The Supervisory Board takes this opportunity to thank Mr. Mattheis for all his efforts and dedication over the years. Hans-Jürgen Mattheis has worked for HWA AG since 1999, when the Company was formed. He was appointed Managing Director in 2007, and Management Board spokesman six years later. During the 10 years prior to that, he was responsible for motor sport activities at AMG Motorenbau- und Entwicklungsgesellschaft mbH, before that company’s motor racing business and parts of the vehicles and vehicles components divisions were spun off to form HWA AG. Hans-Jürgen Mattheis can look back on 20 years of involvement in motor racing activities with AMG and HWA AG. During his time as Management Board spokesman, Mr. Mattheis was responsible for the Company’s successful stock exchange flotation.

Until further notice, Mr. Mattheis’ responsibilities will be transferred to Gerhard Unger, who has managed the Company’s affairs jointly with Mr. Mattheis up until now. Mr. Unger, who has hitherto been responsible for technical matters, will now be the sole Management Board Director.

Contact:

Investor Relations

HWA AG

Benzstraße 8

71563 Affalterbach

Phone: + 49/ (0) 7144/ 8717- 279

Fax: + 49/ (0) 7144/ 8718- 111

ir@hwaag.com

www.hwaag.com

Company profile  HWA AG:

HWA AG was founded in 1999 as a spin-off from AMG, which was established in 1967 by Hans Werner Aufrecht as the Mercedes Benz customisation specialist. Towards the end of 1998 Aufrecht sold a majority interest in AMG Motorenbau- und Entwicklungsgesellschaft mbH, as it then was, to Daimler AG. In the course of the disposal, motor racing, what is today the AMG-Mercedes team in the German Touring Car Championship (DTM) and parts of the vehicles and components business was spun off and transferred to HWA AG. In the motor racing business, HWA AG acts as a full service provider to Daimler AG Motorsport in the DTM. It is responsible for the whole process of development and construction of the racing cars, including the motors, together with all other activities involved in the racing team’s operations. In its vehicles and components business, it develops and builds cars and vehicle components for the automobile industry. Since 2003 HWA AG has been producing and servicing racing engines for the Formula 3 Euroseries and the British Formula 3 Series.

Disclaimer: 

This information represents neither an offer to sell, nor a request to purchase securities of HWA AG. The information contained in this press release is meant exclusively for people having their domicile and place of residence in Germany. Securities of HWA AG were not and will not be registered under the U.S. Securities Act of 1933, in the currently valid version, and may neither be offered nor sold in the United States of America. The information contained in this press release may not be distributed to or within the United States of America, and not be passed on to "U.S. persons", as defined in regulation S of the U.S. Securities Act of 1933, in the currently valid version.

Team Championship for Salzgitter/Mercedes-Benz Bank

Six wins out of 10 races for Mercedes-Benz

Gary Paffett at the wheel of the Salzgitter AMG Mercedes C-Class won the 2009 DTM’s 10th and final round at Hockenheim and took the runner-up position in the Drivers’ Championship behind Timo Scheider (Audi). Salzgitter/Mercedes-Benz Bank with Gary Paffett and Bruno Spengler took the Teams’ Championship which is comparable to the Formula 1 Constructors‘ World Championship.

Mercedes-Benz drivers won six out of the 2009 season’s 10 races; Gary alone took four victories. Jamie Green (2008 Junge Sterne AMG Mercedes C-Class) and Paul Di Resta (AMG Mercedes C-Class) were the other winners for Mercedes-Benz. In the 60th DTM race at Hockenheim, Mercedes-Benz took their 27th victory here. Mercedes-Benz won 152 out of 320 races since 1988.

After 39 laps (178.386 kms), Paul Di Resta came home third, 1.792sec behind winner Paffett; Jamie Green ended up fifth and Bruno Spengler who had started 15th was seventh.

Gary finished the championship with 54 points in second place, five points behind Scheider. Paul Di Resta who had won his home race at Brands Hatch in August ended the season third overall with 45 points. Norisring winner Jamie Green was seventh overall with 27 points and thus the best driver of a last year’s car.

The team Salzgitter/Mercedes-Benz Bank AMG of Paffett and Spengler won the team championship with 100 points ahead of the best Audi crew with 85 points.

Maro Engel (GQ AMG Mercedes C-Class) finished 10th and Mathias Lauda (stern AMG Mercedes C-Class) came home 14th. Susie Stoddart (TV Spielfilm AMG Mercedes C-Class/lap 32) and Ralf Schumacher (Trilux AMG Mercedes C-Class/lap 1) retired due to accidents.

Several celebrities attended the Hockenheim event: The 1998 and 1999 Formula 1 World Champion Mika Häkkinen, also a former Mercedes-Benz DTM driver, together with his former McLaren Mercedes team mate David Coulthard; three times Formula 1 World Champion Niki Lauda; Sebastian Vettel, second overall of the 2009 Formula 1 World Championship; three-times Wimbledon champion Boris Becker; top model and Mercedes-Benz brand ambassador Eva Padberg.

A total of 155,000 spectators attended the 2009 DTM’s 10th and final round at Hockenheim during the weekend.

Gary Paffett (2009 Salzgitter AMG Mercedes C-Class) winner and runner-up in the championship: “I am very happy to have achieved my fourth win of the season and I thank my team – again they gave me a perfect car. Unfortunately, I missed the championship win by five points, but I want to congratulate Timo Scheider, he was more consistent and deserved to win.”

Paul Di Resta (2009 AMG Mercedes C-Class) third: “I am happy about my third places today and in the championship, this was the maximum which was possible here. There was no chance to catch Timo Scheider today.

Jamie Green (2008 Junge Sterne AMG Mercedes C-Class) fifth: “I am the best driver with a last year’s car here and in the overall ranking – I can be satisfied with today’s race and the 2009 season.”

Bruno Spengler (2009 Mercedes-Benz Bank AMG C-Class) seventh: “My race was ok – I moved up from 15th on the grid to fifth. However, my final stint was very long and therefore, in the end my tyres faded a bit and I lost two positions.”

Maro Engel (2008 GQ AMG Mercedes C-Class) 10th: “Again I was hit by another car, this is the story of almost my entire season. Without these incidents, I could be quite satisfied with my performance.”

Mathias Lauda (2008 stern AMG Mercedes C-Class) 14th: “Following a coming-together in the opening stages I lost my good pace and wasn’t able to achieve a better result.”

Susie Stoddart (2008 TV-Spielfilm AMG Mercedes C-Class): “Until my accident I had a great race and enjoyed the fight with Tom Kristensen. Then the suspension broke and all of a sudden my race was over. I am fine, but it’s a shame to end the season this way and I am sorry for my mechanics – they did a great job throughout the year.

Ralf Schumacher (2009 Trilux AMG Mercedes C-Class) retired: “At the hairpin during the first corner, a couple of cars spun in front of me and I wasn’t able to avoid them. Therefore, I lost the bonnet which also damaged a part of the electronics and caused an engine failure. So I wasn’t able to continue.”

Norbert Haug, Vice President Mercedes-Benz Motorsport: “A sensational race by Gary Paffett and his C-Class. With four wins out of 10 races he is by far the driver with the most wins of the year and can claim to have won as many races alone as all our competitors together. Mercedes won six out of 10 races and the teams’ championship with a significant margin – a great balance. Thank you to the HWA team headed by Gerhard Ungar and Hans-Jürgen Mattheis, I am glad for the entire team. Cordial congratulations to Timo Scheider and Abt Audi on the title win – Timo scored five points more, Gary achieved two wins more, Timo deserved to win.”

It is Gary’s third win of the season and the 13th of his DTM career. In this year’s ninth race, Mercedes-Benz Benz clinched the fifth victory, the 151st out of 319 races since 1988 (47.3 percent) and the 67th out of 108 races of the “new DTM” since 2000.

The championship decision was postponed to the season finale on 24th and 25th October 2009 at Hockenheim, because overall leader Timo Scheider (Audi) finished sixth today. After three wins so far, Gary reduced the gap behind Scheider from 14 to seven points and has now a total 49 points; Scheider leads with 56.

The team Salzgitter/Mercedes-Benz Bank AMG of Paffett and Spengler lead the team ranking with 88 points which is comparable to the Formula 1 Constructors‘ World Championship.

Mathias Lauda (stern AMG Mercedes C-Class) came home eighth which made six out of the eight C-Class cars in the field finishing in the points; Maro Engel (GQ AMG Mercedes C-Class) finished in 12th place and Susie Stoddart (TV Spielfilm AMG Mercedes C-Class) ended up 14th.

A total of 26,000 spectators attended the 2009 DTM’s ninth round at Dijon during the weekend.

Gary Paffett (2009 Salzgitter AMG Mercedes C-Class) winner: “I am really happy and I thank my team for our great performance today. It was a tough and long race, but the fight with Mattias Ekström was always fun. It’s great that I reduced the gap behind Timo Scheider from 14 to seven points. Hockenheim will be again an exciting race and even with the chances of an underdog I don’t give up.”

Paul Di Resta (2009 AMG Mercedes C-Class) second: “A great race for me and for the entire Mercedes-Benz team. The C-Class was perfect and we achieved the optimum result.”

Bruno Spengler (2009 Mercedes-Benz Bank AMG C-Class) third: “To start from pole and finish third is not the perfect result; however, my car suffered from oversteer and therefore I wasn’t able to drive faster. Under these circumstances I am still happy with my third podium finish of the year. Congratulations to Gary on his victory – we will now see an exciting showdown in Hockenheim.”

Jamie Green (2008 Junge Sterne AMG Mercedes C-Class) fourth: “A fantastic race for me. To finish fourth with a last year’s car is a good result and the quintuple is a great achievement for Mercedes-Benz. I am proud to be part of it”

Ralf Schumacher (2009 Trilux AMG Mercedes C-Class) fifth: “I am happy about my best DTM result and thank my team for their great job. My car ran perfectly throughout the weekend. It’s great for Gary and everybody at Mercedes-Benz, that the championship will remain open until the final race at Hockenheim.”

Mathias Lauda (2008 stern AMG Mercedes C-Class) eighth: “I had four top-ten results this year and today I finally scored a point. I am satisfied, this was a super weekend for me.”

Maro Engel (2008 GQ AMG Mercedes C-Class) 12th: “I started very well and was already third when I was pushed to the dirty side at the first corner; I went wide and lost several positions. Due to this incident, I unfortunately missed the optimum balance and the speed I had in yesterday’s qualifying. In the end, points were possible but when we fought for positions, Alexandre Prémat hit me and I lost some places.”

Susie Stoddart (2008 TV-Spielfilm AMG Mercedes C-Class) 14th: “I had a good speed; however, Katherine Legge blocked me for three laps although she was already one lap behind. That ruined my race; what a shame.”

Norbert Haug, Vice President Mercedes-Benz Motorsport: “What a race and what a victory. Here in Dijon our C-Class was the “tyre whisperer” and this was the reason for Gary’s race win and the quintuple victory for Mercedes-Benz. Gary won the third time this year and the C-Class for the fifth time in nine races. We now look forward to an exciting finale at Hockenheim in two weeks time; for the third consecutive time the championship will be decided there. With a gap of seven points and an extra weight of 10 kilograms after today’s win, the odds for Gary are not the best, but a chance is there at least for the spectators in Hockenheim and the TV viewers.”

After 90 laps on the shortest DTM track (1.929 kms), with a turbulent closing stage and two safety car periods, Gary Paffett (Salzgitter AMG Mercedes C-Class) came home fourth and Bruno Spengler (Mercedes-Benz Bank AMG C-Class) sixth. Ralf Schumacher (Trilux AMG Mercedes C-Class) ended up ninth following a drive-through penalty; he missed eighth place and one championship point by less than six tenths of a second.

After seven out of 10 races, Paffett is third in the overall ranking with 34 points. Di Resta and Spengler are fourth and fifth respectively with 29 points each. Scheider (Audi) leads with 43 points.

The team Salzgitter/Mercedes-Benz Bank AMG with Paffett and Spengler is second in the team ranking with 63 points which is comparable to the Formula 1 Constructors‘ World Championship.

Maro Engel (GQ AMG Mercedes C-Class) finished in 10th place; Jamie Green (Junge Sterne AMG Mercedes C-Klasse) received a drive-through penalty and came home 12th ahead of Susie Stoddart (TV Spielfilm AMG Mercedes C-Class).

Mathias Lauda (stern AMG Mercedes C-Class) retired on lap 73 due to an accident.

Formula 1 World Champion Lewis Hamilton visited the DTM event at Brands Hatch on Sunday for the second time since 2008. Lewis drove the Mercedes-Benz DTM race taxi C63 AMG, answered questions on the show stage and signed hundreds of autographs for his British fans. Afterwards, he watched the race from the pit wall.

A total of 20,400 spectators attended the 2009 DTM’s sixth round at Brands Hatch during the weekend.

Operating results (EBIT) for the period from January to June were at break even, a small loss of EUR 0.15m after a positive EBIT of EUR 2m for the first six months of 2008.  The reasons for the lower profitability in the first half of 2009 were significantly higher costs for raw materials in connection with the new model in the vehicles and components business, as well as lower contributions from Formula 3 engines and motor racing.  Operating results already include one-time costs for restructuring and capacity adjustments.  

HWA AG will publish its half-yearly report for 2009 on 27 August 2009.  

Contact:

Hans-Jürgen Mattheis

HWA AG

Benzstraße 8

71563 Affalterbach

Phone: + 49/ (0) 7144/ 8717- 279

Fax: + 49/ (0) 7144/ 8718- 111

ir@hwaag.com

www.hwaag.com

Company profile  HWA AG:

HWA AG was founded in 1998 as a spin-off from AMG, which was established in 1967 by Hans Werner Aufrecht as the Mercedes Benz customisation specialist. Towards the end of 1998 Aufrecht sold a majority interest in AMG Motoren- und Entwicklungsgesellschaft mbH, as it then was, to Daimler AG. In the course of the disposal, motor racing, what is today the AMG-Mercedes team in the German Touring Car Championship (DTM) and parts of the vehicles and components business was spun off and transferred to HWA AG. In the motor racing business, HWA AG acts as a full service provider to Daimler AG Motorsport in the DTM. It is responsible for the whole process of development and construction of the racing cars, including the motors, together with all other activities involved in the racing team’s operations. In its vehicles and components business, it develops and builds cars and vehicle components for the automobile industry. Since 2003 HWA AG has been producing and servicing racing engines for the Formula 3 Euroseries and the British Formula 3 Series.

Disclaimer: 

This information represents neither an offer to sell, nor a request to purchase securities of HWA AG. The information contained in this press release is meant exclusively for people having their domicile and place of residence in Germany. Securities of HWA AG were not and will not be registered under the U.S. Securities Act of 1933, in the currently valid version, and may neither be offered nor sold in the United States of America. The information contained in this press release may not be distributed to or within the United States of America, and not be passed on to "U.S. persons", as defined in regulation S of the U.S. Securities Act of 1933, in the currently valid version.

It was the seventh consecutive race win for Mercedes-Benz at the Norisring, the ninth since 2000. For the second time since Gary Paffett’s success in Oschersleben two years ago, a last year’s car won a DTM race.

Gary Paffett, Salzgitter AMG Mercedes C-Class, winner of the previous race at the Lausitzring, came home fifth ahead of Ralf Schumacher (Trilux AMG Mercedes C-Class) who achieved his best DTM result so far. Paul Di Resta (AMG Mercedes C-Class), who had been relegated to 15th on the grid following a breach of the parc fermé rules, ended up seventh. Five Mercedes-Benz C-Class cars finished amongst the top seven.

Susie Stoddart (TV Spielfilm AMG Mercedes C-Class) came home 10th, Mathias Lauda (stern AMG Mercedes C-Class) finished14th. Maro Engel (GQ AMG Mercedes C-Class) retired after he had stalled the engine following his second pit stop on lap 47.

In the overall ranking, Timo Scheider (Audi) who was fourth today leads with 17 points ahead of Spengler with 16 points and Green, Paffett and Mattias Ekström (Audi) who are all on 14 points each.

A total of 132,000 spectators attended the 2009 DTM’s third round at the Norisring during the weekend.

Jamie Green (2008 Junge Sterne AMG Mercedes C-Class) winner: “This was a great race today. I thank my team for a perfect car and the optimum strategy. Starting seventh on the grid I hadn’t expected to end up on the top spot of the podium; this is absolutely fantastic. Now we will celebrate.“

Bruno Spengler (2009 Mercedes-Benz Bank AMG C-Class) second: “It’s a shame that I wasn’t able to win. After I had overtaken Scheider, I made a mistake under braking at the hairpin and that was it. Congratulations to Jamie – I am happy that he took the race win for Mercedes-Benz.“

Gary Paffett (2009 Salzgitter AMG Mercedes C-Class) fifth: “What a tough race. I drove consistently in fourth place; however, due to the lengthy second pitsop I lost this position to Ekström. All drivers were very close together today, so I’m still satisfied to have scored four points.”

Ralf Schumacher (2009 Trilux AMG Mercedes C-Class) sixth: “This is my best DTM result and I’m happy to have achieved this in the season’s highlight here at the Norisring. With a better starting position an even better result would have been possible. I thank my team for their good job and congratulate Jamie on his victory. Now I look forward to the next race in Zandvoort in three weeks time when I want to improve further.”

Paul Di Resta (2009 AMG Mercedes C-Class) seventh: “Starting 15th on the grid the seventh-place finish is not too bad. Without the relegation it has been a difficult weekend for me and so I am still satisfied to have scored two points.”

Susie Stoddart (2008 TV-Spielfilm AMG Mercedes C-Class) 10th: “My race was quite OK, although I missed points again. During my third stint I was a bit slower than before. Congratulations to our team and Jamie on this race win.”

Mathias Lauda (2008 stern AMG Mercedes C-Class) 14th: “Halfway through the race I had gearbox problems and was not able to change gears. I already wanted to pit but all of a sudden everything worked again fine. Although I then set almost the same lap times as the top drivers, I was too far behind to catch up.”

Maro Engel (2008 GQ AMG Mercedes C-Class) retired: “Following my second pit stop I stalled the engine and was not able to start it again. This was my fault, I am very sorry for my team.”

Norbert Haug, Vice President Mercedes-Benz Motorsport: “Probably the best DTM race of all times – and we won it. Thank you Jamie, you were the best. With the same car, Jamie had won already last year’s race at the Norisring, this is probably a unique record. This victory is the seventh in a row for Mercedes-Benz at the Norisring. Jamie achieved it from seventh on the grid and at the finish seven cars were within 3.8sec – so seven was a very special lucky number today. Ingmar Persson and his team did a great job, they had a very good strategy and showed perfect pit stops. As short the Norisring is as long lasted the excitement today, and then our guys overtook in a very convincing way. First Bruno and then Jamie – world class, you cannot do it better. Of course the spectators were very enthusiastic.”

Operating profit (EBIT), in contrast, fell from EUR 9.1m in 2007 to EUR 0.45m in 2008.

This significant fall in earnings, already announced on 25 November 2008, is partly attributable to its motor sport business, in which HWA AG acts as a complete service provider to Daimler AG in its motor racing activities in the German Touring Car Masters Championship (DTM). The higher expenses that became necessary in the course of the racing season in order to improve the team’s competitive edge were only compensated in part by HWA AG’s business partner.

In HWA AG’s other business segment, vehicles and components, part of the current vehicles production program was postponed until 2009. Delivery of the new model in 2008 fell 50% short of the Company’s original plans. It is currently expected that delivery of the model to the customer will be completed by the end of this year.

HWA AG will be publishing its Annual Report for 2008 in April 2009.

Contact:

Hans-Jürgen Mattheis
HWA AG
Benzstraße 8
71563 Affalterbach
Phone: + 49/ (0) 7144/ 8717- 279
Fax: + 49/ (0) 7144/ 8718- 111
ir@hwaag.com
www.hwaag.com

Company profile HWA AG: 

HWA AG was founded in 1998 as a spin-off  AMG, which was established in 1967 by Hans Werner Aufrecht as the Mercedes-Benz customisation specialist. Towards the end of 1998 Aufrecht sold a majority interest in AMG Motoren- und Entwicklungsgesellschaft mbH, as it then was, to Daimler AG. In the course of the disposal, motor racing, what is today the AMG-Mercedes team in the German Touring Car Championship (DTM) and parts of the vehicles and components business was spun off and transferred to HWA AG. In the motor racing business, HWA AG acts as a full service provider to Daimler AG Motorsport in the DTM. It is responsible for the whole process of development and construction of the racing cars, including the motors, together with all other activities involved in the racing team’s operations. In its vehicles and components business, it develops and builds cars and vehicle components for the automobile industry. Since 2003 HWA AG has been producing and servicing racing engines for the Formula 3 Euroseries and the British Formula 3 Series.

HWA AG currently has 251 employees in its Affalterbach works. In 2007 HWA AG had revenues of EUR 60.9 million and EBIT of EUR 9.1 million. Its net profit after interest and taxes was EUR 5.6 million. The company has been listed on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange in the Entry Standard segment since 19 April 2007.

Disclaimer: 

This information represents neither an offer to sell, nor a request to purchase securities of HWA AG. The information contained in this press release is meant exclusively for people having their domicile and place of residence in Germany. Securities of HWA AG were not and will not be registered under the U.S. Securities Act of 1933, in the currently valid version, and may neither be offered nor sold in the United States of America. The information contained in this press release may not be distributed to or within the United States of America, and not be passed on to "U.S. persons", as defined in regulation S of the U.S. Securities Act of 1933, in the currently valid version.

Within the last five races, Paul Di Resta won once and came home second four times; thus he scored more points than any other driver during this period. In the end, he was four points behind Scheider.

The team Mercedes-Benz Bank/AMG Mercedes with Paul Di Resta and Bruno Spengler won the teams‘ championship with 109 points ahead of Abt (Tom Kristensen/Timo Scheider on 102 points.

Jamie Green (Salzgitter AMG Mercedes C-Class) finished the race in third place ahead of Bruno Spengler (Mercedes-Benz Bank AMG C-Class).

Bernd Schneider (Genuine Parts AMG Mercedes C-Class) finished his DTM career – 227 races for Mercedes-Benz from 1991 until 2008 – in sixth place.

Gary Paffett (stern AMG Mercedes C-Class) came home 11th in the race and ninth in the championship with 13 points; he ist he best driver with a last year’s car.

Maro Engel (JungeSterne AMG Mercedes C-Class) ended up 12th; Ralf Schumacher came home 14th in the last race of his DTM debut year. Mathias Lauda (Pixum AMG Mercedes C-Class) and Susie Stoddart (TV Spielfilm AMG Mercedes C-Class) retired on the second lap after their cars had been severely damaged in collisions with other cars.

A total of 165,000 spectators attended the 2008 DTM seasonal finale at Hockenheim during the weekend – a bigger crowd than ever before in a DTM event.

Paul Di Resta (2008 AMG Mercedes C-Class), second: “First of all congratulations to Timo Scheider. He deserved to win the title. However, I am disappointed how two Audi drivers acted. Mattias Ekström tried to push me off track not only once, but twice. I am not known for complaining quickly or being somebody who cannot lose. After my second pit stop I would have had a chance to close in on Timo, but Martin Tomczyk blocked me. However, I am still satisfied with second place. We had a very good second half of the season and caught up; unfortunately it was not enough, but I am happy with my team and myself.”

Jamie Green (2008 Salzgitter AMG Mercedes C-Class), third: „On the first lap at the hairpin, Mattias Ekström blocked the inner line; when Paul went to the outside, Ekström tried to push him aside – I already know these manoeuvres by him from Barcelona. I was able to pass on the inside and was second. When Paul closed in I didn’t want to obstruct his race. This year I have won twice and until two races ago I was still in contention for the title. Unfortunately I also had a problem with Ekström at Bercelona and lost my chances for the championship.“

Bruno Spengler (2008 Mercedes-Benz Bank AMG C-Class), fourth: “My car was great and if I hadn’t lost an aerodynamic part in the beginning, I could have been faster. It’s a shame that Paul didn’t make it – he and the team would have deserved it.”

Bernd Schneider (2008 Genuine Parts AMG Mercedes C-Class), sixth: “Well done Timo Scheider winning the championship title. Paul also had a great season and would have deserved it. My race today was not perfect, but it was great fun, particularly during the last couple of laps. It was great to see the fans on the Mercedes-Benz grandstand say ‚good-bye‘. I want to thank everybody, especially my team – they have been and still are good friends and are like a family for me.”

Gary Paffett (2007 stern AMG Mercedes C-Class), 11th: „My race was quite ok; however, I struggled with oversteer and was not able to move up."

Maro Engel (2007 JungeSterne AMG Mercedes C-Class), 12th: „I had an exciting fight with Gary, which was great fun.”

Prior to the finale at Hockenheim on 26th October, the championship remains exciting: Paul Di Resta is second overall with 63 points; Scheider leads on 65 points. Ekström is third with 54 points but is out of contention for the title fight.

In the team rankings, Mercedes-Benz Bank/AMG Mercedes with Paul Di Resta and Bruno Spengler lead with 96 points, eight points ahead of Audi Sport Team Abt.

Bruno Spengler (Mercedes-Benz Bank AMG C-Class) ended up seventh; Jamie Green (Salzgitter Mercedes C-Class) came home 10th. Susie Stoddart (TV Spielfilm AMG Mercedes C-Class) finished in 12th position whilst Maro Engel (JungeSterne AMG Mercedes C-Class) was 14th followed by Mathias Lauda (Pixum AMG Mercedes C-Class); he and Susie completed their 30th DTM races respectively.

Ralf Schumacher (Trilux AMG Mercedes C-Class) retired on the opening lap after he had been pushed into a spin by Katherine Legge (Audi) and got stuck in the gravel.

A total of 18,000 spectators attended the 10th round of the 2008 DTM at Le Mans during the weekend.

Paul Di Resta (2008 AMG Mercedes C-Class), second: “It was not the right decision to start with rain tyres, but in conditions like today, it is difficult to make the right choice. It’s super that I finished second despite my extra pit stop and that I am only two points behind Timo Scheider – we knew that it would rain in the final third and my team had the perfect timing for the change; that was crucial. My speed was good despite the handicap weight which we now got rid of for the final race. I look forward to Hockenheim and I want to win in the great finale and thus clinch the championship title.”

Gary Paffett (2007 stern AMG Mercedes C-Class), fourth: “To end up fourth after starting 16th is a nice result. I was even third in between and almost made it to the podium, but in the end Prémat was a little bit faster. I thank my team for the perfect strategy today.”

Bernd Schneider (2008 Genuine Parts AMG Mercedes C-Class), fifth: “In the beginning, slicks were the right choice, although it was quite tricky. However, in the end I had to make an additional stop, because the rain was too hard for dry tyres. The battle with the overall leader Timo Scheider was fun, and I am happy that I was able to overtake him.”

Bruno Spengler (2008 Mercedes-Benz Bank AMG C-Class), seventh: “A complicated race for drivers and teams. In addition to the tricky conditions, I had a coming together with Oliver Jarvis and as a consequence, my car was damaged at the left rear. In these circumstances, seventh place is not too bad.”

Jamie Green (2008 Salzgitter AMG Mercedes C-Class), 10th: “A difficult race. At the start on the damp track, I lost nine positions and came into the pits immediately to change tyres. When it began to rain harder towards the end, I needed another extra tyre change and that was my race.

Susie Stoddart (2007 TV-Spielfilm AMG Mercedes C-Class), 12th: “I was on rain tyres for the first 10 laps and lost a lot of time. After my first pit stop I was faster, but I was not able to improve. I am happy for Paul – in Hockenheim he has a good chance to win the title.”

Maro Engel (2007 JungeSterne AMG Mercedes C-Class), 14th: “I pitted five times – it was just not our day today. I thank my team anyway, because they changed a faulty gearbox sensor after the warm-up right in time for the race.”

Norbert Haug, Vice President Mercedes-Benz Motorsport: “This was an inspiring DTM race one of the very best I have ever seen - these 41 laps of Le Mans were probably more exciting than many of the traditional 24 hours of Le Mans. Our decision for Paul, Bruno and Jamie to start on wet tyres was wrong. However, the HWA team under Gerhard Ungar and Hans-Jürgen Mattheis did not give up, and so did our drivers, particularly Paul Di Resta. We knew it would rain harder in the final third of the race, and we timed Paul’s stop for the change to wet tyres perfectly, which was crucial and brought Paul back in contention. He was the man of the race. After his first pit stop he was 38 seconds down, but then he drove a sensational race like in his own league. For some stages he was two seconds per lap faster than the leaders. He won one of the last four races - the one in Barcelona two weeks ago – and finished second three times, thus reducing the gap to the top to two points. In the team rankings, we are eight points ahead. Remarkable: Gary’s performance who drove the 2007 C-Class from 16th on the grid to fourth place, and Bernd, who eventually defeated Scheider in a tough but very fair battle. We all hope now for a great finale in Hockenheim and now we want to clinch the title there with Paul – the momentum of the second half of the season speaks for Paul.”