Photo: ADAC TCR Germany

Dominik Fugel inherits win from Josh Files after penalty

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Dominik Fugel won the race for Honda Team ADAC, inheriting the win from Josh Files at Oschersleben, Germany. The Brit had retained the lead from the start to never leave it. An intense fight behind Dominik Fugel, which included some rain and sliding cars, ended up with Jurgen Schmarl coming second for Target Competition ahead of Steve Kirsch, making it a Honda 1-2-3.

At the start Files took the lead, as a messy first corner as is usual in Oschersleben saw Harald Proczyk lose his place to slip down to fifth. Second was Mario Dablander ahead of Fugel.

Very soon Dablander received a drive through penalty for a wrong place on the starting grid, therefore leaving the runner-up spot to Fugel ahead of Schmarl.

An entertaining battle for third saw a bad contact between Proczyk and Schmarl as the Austrian tried to defend from the Honda driver. Only a black and white flag was given to him. The race was pretty uneventful until in the middle of the session rain started to fall on certain parts of the track. This triggered a series of slides, culminating with Proczyk sliding wide alongside Mike Halder, both losing several places. As a result, Schmarl and Kirsch made up two positions.

The race finished with Josh Files winning, but a post-race drive through meant the Brit slipped down to ninth, as 30 seconds were added to his time. The Target Competition driver, along with Antti Buri, Jurgen Schmarl and Mike Beckhausen – who had retired earlier in the race after a contact with Kai Jordan’s Volkswagen Golf GTI TCR – was penalised for not being on his tyres at the three-minute marker before the start.

Mike Halder finished second ahead of Kirsch, with Bas Schouten completing a marvelous comeback to come home fourth. Harald Proczyk was fifth ahead of Ronny Jost, with Pascal Eberle right behind them in a SEAT. Benjamin Leuchter came eighth ahead of Files and Lautenschlager.

Next race will take place tomorrow at 11:45 local time.