The sporting gods threw everything they had at New Zealand’s Nick Cassidy in the 12th DTM race of 2022, but the Kiwi delivered a flawless run at Belgium’s Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps to secure his maiden win in the championship.
“I’m super excited,” commented Cassidy. “Coming here, I thought we had great potential and I’m really happy that I could finally show that. It was an incredible race. Starting at the front and being strong, I had so much motivation and I wanted to make use of the opportunity. Overall, I’m really happy.”
In only the fifth DTM weekend of his career, Cassidy delivered a textbook performance to school the overall leaders and conquer one of the most formidable tracks in motorsport. Team-mate Felipe Fraga of Brazil also picked up points, with the combined effort giving Red Bull AlphaTauri AF Corse the weekend’s team trophy.
The legendary Spa-Francorchamps circuit is a twisty, high-speed thrill ride and the longest circuit on the DTM calendar. Red Bull AlphaTauri AF Corse got off to a promising start in Race 1 when Fraga and Cassidy both finished in the points, with the Brazilian driving to a seventh-place result, while the Kiwi finished 10th.
Qualifying for Race 2 saw lightning-fast changes in the provisional pole position, as the initially wet track dried rapidly.
Cassidy captured his best DTM qualifying finish so far, snapping up third place and a championship point behind two drivers who have been battling at the top of the overall standings, René Rast and Sheldon van der Linde. Just 0.052s separated the trio.
When Van der Linde took the early lead of Race 2, Cassidy gave relentless chase to second-place Rast, shadowing him and pulling abreast until finally, shoulder to shoulder, the German made hard contact with the New Zealander, earning a penalty. Cassidy wouldn’t be denied however and the two remained side-by-side throughout the infamous Eau Rouge and Raidillon sector until Cassidy finally pulled in front.
Then, Cassidy had to face Sheldon van der Linde. When the South African pitted, Cassidy jumped to the provisional lead, but then he too had to take a mandatory pit-stop, opening up the opportunity for his rival. In a nail-biting moment, Red Bull AlphaTauri AF Corse completed the stop in a blistering 7.74s and Cassidy squeaked out of the pit lane just ahead of a disappointed Van der Linde.
The drama wasn’t over yet. With Rast having retired due to a puncture, Van der Linde might have elected to play it safe and let Cassidy cruise to the win, but a yellow flag late in the race allowed the field to close up to the AlphaTauri Ferrari.
When the restart came with just one lap to go, Cassidy controlled his nerves and his desperate opponents brilliantly to charge to the victory. Fraga managed to avoid a messy midfield pile-up to score more points himself in eighth.
Both, in only their first full season in the DTM, Fraga and Cassidy now each hold one race win, with the Brazilian having triumphed at the Norisring. A thoroughly unpredictable season has seen 10 race winners out of the 12 starts so far and Fraga is now positioned 12th in the DTM Championship standings, while Cassidy is 16th.
Next up for Red Bull AlphaTauri AF Corse is their home race on the penultimate weekend of the DTM championship at the Red Bull Ring in Austria on September 23–25.
Results
Race 1 result, Spa-Francorchamps
1/ Dennis Olsen (NOR) – SSR Performance
2/ Maximilian Götz – Mercedes AMG Team Winward Racing
3/ Thomas Preining (AUT) – Küs Team Bernhard
7/ Felipe Fraga (BRA) – Red Bull AlphaTauri AF Corse
10/ Nick Cassidy (NZL) – Red Bull AlphaTauri AF Corse
Race 2 result, Spa-Francorchamps
1/ Nick Cassidy (NZL) – Red Bull AlphaTauri AF Corse
2/ Sheldon van der Linde (RSA) – Schubert Motorsport
3/ Thomas Preining (AUT) – Küs Team Bernhard
8/ Felipe Fraga (BRA) – Red Bull AlphaTauri AF Corse
2022 DTM Drivers Championship standings (After 6 of 8 rounds)
1/ Sheldon van der Linde (RSA) 130 points
2/ Lucas Auer (AUT) 98
3/ René Rast (GER) 96
12/ Felipe Fraga (BRA) 60
16/ Nick Cassidy (NZL) 36
2022 DTM Teams Championship standings (After 6 of 8 rounds)
1/ Schubert Motorsport 175 points
2/ ABT Sportsline 138
3/ SSR Performance 117
4/ Red Bull AlphaTauri AF Corse 101
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