Second race, second win: Heinemann dominates DTM Trophy at the Nürburgring

A win that was likely: Tim Heinemann (GER, Mercedes-AMG), the driver of the HP Racing International team, has also won the second race of the DTM Trophy at the 5.148 kilometres long Nürburgring Grand Prix circuit. The 22-year-old, who had dominated throughout the weekend and had also secured pole position on Sunday, drove an undisputed victory home. For the leader in the drivers’ standings, it was already his fourth consecutive victory. Stalwart Reinhard Kofler (AUT, Teichmann Racing) finished second, having started from second place on the grid and having defended his position throughout the race. Polish driver Jan Kisiel (Mercedes-AMG, Leipert Motorsport), third in qualifying, rounded out the podium in third place.

A commanding start by Heinemann, bad luck for Ben Tuck

The rolling start didn’t result into any position changes at the front of the field, although Kofler already tried to make a move past Heinemann with a spirited drive in the first corner. The Mercedes driver had the better line and aptly defended, leaving Kofler without a chance. British driver Ben Tuck (BMW, Walkenhorst Motorsport) had bad luck: he was relegated to 17th following a decision by race control following a too harsh manoeuvre against Jan Philipp Springob (GER, Mercedes-AMG, Superdrink by Bremotion). As the race went on, Tuck gradually worked his way back up, but had to stay behind Springob and eventually had to make to with 13th place.

A safety car intervention because of debris on track just before the end of the race added excitement. The final lap then was completed at race pace again, but here, Heinemann proved his class once again and made no mistakes in the lead of the field.

After the sixth of the season’s twelve races, so at the halfway point of the DTM Trophy season, Heinemann retains his commanding lead of the drivers’ standings at 150 points. Kisiel moved ahead of Tuck at 84 points while the latter is now third at 77 points. Action in the new DTM Trophy already continues next weekend (18-20 September), once again at the Nürburgring, albeit at the 3.6 kilometres long sprint circuit.

» Quotes – race 2, Nürburgring Grand Prix

Tim Heinemann (GER), Mercedes-AMG, HP Racing International : « This definitely was a tougher race for me than on Saturday. The start worked out well, but I almost lost the lead in the first corner. Reinhard Kofler put me under a lot of pressure, but thankfully, I was able to keep the pace and manage the tyres well. The restart after the safety car also worked out well. At this stage, I am not yet thinking about the title, I am working from one race to the next. »

Reinhard Kofler (AUT), KTM, Teichmann Racing : « A weekend with mixed feelings after we hadn’t been able to use the full potential of the car on Saturday due to technical problems. Thankfully, my team managed to replace the engine. A big difference, even though I was never really in a position to pose a threat to Tim Heinemann. I also had plenty of work in keeping Jan Kisiel at bay, he was pushing throughout the race. But today, we have shown that we aren’t just making up numbers, we can be in contention at the front, too. »

Jan Kisiel (POL), Mercedes-AMG, Leipert Motorsport : « A race that more or less was like a free practice session for me. I focussed on driving consistent lap times all the time. These, however, weren’t fast enough to challenge up front. We tried some things on the set-up and chose a different setting to make the rear of the car more stable. Perhaps we overdid it a bit there. We are still searching for the right balance. »

Pressemitteilung DTM Trophy

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» Quotes – race 2, Nürburgring Grand Prix

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