The appeal court of the German Motor Racing Association, DMSB, confirmed the disqualification of Audi driver Mattias Ekström after the DTM race held on 14th July at the Norisring. In addition, the court decided that the fifth round of the season won’t have a winner. On Tuesday in Frankfurt/Main, the court dismissed the appeal of Audi Sport Team Abt Sportsline against the decision of the stewards but also decided that no other driver will move up in the rankings. So, Canadian Robert Wickens (Mercedes-Benz) in second position will be the best-placed driver of the Norisring race. The reason for letting no other driver move up: Ekström didn’t enjoy an advantage in the race as his car met the regulations and he secured his race win in sports-wise impeccable conditions. This was announced by DMSB on Tuesday evening.
Ekström’s team had been accused to have violated the parc-fermé rules that are defined in paragraph 44 of DTM’s sporting regulations. This regulation passage regulates – inter alia – that no materials or substances may be added or removed prior to the vehicle’s after-race scrutineering. TV pictures, however, showed that water had been poured into the pocket of the driver’s race overall prior to the weighing.
“It’s good that the DMSB appeal court has closed this case as we now can look ahead to the coming race held this weekend at the Moscow Raceway without having to deal with an unsettled situation. Now we again fully focus on the sport and look forward to our debut race on Russian soil,” said Hans Werner Aufrecht, Chairman of DTM rights holder and promoter ITR e.V. And Jürgen Abt, Abt Sportsline Team Principal, added: “In the spirit of the sport, we respect and accept the decision of the DMSB appeal court.”