Dörr upstages DTM stars again in Sachsenring win

Ben Dörr claimed his second DTM victory on Sunday at the Sachsenring in his McLaren 720S GT3. In difficult conditions, and on a track that was still damp in the early stages, the Dörr Motorsports driver moved to the head of the field on lap 5 and never looked back.

"I coped really well with the mixed track conditions at the start of the race," related Dörr. "It was close again towards the end, when Thomas Preining was right on my heels on fresh tires. On the whole, it was a really strong display from us, and one of the best races of my career."

Championship leader Preining (Manthey) held on for second to make it onto the podium for the sixth race in a row. The Austrian extended his lead at the top of the table to 23 points ahead of the finale in Hockenheim.

"To bounce back that way from a disappointing qualifying is world class! I gained several places in the first phase of the race, even in the difficult mixed conditions," said Preining. "Then came two super pit stops. It all got a bit hectic again in the closing stages, but I was able to defend second place after the two safety car phases."

His teammate Ricardo Feller finished third to make his second appearance of the season on the podium.

In contrast, it proved to be a miserable afternoon for Maro Engel (Mercedes-AMG Team Ravenol). The man currently second in the overall standings was handed a 15-second penalty after the race, and consequently left empty-handed.

Tire selection was top priority ahead of the start. Despite the track being wet in places, most drivers opted for the Pirelli slick – a decision that soon proved to be the right one. However, Bastian Buus (Land-Motorsport), who started from fifth place on wet-weather tires, took an early lead when the race got underway. He was followed by pole-sitter Engel, ahead of Dörr, who gained one position. Dörr went on the attack on lap five: the McLaren driver first overtook Engel, then Buus, who dropped back through the field as the track started to dry out. Behind the leading duo, Kelvin van der Linde (Schubert Motorsport), Preining and Feller filled out the top five. By the time he came in for the first mandatory pit stop, race leader Dörr had opened a gap of over ten seconds, which he then proceeded to extend. Porsche works driver Preining climbed into second place, followed by Feller and Matteo Cairoli (Emil Frey Racing), who had gained 10 positions in the Ferrari 296 GT3 Evo.

Dörr continued to lead in commanding fashion after the second tytire change, until the safety car made two appearances in quick succession shortly before the finish. First, Jules Gounon (Mercedes-AMG Team Mann-Filter) and Nicki Thiim (Comtoyou Racing) collided. Engel then shunted van der Linde, who was running fifth ahead of him, into the gravel bed. That resulted in a retrospective 15-second penalty for Engel, who still holds second in the points table.

Although race leader Dörr's big advantage had been cut by the appearance of the safety car, he kept his cool after the restart and went on to take the checkered flag after 39 laps of racing. Preining, Feller and Cairoli followed while Lucas Auer (Mercedes-AMG Team Landgraf) battled his way through from eighth to fifth.

Marco Wittmann (Schubert Motorsport) pulled off an impressive fightback. The BMW driver made up 10 positions and finished sixth. Thierry Vermeulen came home seventh in the second Ferrari 296 GT3 Evo of Emil Frey Racing.

The best-placed Lamborghini driver was Luca Engstler (Red Bull Team Abt) in eighth. Buus guided his Porsche 911 GT3 R to ninth place. Maximilian Paul (TGI Team by GRT) performed well at his first race weekend after his crash at the Norisring. Having started 18th, the man from Dresden recovered well to finish 10th.

The DTM now heads to Hockenheim for the season-closing doubleheader on Oct. 9-10.