Press Release

  • Motorsport

Audi driver René Rast benefits from team-mate Jamie Green’s misfortune to claim his third DTM victory

Jamie Green was the tragic hero in Sunday’s DTM race at the Red Bull Ring. The Audi driver held a commanding lead with just two laps remaining, but gearbox problems then denied him what looked like a definite victory. The Brit eventually finished 14th and consequently drops to third place in the Drivers’ Championship. René Rast benefitted from his team-mate’s misfortune: he crossed the finish line first after 39 laps of racing, and now finds himself second behind Mattias Ekström (Audi) in the overall standings. The strong performance and high degree of consistency shown by the Hankook race tyre made for exciting and eventful racing right down to the final lap of the alpine circuit.
Audi driver René Rast benefits from team-mate Jamie Green’s misfortune to claim his third DTM victory

Spielberg/Austria, 24th September 2017 Jamie Green (Audi) started Sunday’s 16th DTM race of the season from pole position at the Red Bull Ring. Right from the start, he set about consistently opening a lead over the rest of the field. The Brit came in for a new set of Hankook dry tyres on lap twelve, and continued to dominate the race after a safety car phase. He then suffered gearbox problems just two laps from the finish, and plummeted down the field into 14th place. René Rast took full advantage of the opportunity to secure the third DTM win of his career.

Rast was followed over the finish line by fellow Audi drivers Mike Rockenfeller and Nico Müller to complete a one-two-three for the Ingolstadt-based carmaker. Fourth place went to the top Mercedes-Benz driver, Gary Paffett. The 36-year-old started the race from sixth place and came in for a relatively early tyre change on lap ten. He then worked his way through the field on the fresh set of Hankook dry tyres to finish fourth and narrowly miss out on his second podium of the season.

Fifth place was enough for championship leader Mattias Ekström (Audi) to maintain his lead in the Drivers’ Championship. He takes a 21-point lead over René Rast into the final race weekend in Hockenheim, where he is the hot favourite to win his third DTM title. Reigning champion Marco Wittmann was the fastest BMW driver in sixth place. He now trails Ekström by 38 points and will have all on to defend his title with just two races remaining. Local favourite Lucas Auer endured a miserable day. The Mercedes-Benz driver had to retire from the race following a collision and drops to sixth place in the overall standings.

Manfred Sandbichler, Hankook Motorsport Director Europe: “That was unlucky for Jamie Green, who drove a great race. But that is motorsport – anything can happen, right down to the finish. The spectators at the Red Bull Ring really got their money’s worth again – thanks partly to the fact that the Hankook race tyre once again offered all the drivers a consistently high level of grip right through to the end of the race. Fans can look forward to a thrilling finale in Hockenheim, with Mattias Ekström in pole position in the title race.”

The BWT Mercedes-AMG Motorsport team completed the fastest pit stop at the Red Bull Ring, in a time of 31.276 seconds. They are rewarded for their efforts with 25 points towards the Hankook Best Pit Stop Award. The winning crew also receives three crates of beer at the DTM finale at the Hockenheimring.

René Rast (Audi): “I feel sorry for Jamie, he actually deserved to win. My car was very fast, as was the Hankook race tyre. It held up right through to the end of the race, and allowed me to claim my third DTM victory on it.”

Mike Rockenfeller (Audi): “If you drive too close to the back of another car here at the Red Bull Ring, you lose downforce, which increases tyre wear. That was the case for me at the start. When I then had a clear track, everything was perfect. The Hankook tyre was very good in the second stint, although the large amount of tyre debris next to the track showed that the dry tyre was under a lot of strain. Despite this, it was very quick and consistent.”

Nico Müller (Audi): “We did not want to drive any long stints here, as the track in Spielberg is quite unique, with just two left turns. As such, we placed great importance on tyre management and were the strongest on the Hankook race tyre over the full race distance.”

Gary Paffett (Mercedes-Benz): “The front tyres are really put through their paces in Spielberg. However, we learned our lesson on Saturday and, despite stopping early on lap ten, managed the Hankook dry tyre very well. I also benefitted from the safety car phase. After that, the Hankook tyre was very good and I was able to fight my way into fourth place.”

Hankook Tire manufactures globally innovative, award-winning radial tyres of proven superior quality for passenger cars, light trucks, SUVs, RVs, trucks, and buses as well as motorsports (circuit racing/street circuits/rallies).

Aspiring to bring consumers the utmost excellence in product quality, technological excellence and driving satisfaction, Hankook Tire continuously invests in research and development maintaining five R&D centres and eight production facilities around the world. Bespoke tyre solutions for the European markets as well as European Original Equipment according to the requirements of leading premium car manufacturers, are developed in the company’s regional Technical Centre in Hanover/Germany. Production for the European region is taking place in the state-of-the-art manufacturing site in Rácalmás/Hungary which was inaugurated in June 2007 and is continuously being expanded.

Hankook Tire’s European headquarters are located in Neu-Isenburg near Frankfurt am Main in Germany. The manufacturer operates further branches in several European countries and sells its products through regional distributors in other local markets. Hankook Tire employs approximately 20,000 people worldwide and sells products in over 160 countries. The company has been the technical partner and exclusive tyre supplier of the Generation 3 for the FIA ABB Formula E World Championship since 2023. Internationally leading car manufacturers rely on tyres made by Hankook for their original equipment. Approximately 38 percent of the company's global sales are generated within the European region.

For more information please visit www.hankooktire-mediacenter.com or www.hankooktire.com

Hankook Tire Europe GmbH | Marketing Communications Europe | Siemensstr. 14, 63263 Neu-Isenburg | Germany

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Audi driver René Rast benefits from team-mate Jamie Green’s misfortune to claim his third DTM victory

Spielberg, : Motorsports: DTM race in Spielberg on September, 24, 2017, Austria: DTM race in Spielberg, Austria (Photo by Hoch Zwei)

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Audi driver René Rast benefits from team-mate Jamie Green’s misfortune to claim his third DTM victory

Spielberg, : Motorsports: DTM race in Spielberg on September, 24, 2017, Austria: DTM race in Spielberg, Austria (Photo by Hoch Zwei)

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Audi driver René Rast benefits from team-mate Jamie Green’s misfortune to claim his third DTM victory

Spielberg, : Motorsports: DTM race in Spielberg on September, 24, 2017, Austria: DTM race in Spielberg, Austria (Photo by Hoch Zwei)

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Audi driver René Rast benefits from team-mate Jamie Green’s misfortune to claim his third DTM victory

Spielberg, : Motorsports: DTM race in Spielberg on September, 24, 2017, Austria: DTM race in Spielberg, Austria (Photo by Hoch Zwei)

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Audi driver René Rast benefits from team-mate Jamie Green’s misfortune to claim his third DTM victory

Spielberg, : Motorsports: DTM race in Spielberg on September, 24, 2017, Austria: DTM race in Spielberg, Austria (Photo by Hoch Zwei)

File size: 1 MB

Audi driver René Rast benefits from team-mate Jamie Green’s misfortune to claim his third DTM victory

Spielberg, : Motorsports: DTM race in Spielberg on September, 24, 2017, Austria: DTM race in Spielberg, Austria (Photo by Hoch Zwei)

File size: 2 MB

Audi driver René Rast benefits from team-mate Jamie Green’s misfortune to claim his third DTM victory

Spielberg, : Motorsports: DTM race in Spielberg on September, 24, 2017, Austria: DTM race in Spielberg, Austria (Photo by Hoch Zwei)

File size: 2 MB

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PR Manager Marketing Communications

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Sabine Riedel

PR Manager Marketing Communications

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Lisa Schmid

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Digital Lead Marketing Communications

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Digital Marketing Communications

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