Of course the Mercedes crew with Norbert Haugen company,
47:54they have to be smiling all the way to the bank here.
47:57Youngsters and the old drivers just putting on a tremendous show for the fans
48:01here at Hockenheim.
48:05Ten races this season.
48:06In fact, the series will be going into two countries.
48:08It'll be into Austria.
48:11It'll be at the A1 ring.
48:12They'll be going up to the Netherlands, Zandvoort,
48:15from the Sand Dunes.
48:16Dutch drivers, of course, in front of their home fans.
48:21Promises to be a great season.
48:22Another piece of a car has come off.
48:23That looks like from Darren Turner's car.
48:29But it looks like Laurent Aiello is not going to be able to have enough
48:33to get by Darren Turner and move up another slot.
48:40If he does, it's going to be a real smart move here.
48:42He's close, but it's just a matter of time.
48:44There you see what happens.
48:45The back part of the Turner car comes off,
48:48and Aiello just picked it off in the air.
48:54Here he goes inside.
48:55See if he can get it.
48:56Oh, they bump.
48:57And Aiello is going to get by.
48:59Or is he not?
49:00No.
49:01Oh, that was so close.
49:03Laurent Aiello can taste it.
49:05He wants to get by.
49:06He wants to move up.
49:08Give the Opel fans their day.
49:09Didn't quite work.
49:11And the laps are running down.
49:13In fact, we're in the last lap.
49:16And there is your leader, Bernd Schneider.
49:19Right behind him.
49:21Another Mercedes.
49:23Marcel Fesler, who has moved up after a disappointing start of 13th in the race.
49:28Here's another look at that.
49:29Going inside.
49:32Aiello went, tapped the back.
49:34He's got it.
49:35He's got it.
49:37Aiello went, tapped the back of Turner.
49:39Turner held on to it.
49:41In fact, Turner kept his foot on it and still has the position,
49:44at least at this point.
49:46There's your leader, Bernd Schneider.
49:48Marcel Fesler is backed off just a little bit.
49:51So Fesler will be happy with the 15 points for second place today.
49:56The Mercedes fans certainly have to be happy because the Dominator,
50:01Bernd Schneider, takes the checkered flag here at Hockenheim
50:03in the first race of the season in the German Touring Car Masters.
50:07A happy crew.
50:09And certainly, even though he may not show emotion as much,
50:12a happy driver.
50:16The rest of the field coming in.
50:18And look at this.
50:20Aiello did get by.
50:22Aiello did get by and will finish 7th for Audi.
50:27That means Christian Abt in another Audi will be 10th.
50:31Wow.
50:32What a great finish for Audi after such a difficult year last year.
50:38It's a great drive by Bernd Schneider, but everybody gets used to that after a while.
50:43They know they have to beat that man if they want to get into the points.
50:46And the Mercedes crew, Norbert Hock with his back to you right there.
50:49A happy bunch as are the Mercedes fans with all their flags.
50:53There it is, the Mercedes day.
50:55Only broken by Laurent Aiello in 7th position.
50:59An amazing day for them.
51:01Christian Abt was 10th.
51:03Timo Scheider, the best Opel, 11th.
51:05Manuel Reuter was 12th.
51:07So that's how it shapes up after the first race weekend of the season
51:10in the German Touring Car Masters here at Hockenheim.
51:14And now it's time to celebrate.
51:18The chief engineer Unger right up there along with his Mercedes drivers.
51:22Everyone having a great time.
51:24Marcel Fesler, a great moment up on the podium.
51:27And there's your points after the first race weekend.
51:30Schneider right where he was at the end of last season.
51:33That does it for our broadcast from Hockenheim.
51:35This is Milt Fitzwater.
51:37Hope you'll join us when we once again bring you the German Touring Car Masters
51:40next time from the Nurburgring.
51:56See you then.