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DTM - Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters
England - Brands Hatch - Free Practice - 18/5/13

By MJP Media | 18 May 2013

BMW's Marco Wittmann heads the DTM practice timesheets at Brands Hatch whilst Mercedes suffer with their highest placed car only 9th fastest.

Marco Wittmann sets off to post the fastest lap time in free practice

In a dry and warm free practice session for the DTM championship at Brands Hatch it was smiles all round for BMW and Audi who had 12 of the top 13 results as Mercedes were left wondering with only Gary Paffett getting a Mercedes into the top twelve.

As was to be expected, the times dropped as the session progressed and the cars and the circuit warmed up. It was Marco Wittmann in the Ice-Watch BMW M3 DTM who was quick throughout the session and on his 53rd lap posted an unbeatable time of 41.378 seconds, which represents an average speed around the circuit of an astonishing 104.875 mph!

Mike Rockenfeller was second fastest

Behind the BMW it was Audi who claimed second and third and they were very close to Wittmann indeed. Second was Mike Rockenfeller in the Schaeffler Audi RS5 DTM, less than one tenth of a second behind with a time of 41.472 seconds. Third on the time sheets was Timo Scheider in the Auto Test Audi RS 5 DTM at 41.498 seconds.

Fourth place saw the number 1 car of Canadian Bruno Spengler in his BMW Bank M3 DTM a further 4/100ths of a second back, with Miguel Molina in the Team Phoenix Audi RS5 DTM rounding out the top 5.

Gary Paffett was the quickest of the British drivers

The highest placed Briton was Gary Paffett in 9th in his Euronics Mercedes AMG C-Coupe just over a quarter of a second behind Wittmann's time. Elsewhere, the British contingent fared less well with Jamie Green putting his Red Bull Audi RS 5 DTM in 12th and Andy Priaulx 13th in the Crowne Plaza Hotels BMW M3 DTM.

As we head towards this afternoon's all important qualifying session, Mercedes will be analysing all the data from this morning in an attempt to make their cars more competitive. If there is any crumb of comfort for them it will be that there was only just over half a second between first and last.

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