Abt Audi driver Kelvin van der Linde moved into the lead of the championship with victory throughout the penultimate DTM race of 2024 at Hockenheim, as Mirko Bortolotti could solely salvage fifth place.
Starting from pole place, van der Linde was ready to outduel Winward Mercedes driver Lucas Auer to say his third victory of the season and overturn a 12-point deficit to Bortolotti proper right into a two-point profit ahead of the title decider on Sunday.
Ayanchan Guven achieved the podium spots for Manthey EMA Porsche, whereas Auer’s team-mate Maro Engel saved his slim championship hopes alive by ending fourth ahead of SSR Lamborghini rival Bortolotti.
Initially of the race, van der Linde pulled away cleanly from pole place, with Auer consolidating second place after securing his first front-row start throughout the DTM since 2022.
Bortolotti and Engel had licensed misplaced in seventh and ninth respectively, nonetheless every had been ready to climb up the order on the opening lap, rising as a lot as fourth and fifth behind Guven.
When the pit window opened on the 20-minute mark, Engel immediately pulled into the pitlane, with Winward sending him once more out after servicing his automotive in merely six seconds.
Bortolotti adopted him on the next lap, nonetheless a sluggish 8.2s stop – all the way in which all the way down to a gradual front-left tyre change – left him inclined to his Mercedes rival.
Mirko Bortolotti, SSR Effectivity Lamborghini Huracán EVO GT3
{Photograph} by: Alexander Trienitz
Although the Italian managed to rejoin the monitor in entrance no matter being delayed, Engel already had his tyres as a lot as temperature and muscled his properly past at Flip 8, taking fourth place away from him.
On the end of the equivalent lap, van der Linde lastly peeled into the pits from the lead of the race, with Auer – who had been on his tail throughout the first stint – defending him subsequent day trip.
Winward’s option to delay Auer’s pitstop initially appeared to repay as he rejoined the monitor on the doorway, nonetheless a lap later the Abt driver was ready to maneuver him into Flip 2 to reinstate the established order.
The Austrian saved the pressure up on van der Linde for the remainder of the race, with the two drivers even making contact on the hairpin on lap 30.
Lastly, van der Linde was ready to do ample to fend off his Mercedes rival, taking the chequered flag by 0.508s to put himself in the easiest place to win the 2024 DTM title in Sunday’s finale.
Guven had a lonely race en path to third throughout the lead Porsche, whereas Engel held off Bortolotti to put himself 20 elements behind van der Linde throughout the championship standings.
Jules Gounon, substituting for Luca Stolz at HRT Mercedes, rapidly closed in on Bortolotti throughout the closing phases of the races, nonetheless lastly wanted to simply accept sixth place on his DTM debut.
The very best Schubert BMW driver on Saturday was Rene Rast in seventh, ahead of HRT driver Arjun Maini and team-mate Marco Wittmann. Nicki Thiim achieved the very best 10 for SSR Effectivity.
Emil Frey Ferrari’s Jack Aitken was the one retirement from the race, as 19 of 20 drivers made it to the tip.
