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Mike Rockenfeller takes championship lead at Oschersleben

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Phoenix Audi’s Mike Rockenfeller , has claimed the lead of the 2014 DTM championship following second place at Oschersleben.

Rockenfeller started sixth on standard tyres – a decision which looked to be a mistake given the increasingly wet weather conditions at the start of the race.

However, in addition to deciding to to pit for wet tyres on lap 8, Rockenfeller’s charge through the field to finish just 0.6 seconds behind winner Christian Vietoris was assisted by the three Safety Car periods.

“It was a chaotic race,” said the 2013 DTM champion. ““I started on standard tyres and that wasn’’t a good choice for the initial conditions. For me, the race seemed to be over at that time.”

“But the team made a superb decision and called me in for the tyre change at exactly the right moment.”

Rockenfeller added he was certain the win would have been possible, but he was happy to take the championship lead nonetheless.

“Victory could have still been possible, but second place is good, too. We scored a lot of points and clinched the lead of the standings.”

Rockenfeller’s Phoenix Audi team-mate, double DTM champion Timo Scheider, finished seventh after his race was compromised by contact with BMW’s Antonio Felix da Costa.