Mattias Ekstrom wins 3rd DTM race of year

Martin Tomczyk (Audi) is the new DTM champion. In the ninth DTM season round at the ‘Circuit Ricardo Tormo’ in Spain, the German wrapped up an early title in the most popular international touring car series. For the 29-year old, finishing third was enough. Victory in the penultimate round of the 2011 season went to his fellow Audi driver Mattias Ekstrom (Audi). Having started from pole position, the Swede crossed the finish line as the winner after 45 laps. In second place, Portuguese Filipe Albuquerque (Audi) secured his best DTM result to date. In fourth place, Timo Scheider (Audi) completed the success for the brand from Ingolstadt. Bruno Spengler (Mercedes-Benz) was classified seventh.

Air temperature: 27.7 °C
Asphalt temperature: 53.0 °C

Start Ekström takes the lead from Albuquerque, Coulthard, Van der Zande. Tomczyk has overtaken Paffett.
Lap 1 Tomczyk has already overtaken Molina and Jarvis and is now sixth. Spengler is tenth behind Jarvis. Rockenfeller has dropped back to 15th.
Lap 2 Schumacher runs wide, Rockenfeller gets past. Ekström is leading from Albuquerque, Coulthard, Van der Zande, Scheider, Tomczyk, Molina, Green, Jarvis, Spengler.
Lap 3 Schumacher runs wide, continues.
Lap 4 Ekström's margin on Albuquerque is 2.7 seconds at the end of the lap.
Lap 9 Green closes up to seventh-placed Molina as the Spaniard runs wide.
Lap 11 Coulthard is the first driver to come into the pits, followed by Jarvis. Mortara, Stoddart also in.
Lap 12 Van der Zande, Molina, Green, Rockenfeller, Vietoris into the pits.
Lap 13 Tomczyk into the pits.
Lap 14 Frey into the pits.
Lap 16 Molina has overtaken Jarvis on the main straight and is now eleventh.
Lap 16 Albuquerque, Spengler into the pits.
Lap 17 Paffett into the pits.
Lap 18 Ekström, Schumacher into the pits.
Lap 19 Engel into the pits.
Lap 20 Timo Scheider is the only driver yet to make his first pit stop.
Lap 23 Rockenfeller is the first driver to come in for his second stop.
Lap 24 Mortara and Spengler into the pits.
Lap 25 Spengler has come out ahead of Mortara. Scheider, Tomczyk, Paffett, Vietoris into the pits.
Lap 26 Coulthard, Molina, Green, Stoddart, Frey into the pits.
Lap 27 Green, Mortara, Paffett past Engel. Van der Zande, Jarvis into the pits.
Lap 29 Scheider into the pits.
Lap 30 Albuquerque, Engel into the pits.
Lap 31 Paffett overtakes Mortara for eleventh.
Lap 32 Ekström into the pits, he is the last driver to come in for his second stop.
Lap 33 Order after the pit stops: Ekström is leading from Albuquerque, Tomczyk, Scheider, Van der Zande, Coulthard, Molina, Jarvis, Green and Spengler.
Lap 42 Mortara into the pits, retires.
Lap 43 No changes in the race order: Ekström is leading from Albuquerque, Tomczyk, Scheider, Van der Zande, Coulthard, Molina, Jarvis, Green and Spengler.
Lap 45 Final lap. Green drops back.
Finish Mattias Ekström scores his third victory of the season. Albuquerque comes second, scoring his maiden DTM podium finish. Third place is enough for Martin Tomczyk to wrap up the 2011 DTM drivers' title. Spengler is still the best-placed Mercedes-Benz driver in seventh.