All three manufacturers on the podium at Brands Hatch

For the first time this season all three DTM manufacturers were on the podium at Brands Hatch, with Gary Paffet claiming victory for Mercedes, BMW driver Bruno Spenlger second and Mike Rockenfeller third for Audi.

With two wins from three races, Mercedes currently leads the manufacturers’ championship on 133 points, giving them a 47-point margin over second placed Audi. Third placed BMW, who have returned to the championship in 2012 after a break of almost twenty years, are only two points behind Audi.

All three manufacturers had two cars finish in the top six at Brands Hatch, something that also occurred at the previous round at the Lausitzring. It is a sign of the competitiveness of the championship according to the Head of Motorsport for each manufacturer.

Norbert Haug (Head of Mercedes Motorsport): “From the outside looking in 1-2-3, three different manufacturers two times in three races, that’s quite amazing. That just shows it is competitive and you need to get it right. I think this is what we basically dreamed of when we did the new rules. This is a good basis to work from. They are doing a good job and I think for spectators that is just fantastic.”

Jens Marquardt (Head of BMW Motorsport): “The first few races have already shown that the 2012 DTM pack is reshuffled at every circuit. The three manufacturers are on a par with each other, making it all but impossible to predict the race weekends. This is the best possible scenario for the fans, as motor racing can hardly get any more exciting and evenly balanced than in the DTM”

Dr. Wolfgang Ullrich (Head of Audi Motorsport): “The podium reflects the current picture in the DTM: all three manufacturers are battling on an equal footing. It’s about tenths, hundredths and thousandths.”

Only time will tell whether all three manufacturers will be on the podium again with the next round of the championship to be held at the Red Bull Ring in Spielberg on June 3rd.