Mike Rockenfeller described his first DTM victory as "a massive load taken off my chest," after triumphing at Zandvoort last Sunday.
On only his second start since being promoted to an Abt-run, 2009-spec A4 by Audi, Rockenfeller controlled the pace at the front after taking the lead, and was a delighted man afterward.
"Honestly, I didn't expect it to take this long," he said. "After I got on the podium in my second DTM race [in 2007], I thought I would win much sooner. But it was a tough few years.
"Already it started to go better last year with [the] Phoenix [team], and Audi showed me a lot of support to put me in an Abt car this year. Now I can show them that it was a good decision."
Last year's Le Mans 24 hours winner said that the two key elements in his victory had been beating front-row starter Jamie Green into second place at the first corner, and his early first pit stop, which helped vault him ahead of Bruno Spengler's Mercedes, which led the early stages.
"The pace was good, already from the warm-up, so I knew we could have a good result, but winning...I wasn't sure. The start was key and the strategy worked out perfectly. Once I got in front it was a case of just staying calm and bringing it home."
Rockenfeller's victory moved him up to second place in the championship, eight points behind Spengler, who finished second.