Martin Tomczyk (Audi) set the best performance in the first free pracice session in Shanghai for the last round of the DTM season.

Canadian Bruno Spengler (Mercedes) took 6th place of this first training session on a new street circuit.

The cars waited for several minutes in the pits, as the track and the pit lane had to be cleaned up. The drivers complained about the lack of grip and the very slippery pedestrian crossing painted zones. The pit entry is also an issue, and may be modificated in the next hours.

Bruno Spengler, Mercedes DTM, Shanghai (Photo: dtm.com)

At the end of the session, Martin Tomczyk’s Audi A4 set the best performance with a lap in 1’00’’858.

Mercedes driver Paul Di Resta and Gary Paffett took 2nd and 3rd, places while Bruno Spengler (Mercedes) set the 6th best performance, +0’’138 seconds behind Tomczyk.

Darryl O’Young from Hong Kong, who was born in Vancouver, had his first taste of the Audi A4 in this first free practice session. A quite difficult task for O’Young, who's used to drive a Chevrolet Lacetti in WTCC : although he was relatively quick, he logically set the last performance on Friday.

Maro Engel (Mercedes) had a big crash in the last minutes, of the session. The German driver destroyed the front end of his C-Class Mercedes against a concrete wall. He was unhurt, but the crash forced the organizers to eput an end the session.

Shanghai: Free practice session 1:

1. Martin Tomczyck (Audi A4) in 1’00’’858
2. Paul Di Resta (Mercedes Classe C) + 0’’029
3. Gary Paffett (Mercedes Classe C) + 0’’058
4. Miguel Molina (Audi A4) + 0’’105
5. Maro Engel (Mercedes Classe C) + 0’’121
6. Bruno Spengler (Mercedes Classe C) + 0’’138
7. Timo Scheider (Audi A4) + 0’’278
8. Markus Winkelhock (Audi A4) + 0’’317
etc.