Thed Björk and Nicky Catsburg were the winners for Polestar Cyan Racing as the FIA World Touring Car Championship title race was blown wide open following a dramatic WTCC Race of Germany on the legendary Nürburgring Nordschleife this afternoon.

With an estimated 200,000 spectators lining the iconic 25.378-kilometre track, Swede Björk charged through from sixth on the grid to win the Opening Race before Catsburg snatched the lead starting the Main Race. The Dutchman held firm for his second WTCC victory and his first driving a Volvo S60 Polestar, a performance good enough to clinch the TAG Heuer Best Lap Trophy.

Having arrived in Germany trailing Tiago Monteiro by 38 points, Catsburg is now two points in front in the title standings heading to Monteiro’s home event – WTCC Race of Portugal – next month after Monteiro hit double trouble. Not only did the Castrol Honda World Touring Car driver crash out of the Opening Race following a puncture, he was then forced to start the Main Race from the pit lane when his mechanics were unable to repair damage sustained during the OSCARO Repair Time between the two races. He settled for P13 and, crucially, no points for the first time in 2017.

Mehdi Bennani took WTCC Trophy honours in second overall in the Opening Race for Sébastien Loeb Racing with Rob Huff, driving for German team ALL-INKL.COM Münnich Motorsport, close behind in third. Norbert Michelisz started the Main Race from the DHL pole position but a clutch issued prevented him from converting the place into his first win of the season, the factory Honda driver making do with second instead as Huff completed the podium following contact with Catsburg at the first corner while disputing the lead.

Tom Chilton scored a WTCC podium double but it wasn’t quite enough to prevent Rob Huff from moving back to the top of the standings by a single point over his fellow Citroën-driving Briton. Esteban Guerrieri was fifth in the Opening Race but it was a tough day for his fellow Argentine Néstor Girolami, who crashed out from second place in the Main Race with a puncture. Thed Björk followed up his Opening Race victory with fourth spot in the Main Race to move to within eight points of the championship lead. After eight rounds, the top six drivers are covered by 26 points, further underlining the wide-open nature of this season’s WTCC.

RACE WINNER QUOTES (full transcript available soon at http://media.fiawtcc.com)

Thed Björk (Opening Race winner): “I had a really good start so I could jump from sixth to third. The car was working really so I could keep pushing and slipstreaming on the straight. I did the same move on Néstor as I did on Mehdi, the slipstream works really well and it was really nice to do this. This is an amazing race to win, such a demanding track that I’m really happy to win.”

Nicky Catsburg (Main Race winner): “The Main Race was the focus so it was important to get the perfect set-up in the Opening Race and not do any damage. It was awesome racing in front of all those fans and I could see some Dutch flags. At the first corner in the Main Race I brake a little too late, Rob went on the inside and turned in for T2 like he wold normally and I couldn’t disappear. I was already full on the kerbs on the outside and I couldn’t have done anything else, otherwise I would have been in the wall. Unfortunately for him I touch him and I saw he lost some positons, which was not my intention. Luckily for me I was able to continue and win the race. Leading the championship means a lot. I’ve been very consistent this season, Tiago has been strong as well but this was the first weekend that he’s had some difficulties. To be in the lead was the goal and I hope to be there for the rest of the season.”

OPENING RACE REPORT

MAIN RACE REPORT 

TEAM VOLVO POLESTAR TAKES THREE IN WTCC MAC3 
Team Volvo Polestar scored its third Manufacturers Against the Clock team time trial win of the 2017 FIA World Touring Car Championship season over a lap of the famed Nürburgring Nordschleife on Friday. On the mammoth 25.378-kilometre circuit, WTCC MAC3 is contested over one lap instead of the usual two, but it was not without drama for either competing team. At Team Volvo Polestar, Nicky Catsburg suffered from a bad vibration on his Volvo S60 Polestar, but the Polestar Cyan Racing trio, which also included Néstor Girolami and Thed Björk, was still able to triumph. For Team Honda, Tiago Monteiro carried a damper problem that he suffered at the end of the qualifying session, leaving him wary of using the kerbs as he chased Ryo Michigami and Norbert Michelisz around the track. Alexander Murdzevski Schedvin, Head of Motorsport at Polestar, said: “We’re happy to be racing at a place where we do a lot of road car development. It was clear before the start that Monteiro had a problem so we were able to more or less play it safe. You always want to push and give it all you have but it wasn’t necessary this time and we were able to cruise a bit.”

RESULTS/STANDINGS

RACE FACTS: Opening Race DHL Pole Position: Néstor Girolami (Volvo S60 Polestar)
Main Race DHL Pole Position: Norbert Michelisz (Honda Civic WTCC)
TAG Heuer Best Lap Trophy: Nicky Catsburg (Volvo S60 Polestar) 8m45.647s

NEXT EVENT: FIA WTCC Race of Portugal, Vila Real, 23-25 June