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WATCH | The most exciting corner in racing - Eau Rouge

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Eau Rouge. Image: Youtube
Eau Rouge. Image: Youtube

The DTM season got underway at Spa-Francorchamps this past weekend 

Audi's René Rast and Nico Muller won Race 1 and Race 2 respectively

DTM drivers were quizzed about the track's famous Eau Rouge corner

Audi driver René Rast walked away with the glory on Sunday to win the second race of the 2020 DTM season at Spa-Francorchamps, beating Nico Muller. Muller took victory in the first race on Saturday through a courageous maneuver in "Eau Rouge" and "Raidillon". 

On Sunday with the two locked in battle in was Rast who made a brave move against Müller at the end of the long "Kemmel straight" and beat the Swiss driver by a close 0.483 seconds. A strong finish for Audi with a 1-2 result. 

There were two South Africans in the race, with Sheldon van der Linde and Jonathan Aberdien racing for BMW. Aberdien, in his first season for BMW, finished 10th in Race 1 while Van der Linde's race ended after only three laps. 

In the second race on Sunday Van der Linde scored a sixth place finish with Aberdien in ninth. 

The Belgian track Spa-Francorchamps is home to one of the most well-known corners in racing: Eau Rouge. But do you know where the name is derived from? Eau Rouge is a small creek not far from the track. 

It's 15-kilometre long stream that starts in the Hautes Fagnes and ends in Challes. It gets its name from the coloration of the stones and riverbed due to reddish iron oxide deposits. 

The DTM drivers were handled a bottle of water and asked what is significant about it, none of them knew immediately until they were told it is connected to the track. 

Only then did they realise it was water from Eau Rouge. 

The drivers admitted that it's one of the most exciting corners and that it lifts their heart rate. Eau Rouge has speed, elevation and compression and a direction change. Once the car is up the hill there's a blind crest. Eau Rouge has everything! 

DTM says: "Eau Rouge" is one of the most famous corners in Racing and makes every round at the race track in Spa-Francorchamps a highlight. As the DTM season 2020 kicks off in Belgium this weekend, we had a chat with several DTM drivers about what makes this corner so exciting but also difficult and dangerous - and, of course, where it got its name from."

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