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00:10This is the German Touring Car Masters, 2002.
00:15A look back at what has been a great racing season.
00:18The first race was at Hockenheim, on the short course.
00:22A demanding course, a difficult course to pass on,
00:25and one that demands physical stamina from the drivers.
00:28Laurent Aiello is on the left, Martin Tomchek is on the right.
00:31Tomchek, the young German driver, gets off to a bad start,
00:33and the Frenchman Laurent Aiello takes the lead.
00:37And it looks like ducking right there in behind him is Matthias Ackstrom in another Audi.
00:43And then the co-boss, Christian Apt, is running third in another Audi.
00:48So the Audis are showing they are the team to beat this year,
00:52at least here in the first race of the season at Hockenheim.
00:55And what about the defending champ?
00:57He's back in the pack.
00:59Bernd Schneider, who has two titles to his credit, back-to-back,
01:03would like to have a number three, would like to defend the title.
01:06But right now, he's sitting back in the pack.
01:09He's in that gray Mercedes with red trim and the yellow rear-view mirrors.
01:16He just went by.
01:17Coming into the great part where the fans are here in the busy part of the course.
01:22The cars sorting themselves out beautifully in race number one.
01:25There goes your leader, Laurent Aiello, Matthias Ackstrom.
01:28And running third right now, it looks like Jean Allaisi.
01:35It is Jean Allaisi running third.
01:37Christian Apt has dropped back into fourth.
01:39So Allaisi has the first Mercedes in this field, at this point anyway.
01:48Running fourth, Christian Apt.
01:52Apt, the co-owner of the Apt racing team.
01:55Timo Scheider there in that black with red trim opal.
01:58And right ahead of him, right there, is the defending champ.
02:00Bernd Schneider in the Mercedes.
02:03An unusual position for him.
02:05Running back in the pack.
02:06And the Mercedes crew is looking on and kind of wondering what happened here.
02:11And Martin Tomczyk has problems in his Audi.
02:15Martin Tomczyk has some problems.
02:17He's gone off the course.
02:19So the young German driver, with so much potential, has a problem here early at Hockenheim.
02:28And also having a problem is Christian Apt.
02:31He's picked up a stop-and-go penalty.
02:35He had passed under a yellow flag.
02:37And now, the co-boss is going to have to go in and take his medicine.
02:44But the Audis have already proven here early in the going.
02:47In 2002, they look like the team that wants to win it.
02:50And they're right up in front, forcing everybody else to play catch-up.
02:55And that's the one person who would love to do the catch-up right now.
02:58But Ben Schneider, in that gray with red trim Mercedes and the yellow mirrors,
03:06isn't up with the leaders.
03:07He's running back in the pack.
03:08And right behind him is another of the young drivers in the field.
03:11Timo Scheider.
03:16Crews getting ready for the pit stops.
03:21And here comes Christian Apt.
03:26He'll come in.
03:28Take his penalty.
03:30And so one of the Audis is going to be dropping back in the pack.
03:35Meanwhile, out on the track, it's still Laurent Aiello.
03:39That man is rolling.
03:42Look at the lead he's got over Matthias Ekström.
03:49As the field now continues to sort itself out.
03:54The mandatory pit stops are now behind him.
03:57And Carl Vendlinger goes off the course.
03:59That blue Audi right now behind Timo Scheider in that black with red trim Opel.
04:10So far, the Audis are setting the signal here as who is going to be in charge.
04:18Three cars go off.
04:19Olivier, Alsen and Dumbrake here.
04:23Well, just a bad race for me.
04:25I stalled at the start.
04:27I don't know why, just the car bogged down and stopped.
04:31And I had to fight my way back from almost last position.
04:36And then I had a spin when I touched another car.
04:39So from there, I was really pushing very hard throughout the race.
04:43And I think I made up some positions.
04:46But someone went off and left a lot of dirt on the circuit.
04:50And I just arrived at that corner just behind Uwe Atsen, who also spun.
04:54And both of us just straight into the tire wall.
04:58And when it was over, Laurent Aiello wins with Matthias Ekström second and Jean Alesi third.
05:04And it's a happy app team.
05:06The second race was better.
05:09And then it was quite not an easy race.
05:12But I had to just take care of my brakes.
05:16A little bit of problems with the brakes.
05:18But, you know, first race of the championship, you never know where you are with the brakes situation.
05:22So it's quite normal and everything worked perfectly.
05:25And even the pit stops.
05:27So everything went very well.
05:31And now the champs in the first race.
05:35The top three are together.
05:36Jean Alesi, Laurent Aiello, the two Frenchmen.
05:40They'll be on the podium.
05:42And look at Alesi.
05:44In his first season in the series.
05:46He made the fans happy.
05:49Think what happens if he's going to win.
05:51And what will happen then?
05:53Well, we'll find out in race number two as we go to Zolder, Belgium.
05:57The weather is miserable.
06:00This is one of those days you just hope that you can get through the race.
06:06And as things get started under caution, they go through the difficult part of the course here in Zolder.
06:11A very tight, very tight chicane.
06:13And Laurent Aiello picks up where he left off at HĂ„kenheim.
06:20And Matthias Ekström is running back in second place.
06:25And as a surprise, Michel Bartels in the Opel is running third.
06:28Timo Scheider looks like he's running fourth.
06:32It is.
06:33Right now, this weather is miserable.
06:36It has rained.
06:37The track is wet.
06:40Not ideal conditions.
06:43And find out how these new cars that have been built for this season are going to be able to
06:47handle these difficult conditions in Belgium.
06:51Right now, Laurent Aiello seems to be the man that has the most mastery so far.
06:59You're riding with Timo Scheider back in the pack.
07:01You can see what the visibility is.
07:03It's almost zero.
07:06It's hard enough for us to see.
07:08There goes the Bartels car.
07:09The black with the green trim.
07:13Here comes Aiello.
07:15As they work their way through the back, toward the back part of the course.
07:18There comes Bernd Schneider.
07:21He gets inside of Christian Abt.
07:24And Jochen Winklhock has gone off into the grass.
07:27The wet course starting to take a toll here in Zolder, Belgium.
07:32Second race of the season in the German Touring Car Masters 2002.
07:38Timo Scheider in the Opel is running in fourth position.
07:42And Opel is in third.
07:43And look at that.
07:44Bernd Schneider, the defending champ, running in fifth position.
07:51Everybody's going to be happy to get through this one.
07:53This is a very difficult situation.
07:55And only the second race of the season.
07:58The car is still being worked on.
08:01This is going to be a real test for all.
08:03You can see them wiggle as they try to gain traction here.
08:08Oh, almost flipped over.
08:13Martin Tomczyk went off the course at the hairpin after the straight and almost flipped it.
08:18The pace car has come out.
08:20The pace car is out here in Zolder, Belgium.
08:27Everybody will line up single file.
08:31It might help to dry out the track just a little bit.
08:34But the conditions are less than ideal right now.
08:40There goes John Olesi, who did so well at Hockenheim.
08:44We'd like to do it again here in Zolder.
08:46So, it was a very difficult, wet race.
08:49My position was not very good on the grid.
08:51I was 13th.
08:53And after the sprint race, even if we had a safety car, I was 9th.
08:59So, it was a good position for the race.
09:01But again, we started with safety car.
09:04And the safety car went out another time during the race.
09:06And the end was with a red flag.
09:09I had really no chance to make a good overtaking.
09:14And everybody else continues to have problems.
09:17This is Christian Albers.
09:18He goes off into that same sand pit.
09:24Many of the tracks are now taking away the sand and gravel and putting in asphalt.
09:29So, the cars have a runoff area.
09:31And the race has been stopped at this point.
09:36And Laurent Aiello will pick up the victory in front of his teammate Christian Albers.
09:45And Bernd Schneider, last year's champion, will finish in third position and make the podium.
09:52But right now, he just hopes he can catch up with the leaders.
09:55The leaders, of course, being the Audis.
09:59And they get to celebrate in Zolder.
10:06So, Laurent Aiello is taking another step toward a big lead in the championship.
10:11And it looks like the Audis definitely are the team to beat this season.
10:16Race number three moved on to England, to Dawnington, 2.5-mile circuit.
10:25At all the circuits, there are different types of programs for the drivers to get up tight and close with
10:30the fans.
10:31One of the most popular, the autograph session.
10:33Here's the Audi autograph tables.
10:37All the drivers come out so that everybody can get to meet and get the autograph of their favorite driver.
10:42That's Carl Vendlinger.
10:43You can see Aiello there.
10:47There's Hoosman from the Netherlands.
10:51So, all the drivers.
10:52He drives for Mercedes.
10:54Marcel Pesler.
10:57Everything gets autographed.
10:58Model cars.
10:59You name it.
11:00It's autographed.
11:01But then it's time to race.
11:02And on the pole on the left in the Mercedes, that black Mercedes.
11:06Jean Allaisy from France.
11:08Martin Tomczyk goes on the outside pole.
11:10Gets a bad start.
11:11Is passed inside by the Opel of Reuter.
11:13But he doesn't let him by.
11:15Getting off to a great jump, though.
11:16Running now in second place is Marcel Pesler.
11:21So, Mercedes gets off to a great start here in Donington.
11:27And Jean Allaisy, the newcomer from France, from Formula One in the touring cars,
11:33has the lead in the third race of the season.
11:37He's done quite well this season.
11:42And it's not easy to make a change like he's done.
11:45But he's running extremely well here out in front.
11:47Pesler is running second.
11:49Going up the hill here in Donington.
11:54Donington, a beautiful course in the English countryside.
11:58Two and a half miles long.
12:00And this is the tight corner right here coming around.
12:02And it looks like it is Tomczyk that was spun out.
12:08And several cars were involved.
12:09This is the corner coming right up to the start-finish line.
12:14Martin Tomczyk spins.
12:17But he was helped along the way.
12:19Timo Scheider there in an Opel.
12:20Evidently involved in that same collision.
12:25So now Scheider will try to get to the pits.
12:31It'll be interesting to see how that all developed.
12:35Timo Scheider, another of the young drivers in the field
12:38who has done so well over the last year and into this year.
12:41Great potential here.
12:42They've even talked about a Formula ride for him.
12:44He's 23 years old from Germany.
12:46Right now, he just wants to get that car back in.
12:49Tomczyk spins.
12:51Fesler gets around him.
12:53Now, whether there was contact or not, I don't know.
12:55Bernd Schneider gets by.
12:57Everybody else seems to get by okay.
13:00And look at this.
13:01Yves Olivier from Belgium is having problems with the Opel.
13:04That door is wide open.
13:06Takes care of the aerodynamics for this lap.
13:09That's for sure.
13:12And we have a stop-and-go penalty for two people.
13:14Bernd Schneider and Laurent Aiello.
13:18Schneider went too fast through the pits.
13:21He went faster than the speed limit allowed in the pits.
13:27Look at that.
13:28Your top drivers, both.
13:30Now, normally, they have an automatic system to make sure that they don't speed when they go into the pits.
13:36But here comes Schneider.
13:37He's coming in again.
13:40He'll take the stop-and-go penalty.
13:43But the question is going to be, what happened?
13:45Normally, these cars are set up so that they automatically hit the speed limit they need to go down the
13:49pits.
13:51So, Bernd Schneider, the defending champion.
13:55In a Mercedes that has, up until now, not been that competitive with the Audis.
13:59And yet, here in Donington, Jean Allaisi, in the Mercedes, is showing the way.
14:11Schneider now has to put his foot to the gas and see if he can do to make up for
14:16what has been a very disappointing race here in Donington.
14:21That is Menuhi who he's going by.
14:23Here is your leader, though.
14:25Jean Allaisi from France.
14:27From Formula One to touring cars, and then in touring cars to victory at Donington.
14:34So, he is off to a tremendous start here in the season in the German Touring Car Masters year 2002.
14:45This time, the Mercedes crew can certainly smile.
14:49First couple races were difficult to say the least.
14:58So, here comes Jean Allaisi, the Frenchman, picks up the victory for Mercedes, here at Donington, England.
15:07Race number three in the German Touring Car Masters.
15:14It's a long time I'm not on the first place on the podium.
15:18It was in Canada with Formula One.
15:20And to be in this city, you know, the first time I drove the car, I understand it was very
15:24tough.
15:24But with all my career, I was really looking for a great championship.
15:31I had a very good welcome from all the drivers and the team managers.
15:36Really, I'm very happy to be in this city.
15:38It's very hard, but I love it.
15:40The Audi's didn't win, but they certainly showed their power, finishing second and third.
15:45Christian Opt second, Ekström third.
15:49I have to say, first of all, starting from the pit lane, it's a new experience.
15:52First time in my career, and then I pushed everything that I could do with my car and my setup.
15:58And I saw the pit, but every lap it was getting lower and lower position, and I'm very, very happy.
16:05And so is Jean Olesi.
16:07His victory ceremony leads us now to the fourth race of the season.
16:13The Saxon Ring.
16:15The Saxon Ring, 2.3 miles, and Laurent Yellow on the right, once again on the pole.
16:21Alain Menghue in the opal.
16:22Look at that, he's running second.
16:24This is in the feature race.
16:25Bernd Schneider pulls his Mercedes into third position.
16:30As we work our way into this beautiful course here.
16:35In eastern Germany, as they come down the hill, they'll go into a long, sweeping right-hander and go back
16:41up the hill again.
16:44There you get a good view of the corner as they spin through here and head up.
16:48You can see how the courses pass each other.
16:51There is Huzman.
16:52He has gone off the course.
16:54Patrick Huzman from the Netherlands.
16:56He comes back on.
16:58Get a good look at Bernd Schneider sitting in third position behind Alain Menghue.
17:05Winklehawk fourth.
17:07Timo Scheider in the opal, running fifth.
17:09Another opal driven by Bartels.
17:13Taking a look at some of the action as the camera high up shows some of the bumping going on
17:19in the lower section of the course.
17:24That was a look at this all now from Fezzer.
17:27As you can see, the bumping is here.
17:28These drivers are not afraid to tap each other and they also take their share of chances, of course.
17:34Touring cars is a rough business.
17:37It doesn't matter where they're running.
17:40Some of the most exciting racing going on in Europe.
17:45That was Jaeger who had spun and got himself straightened out and went into the pits right there.
17:50That was convenient.
17:53Mandatory pit stops in the feature race of each race in the German Touring Car Masters in 2002.
17:59They can decide the race.
18:04Here comes Bernd Schneider, defending champion.
18:06He comes sailing into his pits.
18:11Get a good view of the course here as now Menghue is up with the leaders.
18:19Here comes Bernd Schneider.
18:21Crew goes to work.
18:23All four tires get changed.
18:26And he's out.
18:27Great time.
18:286-6.
18:30And he heads back out onto the course.
18:36Bernd Schneider.
18:39Still not satisfied with his season at all.
18:41It's been a very slow start for Mercedes despite the great race of Jean Alese.
18:47Winklehawk is right now your leader.
18:50Michel Bartels is running second, but he is not pitted.
18:53Pit stops are mandatory.
18:54You have to come in and take that pit stop.
18:57Otherwise, you're penalized.
19:02And this is Tomczyk with his pit stop coming out of the pits here at the Soxen Ring.
19:09The young driver showing potential, but certainly having sometimes his share of problems.
19:15And there he is right there.
19:18He came out and Jean Alese has also got a problem.
19:23And the Tomczyk car is in the sand.
19:25Alese's car is not moving.
19:26Here's what happened.
19:28Tomczyk comes out, cuts in.
19:30Oh, right in front of Jean Alese.
19:33I start from the back.
19:35And obviously, when you're in the middle of some cars, it's more difficult.
19:40And I did not a good weekend.
19:43And when it was over, Laurent Aiello picks up the victory.
19:47Van Schneider is second.
19:49Alain Manu is third.
19:50A great day for the Opel crew.
19:52They've got to be happy.
19:55In the long run, I mean, I was fighting.
19:58But really, I mean, we had a bit too much understeer with the car.
20:01But, I mean, I'm very pleased for myself, for sure, for the team and for Opel.
20:05You know, I think we deserve a good result because we've been competitive all the time.
20:09But we've had some bad luck.
20:10So, at last, today, I think the wind changed and got a good result.
20:16And good results means time for the champagne in the German Touring Car Masters 2002.
20:26The next stop, the city course in Nuremberg, Germany, the Norris Ring.
20:32Almost a mile and a half long.
20:35This is a fan's delight.
20:38And, of course, the drivers also put on the show outside the Norris Ring circuit itself.
20:44How about a soccer match with race drivers?
20:49That's Peter Dumbrak right there.
20:54And the Opel team certainly had to be happy, isn't there?
20:59Yves Olivier, number 19.
21:04Soccer's over.
21:05Race time.
21:05Matthias Ekström on the left.
21:07Uwe Altsin on the right.
21:09And look at that.
21:09Bernd Schneider now moves up into second place in his Mercedes.
21:13Uwe Altsin got off to a slow start here.
21:15But now the real key part of the race course, the hairpin, Ekström, bumps into and goes wide on Bernd
21:22Schneider.
21:23And Uwe Altsin takes the lead.
21:25The hairpin has taken its toll in the very first lap of the racing here at the Norris Ring.
21:30The hairpin leads to a straight and then to this chicane.
21:36And through the chicane they go.
21:39And right up near that cement wall, they come out onto a long straightaway.
21:44Heading back toward the lake.
21:46And they have another hairpin.
21:48And then it straightens out and the cars take off down the very long straightaway.
21:53Here on the street course at the Norris Ring.
22:00And your leader is Uwe Altsin.
22:03So Mercedes is running one and two.
22:06With a yellow and Ekström holding up the Audi flag third and fourth.
22:10And Winklehawk, walking Winklehawk in the Opel.
22:14Has Opel up in the top five.
22:21A slow-mo look here as Dumbbrek, Wendlinger, and Olivier have a collision here at the Norris Ring.
22:30Take another look at it.
22:33Dumbbrek got inside and hit Wendlinger.
22:36And everybody else had to get around him.
22:43And now the battle is for the lead.
22:46In the waning moments of the race,
22:49Bernd Schneider is out in front, right here.
22:52Laurent Aiello, right behind him, as the Mercedes crew looks on.
22:56Two of the top touring car drivers in Europe are going at it here at the Norris Ring.
23:05The Norris Ring.
23:07This weekend, over 126,000 fans have come for the touring car event.
23:13And it's come down to this.
23:14Bernd Schneider goes through the chicane.
23:17We head back to the long straight.
23:20Laurent Aiello is right behind him.
23:22He's trying everything he possibly can.
23:26Here we go into the last corner.
23:28On the last lap.
23:30And Aiello gets inside.
23:31Laurent Aiello gets inside.
23:33It gets by Bernd Schneider.
23:35And now he's got to outrun him.
23:37Has the Audi got it in him to outrun him?
23:39Schneider pulls over and finishes second.
23:42What a great finish.
23:43Laurent Aiello wins it.
23:45Here at the Norris Ring.
23:46On the very last corner of the last lap.
23:49The Audi fans and teams rejoice.
23:52When you drive against a driver like Bernd, it's always a pleasure.
23:56You know, it was very fair.
23:58I try my best to be fair and to have a good show for the public without taking any risk.
24:04I think Bernd is also happy about this.
24:07And if we could have this sort of race every weekend, it could be perfect.
24:13And naturally, Aiello celebrates with the fans.
24:17You can't get higher than this.
24:22The first race was not easy, but I have a quite comfortable win.
24:26And the second one was a little bit more difficult in the first corner.
24:30I touched a little bit with somebody and then I lost three places and I was touching the wall there.
24:35And from that on, I did everything I could.
24:39But the other guys were also very fast, so it's not so easy as to catch them up.
24:44And here at the halfway point of the season, Laurent Aiello is the points leader.
24:48Matthias Ekström is running second.
24:50The defending champ, Bernd Schneider, is running third.
24:53But here at the Norris Ring, another Audi day.
24:58And the defending champ is still in there.
25:04Heading into the second half of the season.
25:07The Euro Speedway.
25:09The Lausitz Ring.
25:11But before we get to the cars on the track,
25:14on this track that's 2.8 miles long,
25:17bicycle racing time for the German Touring Car Masters drivers.
25:21That's Bert Meinlander in the green uniform next to him on the left.
25:26Fesler.
25:26And there's Meinlander with Carl Vendlinger.
25:30So the drivers of four-wheel competition have given it up for a two-wheel competition.
25:35Marcel Fesler from Switzerland.
25:42Every race this season has been a matter of everyone trying to do something to show the fans
25:50there's more to this than just a bunch of guys trying to bump fenders.
25:55Fesler and Meinlander working their way around as we come to the final sprint.
26:02And when it's over, Fesler is the man that wins.
26:08Carl Vendlinger brings up the rear.
26:10Time to go racing.
26:13Once again, this is the battle of the two top drivers.
26:17On the right, Bert Schneider.
26:20On the left, Laurent Aiello as we go into the first curve.
26:23This is an oval circuit with a road course built inside of it.
26:27And we take the course right before the first turn they head into the road course.
26:31The road course scores through a series of curves that leads it back out onto the Super Speedway segment.
26:38They changed the course just a little bit this year.
26:41They'll stay on the Speedway segment a little longer before they cut over.
26:44But now they're staying out there a little longer.
26:46And Bert Schneider takes the lead.
26:48Aiello is second.
26:49Winklehawk is third.
26:50Matthias Ekström is fourth.
26:51Tomczyk is fifth.
26:52The Audis are up there once again.
26:54Three in the top five.
26:56And Winklehawk in the Opel is running up in the top five.
26:59So Opel looks pretty good.
27:00But this Opel is having a problem.
27:02That is the E. Olivier.
27:03I had a very good start and the race was very good at the beginning.
27:06I passed also a Wendlinger and it was fantastic.
27:09My car was very good on the track.
27:11And suddenly I had gear problems and downshifting something.
27:16It didn't downshift.
27:17And from fifth to second gear, it was unexpectedly like that.
27:20I couldn't blow up my engine also.
27:23It was better to stop my race.
27:26Bert Schneider, your leader, right ahead of Logan Aiello.
27:30These are the top two drivers of the season.
27:32Two of the top drivers in touring cars in Europe.
27:35And once again, they battled.
27:37Could this be similar to what happened to the Norris ring?
27:40A last corner, last lap pass?
27:42Well, this time it doesn't look like it's going to happen so far.
27:46Bert Schneider is the man out in front.
27:49You get a great view of Laurent Aiello picking up the chase here.
27:56They continue to battle for the lead as they did at the Norris ring.
27:59And the fans certainly hoping that something comes out of that one.
28:03A lazy and Alsen tap here going into the corner.
28:09And it's Alsen that ends up on the short end of the stick in the grass.
28:13I push out one of my colleagues, Alsen, and I'm more disappointed from this mistake than my weekend
28:25because I'm new in a team.
28:28And to create a relationship in between us, it takes time.
28:33And when there are things like today, you have to start from the beginning.
28:37So I'm looking for talking with him and to explain my mistake.
28:45Now come the mandatory pit stops and that long run into pit road.
28:49It's a long one here.
28:51And Bert Schneider is coming in for his mandatory pit stop.
28:56All four tires.
28:59Schneider has been dominating the race here.
29:02The question is going to be, as Pitt gave him a great pit stop to get him out,
29:07the rest of the field still has to do their pits.
29:10So Bert Schneider is out.
29:14Laurent Aiello is pitting.
29:15Got problems.
29:16Look at that.
29:16That back tire.
29:18He's got problems and he's out.
29:20Ooh, that's going to hurt.
29:24That's going to hurt and probably cost him a shot at this one.
29:31And here's your winner.
29:33Bert Schneider wins at the Euro Speedway and locks him up for the fans.
29:39That's one happy driver.
29:41He's come a long way back after a disappointing start to win here at the Euro Speedway.
29:52Sean Alasi and Bert Schneider, the Mercedes winners so far this season,
29:58the rest have all been outings.
30:00In the beginning, it was really tough because Aiello made a lot of pressure on my side
30:04and I had a little problem with our radio.
30:06I had always big noise, but I couldn't switch it off
30:09because I need to get the advice to come into the pit for the pit stop.
30:13But afterwards, it was great.
30:15The car was perfect balance and the guys made a brilliant pit stop.
30:20Bert Schneider pulls himself back into the points race.
30:25A bad pit stop sends Lamoa Aiello back down the finishing list
30:31and Bert Schneider slowly tries to work his way to catch up.
30:36Next stop on the tour, the NĂŒrburgring, the brand new refurbished NĂŒrburgring.
30:45Aiello and Alsan on the front as the field takes off into the new section of the course.
30:51Uwe Alsan is the man out in front.
30:53The Audis are running second there.
30:56And it looks like Bert Schneider is going to make it into third or not.
31:00No, this is the new part of the course.
31:01Everybody goes wide on this very sharp corner.
31:04And the cars soared out very, very quickly.
31:07And we've had a collision right there at the beginning.
31:12Alaysi and Menuh were involved in the crash.
31:15Also, Jean Alaysi was involved.
31:20A new part of the course taking its toll here at the NĂŒrburgring.
31:26The new course drawing different types of reviews from the drivers.
31:32Some like the old better, some like the new change.
31:34And here is Hussmann spinning,
31:37which started all the action in the first corner.
31:40Parts start to fly.
31:42Now you just want to get through it.
31:44It's difficult to know, you know, when you are in the middle of the cars.
31:49And with the things we have on the neck.
31:51You have no chance to understand what's happening.
31:57This is Yves Olivier spinning.
32:01And Hussmann taking a shortcut through the chicane.
32:04Two chicanes on the course.
32:06The one that Grand Prix cars used and the one that everybody else uses.
32:12Olivier came out of that somewhat unscathed.
32:15Here you see Timo Scheider.
32:17And right behind him is Matthias Ekstrom.
32:19And you're looking now at the back window of the Scheider Opel here at the NĂŒrburgring.
32:25Two cars spin.
32:28Ekstrom and Wendlinger.
32:30Teammates spin.
32:32Not a good day for Audi here at the NĂŒrburgring.
32:37If things are clear, we'll take a look.
32:39Also involved in that was...
32:42Welcome Winklehawk.
32:44But he came into it a little bit later, I think.
32:47Meanwhile, once again, your top drivers, Laurent Aiello and Bernd Schneider are running nose to tail.
32:54And Uwe Alsen is the man out in front.
33:00Olivier, the man that spun here in the Opel.
33:04So Opel having a little bit of a trouble here.
33:09Alsen's your leader in the Mercedes.
33:10Then comes Laurent Aiello, then Bernd Schneider.
33:13And behind him is Marcel Fesler.
33:16So they have a Mercedes sandwich here.
33:20Mercedes running first, third, and fourth.
33:22Laurent Aiello, your points leader, is running now in second position.
33:29So actually, Alsen's got a problem here.
33:33He probably would like to help Bernd Schneider pick up some more points by letting Schneider,
33:39if Schneider can get past Laurent Aiello.
33:42But Aiello certainly doesn't want to give up any points here either.
33:45Marcel Fesler is in fourth place.
33:47And Olivier's car now being pushed into the box.
33:51After the pit stop, the three ramp laps after the pit stop were very, very, very good.
33:56And then there was something dust on the track and I made a spun and I f***ed the tire.
34:03And there was a big vibration in the car and they have to come in.
34:08So the racing continues here at the NĂŒrburgring.
34:14Seventh race of the season in German Touring Car Masters, 2002.
34:19Riding with Martin Tomczyk.
34:21Get a great look at the course at the NĂŒrburgring.
34:25Revamped this year.
34:29This is the part of the course that's going to take you right back to the start-finish line.
34:33If you wanted to go out on the old course, you would have turned left right there.
34:36But nobody's doing that much except a couple of years for endurance races.
34:40Great view of the circuit here at the NĂŒrburgring, which certainly has undergone some changes.
34:46But right now, there's no change in the top four.
34:48Alsen, Aiello, Schneider, and Fesler.
34:54And here we come.
34:56Last lap.
34:57Schneider can't pick up ground.
34:59Laurent Aiello is not going to get by Alsen.
35:02So Schneider will finish third.
35:04And Fesler fourth.
35:05Your winner is Uwe Alsen.
35:07Mercedes first, third, and fourth.
35:09It was quite difficult, you know, to stay in between two Mercedes.
35:14The target was there not to lose points against Schneider.
35:17And in reality, I didn't lose, but I gained a little bit more.
35:20So I'm very happy with this result.
35:25So they're on the podium.
35:26They're going to be heading off to what could be the deciding race.
35:29The performance by Alsen was great.
35:32But Laurent Aiello's consistency means he could wrap things up in Austria.
35:37And that's our next stop.
35:39In the German touring car masters 2002, 2.69 mile circuit in Austria.
35:45Hilly course.
35:46Starts in a valley, goes up the hill, and then comes back on down again.
35:52Before we get into the racing, of course, we have to try a different sport.
35:56As we have, all season long, the German touring car masters stars take to the golf course.
36:02Some better than others.
36:04Some doing it strictly for fun.
36:07Some, of course, have played golf all along strictly for relaxation.
36:10Some certainly have a style of their own.
36:20Timo Scheider.
36:24Thomas Yeager takes his swing.
36:29Marcel Fesler.
36:32Watching the rest of the teams playing through.
36:36Now it's time to race through.
36:38Ekstrom is on the right.
36:39Schneider is on the left.
36:41Aiello is in third in the main race here in Austria.
36:45And, oh, are we battling for positions here?
36:48The question is, can Leroy Aiello, who's in a sandwich right there in the third, fourth,
36:54he drops back to sixth position at the start.
36:58The Mercedes teamwork here could pay off.
37:01But the one change is Matthias Ekstrom in the Audi.
37:06Ekstrom is out in front.
37:09Schneider needs to finish ahead of Leroy Aiello to keep the title chase going.
37:16And Uwe Olsen has spun.
37:18Uwe Olsen, the NĂŒrburgring winner, has spun and will drop back to the end of the pack.
37:26Ekstrom is out in front.
37:28Trying to hold off Berndt Schneider.
37:34Back in the pack is Leroy Aiello.
37:37Now all eyes are going to be on Berndt Schneider trying to stay ahead of Leroy Aiello.
37:47The mandatory pit stops.
37:49Ekstrom comes in.
37:51Aiello comes in.
37:53That was Fessler coming in.
37:56Ekstrom, your leader, in the pits.
37:59He is back out.
38:06Everybody doing their best to get in and out, including this man, Berndt Schneider, and the Mercedes crew.
38:11They've got all four tires changed, and he is back out on the course.
38:17As they work their way through, Ekstrom comes by.
38:22And Aiello comes by, and the app team certainly has to be happy.
38:32And now, it's Leroy Aiello going after Berndt Schneider.
38:38He goes off the course.
38:41Berndt Schneider was trying to make the move on Leroy Aiello.
38:45And now, he's off the course and drops back.
38:48This could be the season.
38:50This could be the championship right here.
38:54But now, Leroy Aiello has to move front.
38:58He has to keep people away.
39:00And the Opals have all spun in tandem.
39:03Amazing.
39:04The Opals having their share of problems.
39:09Ekstrom and three Opals go off, including Tino Scheider and Reuter.
39:16But now, Leroy Aiello has Berndt Schneider right behind him.
39:20Schneider gets inside, as Aiello is blocked just a little bit by Fesler.
39:25Whoa, this is Mercedes teamwork.
39:27Now, what is Aiello going to do?
39:29He has nowhere to go.
39:30He goes outside.
39:31Schneider bumps his teammate, but he has the inside position to the corner.
39:36And Aiello slips in ahead of Marcel Fesler.
39:42But Fesler's not giving up.
39:44Fesler cuts inside.
39:47He does not get by.
39:51Berndt Schneider is out in front, coming in the last corner.
39:54Schneider spins off.
39:56Leroy Aiello wants to get by.
39:57We're in the last corner of the last lap.
39:59Aiello loses it.
40:00He hits Marcel Fesler.
40:03Aiello's off the course.
40:04Fesler keeps going.
40:05Schneider keeps going.
40:07The championship is still open.
40:09What a controversial finish.
40:11Fesler wins it, even though I lazy had been the leader all the race long.
40:15It was fantastic and especially at the end, you know, when these conditions are happening.
40:20You understand it's not possible to come in for rain and the rain is not okay because anyways there is
40:27a dry and wet part.
40:30So, I enjoy very much the race.
40:36Berndt Schneider thanks Jean Alesi.
40:38You see, Alesi was out in front and he put on the brakes, hoping that Schneider could pick up some
40:42more points.
40:43Fesler, meanwhile, continued to roll in a broken car.
40:47When it was over, everybody finally figured out who won.
40:50Well, who won in the fans as the championship is still wide open.
40:55Next to last race of the season, we go to Holland, to Zandvoort.
41:01The home race course for a couple of drivers in the field.
41:04It's always good to drive in your own country.
41:07At least you can speak in your own language, which is fun from time to time because normally German is
41:12the main language.
41:14And then I haven't been here for a very long time, so I'm very happy to be here.
41:18And if you look at how many people came today, they broke a new record by 20,000, so in
41:22total there are over 50,000 today.
41:24So, I think it's fantastic.
41:26The whole program is fantastic and it shows that DTM is very popular nowadays in Holland.
41:31The other Dutch driver in the field is Christian Albers.
41:35I like it really a lot because the people are so enthusiastic and I like it to drive for my
41:42fans here.
41:43So, I think it's really good here to drive.
41:45It gives you always a special feeling.
41:48Ready to go.
41:49Fesler on the right.
41:50Gets off to a bad start.
41:52He had won the qualifying race and gets off to a very bad start.
41:55And getting the jump into the lead is Christian Opt.
42:02Ekstrom is running in second place.
42:06And Alain Manu is running in third.
42:08Michel Bartels has a problem and goes off the course.
42:11The points leader, Laurent Aiello, was disqualified from running in the qualifying race because of a problem with the gas
42:18in his tank.
42:19And he has had to start at the very end of the field.
42:23Now, Baron Schneider, if he wants to stay in the championship, is going to have to win here.
42:28Baron Schneider has to win.
42:30The wrong Aiello, the more points he can score, the better.
42:34And what it comes down to is Schneider has to win.
42:36Aiello has to work his way up as far as he possibly can go and come through.
42:41Christian Opt running in front.
42:43You can see Baron Schneider back in fourth position.
42:47The question now are the tactics from Mercedes.
42:50The question is, are they going to be able to get that car repaired?
42:54Tomczyk with a real difficult situation there.
42:57Christian Albers from the Netherlands taking a different course than normal on the race course.
43:03On his home course, actually.
43:07You're riding with Baron Schneider.
43:09He's got his work cut out for him.
43:11He's going to have to see if he can pull himself to the front and win the race.
43:16But there's going to be a battle ahead for just about everybody.
43:22Ekstrom passes the boss, Christian Opt.
43:26Now, everybody goes into the pits.
43:28Look at this.
43:29Christian Opt has slowed down the pit stops.
43:32That's Christian Opt out in front.
43:33He has slowed Baron Schneider, which means Matthias Ekstrom and the rest of the field can pull way out in
43:39front.
43:41Oh, what a strategic move that was.
43:44Baron Schneider lost a tremendous amount of time thanks to a very slow pit approach by Christian Opt,
43:50which slowed down just about everybody.
43:55Baron Schneider gets out of the pits, but now he really has his work cut out for him.
44:02He gets out before Christian Opt and a long menu,
44:05but now he has a long road ahead of him in the last lap.
44:10Matthias Ekstrom is your leader.
44:12Baron Schneider gets by Fesler, who lets him by.
44:16So now Matthias Ekstrom can assure the championship for his teammate, Laurent Aiello,
44:20who is running in sixth position.
44:23Schneider has to win.
44:24He's running third.
44:25He has his teammate, Marcel Fesler, ahead of him in second.
44:32They're going to have to see what they can do to pull up here.
44:35Baron Schneider just has to hope that something happens and he can win this race.
44:40It is not in his hands anymore.
44:43Laurent Aiello, he just has to wait and hope to stay as it is,
44:47because it's not in his hands anymore at the championship.
44:54The battle of endurance is now on.
44:58Baron Schneider has moved into second place,
45:00hoping that something happens to the young Swedish driver, Matthias Ekstrom.
45:06But Ekstrom has proven to be very, very strong for a young driver in this field.
45:13Laurent Aiello is in back, but look at this.
45:15Ekstrom wins.
45:16Matthias Ekstrom wins the race.
45:19Laurent Aiello will be the 2002 German Touring Car Masters Champion.
45:26And there he is, coming across the finish line here in Zoller, Belgium.
45:41I don't know.
45:49I am somewhere else.
45:50I think I am together with my grandfather, which died this year.
45:55And this title is for him.
45:59And there they are, the champs.
46:04The final race of the season on the brand new Grand Prix course at Hockenheim.
46:092.79 miles long.
46:13Formula One's been here.
46:14Now the German Touring Cars.
46:15But before they can get out on the race, the Mercedes drivers have decided to put on, well, not driver
46:22suits, are they?
46:23They've gone and become cooks.
46:25Can you believe that or not?
46:27They saw they're going to serve a dinner as a tribute to their teams, to everyone involved.
46:35The drivers have become the chefs, oh, and the waiters.
46:42Peter Dumbrake here, serving up for the guests.
46:50Marcel Fesler with a different hat than his helmet, that's for sure.
46:53And look at this.
46:54Nothing but the greatest fast food from Uwe Olsen.
46:59Oh, and that's a good way to pour a drink.
47:01I don't know if I'd want to drink it or not, but it's a good way to pour a drink.
47:08Well, there actually is some cooking going on.
47:11John Elazy is the man doing it.
47:15The discussion of the meal.
47:17And now everybody gets to try what has been cooked.
47:22Well, they're going to try the fast food, of course.
47:26Well, not quite.
47:27You see, they are trying to make it look reasonably good.
47:31There are plenty of cooks trying to tell the cook how to do it.
47:34The question is, is everybody going to be able to eat it?
47:36Well, so far, the fast food's gone over very well.
47:42And then, finally, the true fast food from Bernd Schneider.
47:48Can you believe it?
47:49A Big Mac.
47:52And so, the Mercedes crew gives up the cooking to head to the brand new course.
47:58On the right, the raw yellow.
48:00On the left, Bernd Schneider.
48:01They've been battling all seasons long.
48:03Nothing wrong with doing it again here in the final race of the season at Hoffenheim.
48:08And Matthias Ekstrom was giving a real heavy shove to Bernd Schneider in the opening moments.
48:14But he did not be able to make a move.
48:16But that was Albers who went off.
48:19And Bernd Schneider's holding on to second place as they head out onto the new section of the course.
48:23It swings left, right here.
48:25And then onto a long bending straightaway.
48:28Top speed on the course.
48:30And then they have to brake very hard for this hairpin.
48:34This is a difficult part of the course.
48:37Aiello gets through.
48:38Everybody else seems to be working their way through.
48:39But you've gone from a high speed straight into a very tight and difficult hairpin.
48:47And it looks like everybody got through on the first time around.
48:50All right.
48:51Oh, not quite.
48:52Jean Allaisy has flown in the air.
48:55That was Jean Allaisy's Mercedes.
48:58Something happened and the car went airborne right after the hairpin.
49:06The car is destroyed, but Alaisy is okay.
49:10Twice I crashed.
49:11The first crash for me was a mistake from me because I brake too late.
49:17The second one, I don't know what's happened, but one car put my car in the barrier and then I
49:23had a big crash.
49:27The pace car had come out and we start again.
49:30Aiello and Bernd Schneider leading the pack.
49:33Here on the new Grand Prix course at Hockenheim.
49:38And the pair that have battled all season long look like they're going to do it right here to the
49:43end.
49:44And Martin Tomchek is out of his car.
49:48Martin Tomchek is out of the car.
49:52What happened here?
49:55He seems to be okay.
49:57The car doesn't look too good.
50:00The question is, what happened?
50:03Here he comes.
50:04He's on the left.
50:06Something happened to the car.
50:07He lost control of it.
50:10Cuts right into the corner in the middle of the field.
50:13Oh, and he hit Berndt Mylander.
50:15From behind, Mylander didn't stand a chance.
50:18Mylander was the innocent bystander and took the damage.
50:22But look at the car.
50:25Tomchek's car is out.
50:26And there's Mylander's car on the left.
50:28His car is out.
50:30Pit stops.
50:31Laurent Aiello.
50:32He comes in.
50:36As the pits continue.
50:38The key now is, can we get in?
50:41Can we get out?
50:44Berndt Schneider has his pit stops.
50:46Everyone rushing to come in and get out.
50:48And here's why.
50:49It's raining.
50:51That was the rush.
50:52It has started to rain.
50:54Or at least drizzle here.
50:56Aiello had been out in front.
50:58But now everybody came in and pitted.
51:01And it's a question of, we went from a dry track to a very wet track.
51:05And here comes Laurent Aiello out.
51:08And Berndt Schneider moves in to take the lead.
51:13He passes Ekström.
51:17And now the defending champ of last year.
51:20In his last race as defending champion.
51:23In his element.
51:24And there you get a good look at it from Ekström's car.
51:29And then when it started to rain, of course, it was really difficult to drive this one, two, three laps.
51:34But it was water hanging in there.
51:36And I just can say, my team called me in on the right time.
51:39And I'm happy for the result.
51:41And then it was really great.
51:43This is not the day for Laurent Aiello.
51:46You can see his car not working well in the wet whatsoever.
51:49It was set up for dry.
51:51He did not handle well here in the wet.
51:53Timo Scheider gets by him.
51:55And he said the last race of the season for Aiello was not good.
51:58But it was great for this man.
52:00Berndt Schneider, who had troubles at the beginning of the season, comes home the winner.
52:03At the Grand Prix course at Hockenheim.
52:06The last race of the German Touring Car Master Season 2002.
52:10And the fireworks greet him, and he gives them a donut.
52:15And loses the door in the process.
52:18There's your championship, though.
52:20Laurent Aiello.
52:21The champion 2002.
52:23The defending champ, Berndt Schneider finishing second.
52:26And the final podium shots of the season.
52:31The new champion, Laurent Aiello.
52:34The German Touring Car Masters 2002.
52:37And now, everyone can look forward to the German Touring Car Masters 2003.
52:43Who will be the champion then?
52:45The German Touring Car Masters 2002.
52:45The German Touring Car Masters 2002.