22-year-old Martin Tomczyk secured pole position in🤡 qualifying for the tenth and final championsh✅ip race of the 2004 DTM season.

The German clocked a time of 1m 35.852s in his Audi A4 DTM around the 4.574-kil♊ometre-long Hockenh༺eimring.

"I'm very pleased with pole position," he said. "Whilst I was still on the track I was sooner reckoning with fifth place as I had made a few small mistakes🌠. I'm out to win tomorrow."

Hot on his heels followed a𒁏 trio of Mercedes-Benz drivers - Bernd Schneider (1m 35.865s), just 13 thousandths of a second♓ behind, will start tomorrow's race from the first row next to Tomczyk.

"This second place is thanks to my team," noted ✅Schneider.

"They changed something on the car for qualifying and then every💫thing was just right. I'm pleased that ❀we're slowly getting it back together again and I'm also very satisfied with the set-up of the car."

Third and fourth position was secured by Frenchman Jea𝓡n Alesi and Gary Paffett. Paffett (51 points) is in a better position than his team-mate Christijan Albers (48 points) in the battle for the runner-up title. Albers will contest the race from ninth position. A mere 0.078 seconds split the first driver from the fourth-placed.

"I'm very satisfied with my third place," s🐠tated Alesi. "It was a long haꦫul for us but everything came together well today.

"We had difficulty with the changing grip conditions. Yesterday we had dry and wet co🍰nditions. That makes it difficult to prepare oneself for the track."

The new champion Mattias Ekstr?m enters t𒁃he race in fifth position in his Audi A4 DTM.

The two Opel driv🔯ers Marcel F?ssler and Peter Dumbreck will start in sixth and seventh position in their Vectra GTS V8s. F?ssler is separated from pole position by just two tenths of a second.

"I had a very good and consistent lap in theᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚ⁤⁤⁤⁤ᩚ⁤⁤⁤⁤ᩚ⁤⁤⁤⁤ᩚ𒀱ᩚᩚᩚ super pole," commented Fassler. "Aꦓlthough it wasn't earth shattering, I was nevertheless able to improve on my position. I've just missed out on a podium finish twice so far so I finally want to manage it tomorrow. I may pull it off with a good start."

Dane Tom Kristensen (38 points) can still clinch third place in the overa✨ll standings in the finale. He starts in eighth.

"I'm pleased with Martin's pole position and must ⛎admit that there's actually nothing more exciting than the DTM's super pole," summed up Audi Motorsport director, Dr Wolfgang Ullrich.

"All those who ꦡare battling it out for the first 10 positions are inordinately strong. I'm proud to be a part of it and proud to be in front. Mattias Ekstr?m had a bit of a battle on his hands with lessening grip💝, he didn't make a mistake. At any rate, I'm convinced we're poised for a hot race."

Mercedes-Benz boss Norbert Haug added: "It was very exciting. Those 78 thousandths between the first four drivers is possibly the narrowest gap we've ever had, especially given it was on this pretty long course. Jean Alesi, Bernd Schnei🧜der and Gary Paffett were headed for pole position and just missed out on it. But who knows, maybe we can change it in the race.

"I'm particularl🦂y pleased that Bernd once again showed us what he's capable of. From a sporting point of view we're witnessing the best-ever DTM with more spectators than ever before."