It's wet at Hockenheim, although the three-day forecast suggests Sunday could be dry but cold.

Mika Hakkinen opened the DTM Finals weekend with fastest lap in first practice this morning, at 1m 48.9s running 14 seconds off the dry times of the first visit here in April. The Finn was closely followed by Mercedes teammate and 2006 champion Bernd Schneider - who won that opening race before going on to claim his fifth crown at Le Mans two weekends ago.

Whilst the Drivers' title might be decided, the vice-championship has still to be settled between season-revelation Canadian Bruno Spengler and the Great Dane Tom Kristensen. Mercedes and Audi are locked in the teams battle, and with 63,000 advance tickets sold, Hockenheim expects to at least match last October's DTM record 147.000 weekend crowd.

This will be the 57th DTM/ITC race at the German Grand Prix circuit, and Audi has not won the season finale here since Frank Biela in 1991. This weekend the Ingolstadt manufacturer is determined to put that right, but Mercedes has had the upper hand since Opel's Uwe Alzen took the double in 2000. In 2001 it was Bernd Maylà¤nder; in 2003 it was Jean Alesi; and in 2002, 2004 and 2005 it was Schneider.

Make sure you join Carlton Kirby and Mark Cole live on Motors TV, from 12.30 UK time Saturday for qualifying, and 12.45 UK Sunday for the race - and don't forget that the clocks go back 1 hour on Saturday night!

Mark

Vanina Ickx halted 3rd practice with a violent crash. She's ok though.

http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/55447

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In the Daily Telegraph, Kevin Garside made the well-received point that even if Mosley had criticised JYS's comedy music hall trousers, at least they remained round his waist, not his ankles...