Schneider said: ''A great race. After starting 14th I'm really happy with my third-place finish. This was good motor sport, and I had the best position to watch the fight in front of me closely.''
Patrick Huisman in the Eschmann-Stahl AMG Mercedes finished fourth in his home race. ''During the pit stop, we had a problem with the nut at the right rear wheel which cost me three or four seconds, therefore I dropped behind Uwe and Bernd. Otherwise a podium finish would have been possible,'' the Dutchman said. His team mate Bernd Mayländer retired in the qualifying race after an accident and was not able to start the main event.
Schneider's team mate Peter Dumbreck had qualified third fastest and was the best Mercedes driver. In the qualifying race he finished third as well. When he rejoined the main race after his pit stop on lap 8, he had a coming together with Laurent Aiello (Abt-Audi TT-R) and received a stop-and-go penalty. After this extra pit stop Dumbreck came home seventh. ''They gave me the signal to start, but suddenly I felt an impact on the left side of the car,'' the Scotsman said. ''Before that I hadn't realised Aiello (was there).''
Marcel Fässler in the Warsteiner AMG Mercedes ended up fifth after an exciting fight with Timo Scheider, who was the best Opel driver in sixth place.
Service 24h AMG Mercedes driver Darren Turner, sixth in qualifying, ran wide on the first lap of the qualifying race and finished eighth in the main race, ahead of his team mate David Saelens. Thomas Jäger in the Original-Teile AMG Mercedes was twelfth, his team mate Christijan Albers retired after an accident caused by a dirty track.
Mercedes-Benz Motorsport Director Norbert Haug commented: ''A great race and a festival of touring car racing in the DTM premiere at Zandvoort. The race was well organised, and the drivers raced with discipline after the morning's safety briefing. There have been some comings together, but no fouls. The crowd here and the TV spectators certainly enjoyed the race.''
