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Björk Wins The Great WTCC Race Of China For Volvo polestar

25.09.16

WTCC - 2016 Race of China -  Opening Race Report 

FIA, Motorsport, Mobility, Road Safety, F1, WRC, WEC, WTCC, World RX

Thed Björk claimed a dramatic maiden FIA World Touring Car Championship victory, taking the lead two corners from the finish in his Volvo S60 Polestar TC1. What was also a first WTCC win for Chinese-owned Volvo was part of a weekend of celebration, which began with Citroën provisionally landing the WTCC Manufacturers’ crown for a third year in succession on Saturday and ended with Mehdi Bennani winning the WTCC Trophy title subject to final confirmation.

Norbert Michelisz took second for Honda in the Opening Race with Yvan Muller and José María López third and fourth for Citroën. López won the Main Race from the DHL pole position with Muller second to move 31 points ahead of Tiago Monteiro in the battle to finish runner-up to provisional overall champion López. Behind third-placed Bennani, Nicky Catsburg finished fourth for LADA having qualified an impressive second.

OPENING RACE REPORT: BJÖRK BEST IN DRAMATIC SCRAP FOR VICTORY
Thed Björk grabbed the first win in the FIA World Touring Car Championship for himself, Volvo and Polestar Cyan Racing in a penultimate-corner pass on Norbert Michelisz. Taking the lead following a better start from second on the grid than John Filippi managed from pole, Michelisz seemed on course for his second straight Opening Race victory for Honda. And his advantage grew when Tom Chilton and Gabriele Tarquini collided when fighting for second at the hairpin, forcing them to pit with damage. Björk, who started sixth, benefitted from this to climb to second and he was able to cut the gap to the heavier car of Michelisz, but the Hungarian remained ahead at the start of the final lap. Björk, however, gained significantly on Michelisz down the long back straight and was able to move ahead and take victory, despite sustaining damage in contact with the Honda. The first five cars were together at the end, with Yvan Muller claiming third behind Michelisz, who complained of a lack of straightline speed, while José María López grabbed fourth from the LADA of Nicky Catsburg at the line. The Dutch driver picked up the rear bumper of Michelisz’s Civic on the front of his car after it was dislodged by Björk, and this caused his car to stop on the slowing-down lap with an overheating engine. Hugo Valente had a strong race to sixth in front in front of Tom Coronel, who picked up the WTCC Trophy win when Chilton retired. Fredrik Ekblom was eighth in the second Volvo followed by the other factory Hondas of Rob Huff and Tiago Monteiro. WTCC Trophy points leader Mehdi Bennani took second in the class in P11. After losing places at the start, John Filippi eventually retired after contact early in the lap, triggering a safety car.

MAIN RACE REPORT: BIG WINS FOR CITROËN DRIVERS LÓPEZ AND BENNANI
José María López took a dominant win in the Main Race as Mehdi Bennani became provisional WTCC Trophy champion by completing a Citroën 1-2-3. López led from lights out to chequered flag on the way to his eighth victory of the season and the 29th of his WTCC career. He opened up an 11-second advantage over team-mate Yvan Muller, who took second at the start, capitalising on a slow getaway by Nicky Catsburg from the front row. Bennani also took advantage of Catsburg’s difficulties to climb into third, and he kept the LADA driver at bay in the closing stages to complete an all-Citroën podium and take a WTCC Trophy victory that puts him out of reach in the class standings subject to final confirmation. Gabriele Tarquini joined team-mate Catsburg in the top five after working his way past Opening Race victor Thed Björk on the first lap. Fredrik Ekblom also moved ahead of fellow Polestar Volvo driver Björk to take sixth on his return weekend. Tiago Monteiro was eighth, ahead of Bennani’s WTCC Trophy rivals Tom Chilton and Tom Coronel. Norbert Michelisz, Hugo Valente and Rob Huff were next up.

HONDA ON A WTCC MAC3 HIGH IN SHANGHAI
Honda ended Saturday at FIA WTCC Race of China on a high note with victory in Manufacturers Against the Clock (WTCC MAC3) at the Shanghai International Circuit. The Japanese marque had a difficult qualifying session with factory pilots Rob Huff and Tiago Monteiro both unable to make it out of Q1. But Honda showed the value of great teamwork to claim a fifth outright WTCC MAC3 win and a sixth triumph in total in the Tour de France-inspired team time trial competition. Drivers Huff, Monteiro and Norbert Michelisz outpaced the LADA trio of Nicky Catsburg, Gabriele Tarquini and Hugo Valente by 0.295s around two laps of the 4.603-kilometre Shanghai track from a standing start. “It was pretty good with a good start and a good pace,” said Honda Team Principal Alessandro Mariani. “It was some satisfaction after a tough qualifying.” But there was drama as Team Honda completed its slowing down lap when Mehdi Bennani slowed on Team Citroën’s warm-up lap with a throttle sensor issue in his C-Elysée WTCC. The Moroccan, who had been brought into the French make’s WTCC MAC3 attack alongside works drivers José María López and Yvan Muller, was unable to get above walking pace due to the problem and Citroën’s challenge was aborted as a result, meaning a no-score.