» DTM Norisring: Spengler clinches Norisring pole

Bruno Spengler has headed a Mercedes-Benz 1-2-3 in qualifying for tomorrow’s DTM race at the Norisring.

The Canadian driver shaded fellow Mercedes runners Gary Paffett and Jamie Green by just two- and three-tenths of a second respectively with his single hot-lap to take pole in the fourth and final phase of qualifying. The top-four was completed by Audi’s Mattias Ekström.

What made Spengler’s pole lap all the more impressive was that he overcame a lock-up at Turn 2 on his one and only opportunity to take provisional pole position from Paffett, who ran first in Q4. Neither Green – winner of each of the three previous races held here – nor Ekström was able to beat Spengler’s time of 48.222 seconds.

Having gone quickest in Q3 before it was halted by a rain shower, Ekström was looking good to turn around his poor fortune this season, but he narrowly missed out on pole position.

The damp track surface meant that fellow Q3 runners – Ralf Schumacher, Maro Engel, Timo Scheider and Edoardo Mortara – were unable to mount a challenge for a top-four qualifying berth in a closely-fought session, and they occupy positions five to eight respectively.

Series points leader Martin Tomczyk could do no better than tenth-fastest in his older-spec Audi, while Mike Rockenfeller – making his return after missing the Lausitz round with injuries from his Le Mans smash – qualified second-slowest.

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2011 Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters Race of Lausitz Qualifying Results:

	Driver	Entrant / Car
1.	Bruno Spengler	HWA Mercedes C-Class 2009	0:48.222	(Q4)
2.	Gary Paffett	HWA Mercedes C-Class 2009	0:48.418	(Q4)
3.	Jamie Green	HWA Mercedes C-Class 2009	0:48.532	(Q4)
4.	Mattias Ekström	Abt Audi A4 DTM 2009	0:48.593	(Q4)
5.	Ralf Schumacher	HWA Mercedes C-Class 2009	0:48.124	(Q3)
6.	Maro Engel	Mücke Mercedes C-Class 2008	0:48.189	(Q3)
7.	Timo Scheider	Abt Audi A4 DTM 2009	0:48.214	(Q3)
8.	Edoardo Mortara	Rosberg Audi A4 DTM 2008	0:48.257	(Q3)
9.	Miguel Molina	Abt Audi A4 DTM 2008	0:48.332	(Q2)
10.	Martin Tomczyk	Phoenix Audi A4 DTM 2008	0:48.353	(Q2)
11.	Oliver Jarvis	Abt Audi A4 DTM 2009	0:48.398	(Q2)
12.	Christian Vietoris	Persson Mercedes C-Class 2008	0:48.415	(Q2)
13.	David Coulthard	Mücke Mercedes C-Class 2008	0:48.527	(Q2)
14.	Renger can der Zande	Persson Mercedes C-Class 2008	0:48.575	(Q2)
15.	Susie Stoddart	Persson Mercedes C-Class 2008	0:48.552	(Q1)
16.	Filipe Albuquerque	Rosberg Audi A4 DTM 2008	0:48.600	(Q1)
17.	Mike Rockenfeller	Abt Audi A4 DTM 2009	0:48.617	(Q1)
18.	Rahel Frey	Phoenix Audi A4 DTM 2008	0:48.907	(Q1)