Mattias Ekstrom made sure everyone forgot about his indiscretions from Barcelona by claiming his third DTM victory of the season at Le Mans.
Having been disqualified in Spain for his collisions with Jamie Green, Ekstrom also overcame a bout of flu and difficult driving conditions to show his experience around the French circuit.
Running second early on, Ekstrom took the lead of the race from Timo Scheider after the first pit-stop and was never headed, this despite his insistence to remain on slick tyres when rain made driving hazardous over the final laps.
Despite the result, it isn't enough for Ekstrom to retain his drivers' crown for a second consecutive season. Nonetheless, the Swede will instead focus on aiding team-mate Scheider to the title when the series returns to Hockenheim at the end of the month.
"This wasn't bad for a sick racer. After I was frustrated with a bout of flu all weekend I'm now totally happy about victory. The race was great and my Audi A4 was running perfectly from the start to the final lap.
“I couldn't wish for more than this except, of course, that I would have liked still being in the race for the title. The decision has been postponed to the finale. There, we'll be giving everything to clinch the title with Timo for Audi."
