Dumbreck and his Opel Astra V8 Coupé were greeted by a wave of flags at the finish - a great cheer from all members of the Opel-team for the Scot's second place. For the first time in the 2003 season, the make from Rüsselsheim scored a podium finish. Therefore, the upbeat feeling at the Opel team didn't come as a surprise. Even more so as Dumbreck had been the only driver in the field who had been able to keep up with Schneider: ''My Astra was perfect, and basically faster than I thought. I pushed all the time and tried to stay close behind Bernd. I have broken my duck.''
Motorsport director Volker Strycek shared that opinion: ''The team was motivated by the victory in the 24-hour race one week ago. Here, we also achieved our performance all on our own, in a convincing and a great way.''
Strycek was also happy with two more Opel-driver in points' scoring positions. Timo Scheider finished fourth and Alain Menu came sixth.
With his third place, Ekström completed the mix of makes on the podium. The Abt-Audi-driver showed a strong performance, keeping Opel-driver Timo Scheider behind him for the final 15 laps of the race.
''This was my toughest race ever. The car was not optimal and fighting a duel like I had with Timo in a heat like this requires an incredible amount of power and concentration,'' Ekström said.
Champion Laurent Aiello finished eighth, scored one point and maintained his fourth position in the championship. A consolation at the end of a race weekend that could have had a better start for the team Abt Sportsline.
