Pitlane accident mars BMW win in Budapest
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| Marco Wittmann |
BMW driver Marco Wittmann has won the sixth race of the DTM season at the Hungaroring in Hungary. In the race on Sunday, the German claimed victory from his two fellow BMW drivers Timo Glock and Philipp Eng. “That was an unbelievable race and we certainly didn’t expect this result," Wittmann said after the race. With the result, the drivers from the Munich-based brand also benefited from an interruption of the race that was necessary after accidents in the pit lane. Audi driver Mike Rockenfeller finished fourth ahead of the best-placed Mercedes-AMG driver Paul Di Resta.
Race interruption after accidents in the pit lane
There was a moment of shock-horror in the DTM shortly after the start and the race was stopped after a quarter of an hour's racing following several incidents in the pit lane.
The stoppage was the result of a number of unrelated accidents in the rain-hit pit lane, involving cars driven by Lucas Auer and Edoardo Mortara.
Three people were injured and taken to hospital for treatment. According to information received initially at the time, a marshal suffered severe leg injuries and two more people were injured but not too seriously.
There followed a long break in proceedings, after which the race was restarted at 2:20 pm for 28 minutes plus one lap.
A Hungarian marshal was flown to hospital with severe leg injuries, two further firemen from Hungary also underwent stationary treatment.
Three Mercedes-AMG mechanics had minor injuries. None of the persons were in critical condition at any time. “After what happened today, the sporting action is of secondary importance," said Gerhard Berger, chairman of the DTM organisation ITR. “I wish the injured assistants and mechanics a speedy recovery."
In the DTM drivers’ standings after six of this season’s 20 races, Timo Glock has claimed back the lead. The BMW driver has 90 points and is eleven points ahead of Gary Paffett (79). Paul Di Resta (67) and Lucas Auer (57) are in third and fourth place respectively. With 25 points for his victory, Wittmann has increased his points’ tally to a total of 51 and is currently fifth.
The next tour stop for the 18 DTM drivers is the Norisring in Nuremberg. From 22 till 24 June, 2018, the only street circuit on the DTM calendar is the venue for the seventh and eighth race of the season.