It was a weekend to forget for Nick Cassidy at the 2022 DTM season finale in Hockenheim after his car was hit by flaming debris during race one.
Footage shows the Porsche of Dennis Olsen being sent into a spin at turn eight, contacting the inside barrier and ejecting the car’s now enflamed engine into the side of Cassidy’s Ferrari (2:03 in video).
Cassidy’s on-board camera shows the detached engine brush up against the driver’s side window, illuminating the cabin while on fire (2:28 in video).
Both drivers were ok but their cars begged to differ. The resulting damage from the fireball saw the Kiwi retire from race one and ultimately race two.
Red Bull AlphaTauri AF Corse were looking to finish the 2022 DTM season on a high note with the team set to finish third in the team standings.
With Cassidy out, it was up to Brazilian teammate Felipe Fraga to bring home the points.
Although he made it through race one to finish 13th, qualifying for race two saw him collide with the tyre barrier, rendering his car too damaged to race after he had set the fastest lap of the session.
That meant the team finished seventh in the team standings for the season, while Cassidy came 13th in the drivers’ standings, ahead of Fraga in 16th.
“It’s not the weekend we expected or wanted as a team. It’s a shame, as actually I felt quite good in the car in Qualifying and I thought we maximised what we had, but obviously Race one was quite unlucky and ended early for us, along with our season,” said Cassidy.
“There’s not much more to say, except I think we did what we could. This year wasn’t easy, but there were some very big highlights as well – so I’m still proud, even though I have mixed emotions.”
Main image: DTM YouTube
