Van der Zande encouraged by progress in first DTM season

Renger van der Zande ended his first DTM season with a 12th place finish at Hockenheim this afternoon, completing a series of donuts to celebrate what has been an encouraging year for the Dutchman. The Mercedes driver can look back at the campaign with a smile on his face, having learned a lot in preparation for 2012.

#20 Renger van der Zande (stern AMG Mercedes)

Photo by: ITR eV

"It was a good race," said van der Zande. "At the end of the year, you know how it all works. You know what it takes to be consistently fast and it went very well at Hockenheim. It was not a spectacular race, but I enjoyed it. At the end of the race we all drove together for a celebratory lap. These cars will not be used next year, so this was a nice way to say goodbye to them. I also burned some rubber with a few donuts. It’s always nice to treat the audience like that. "

"This was the last race of an extremely valuable DTM season. I really enjoyed the professional environment of the series and of course working with my great team. I've learned a lot and I will now focus on next year. I really want to carry on in this wonderful championship. "

Van der Zande will bring his season to a complete close during a German style party on Sunday night, explaining: "We are expected lederhosens. That's promising."