Michelisz stops Citroen's WTCC winning streak
Zengo Motorsport’s Norbert Michelisz claimed victory at his home race for the second time in his WTCC career with a lights-to-flag display in front of a packed home crowd at the Hungaroring.
Norbert Michelisz, Honda Civic WTCC, Zengo Motorsport
FIA WTCC
Most of the drama of the race came at the start, with John Filippi bogging down at the back and trying to cover Honda’s Gabriele Tarquini as he tried to pass on his left. The Campos Chevrolet forced the Italian onto the grass, which meant he was forced to pit and clear his radiator.
Up front, Tom Chilton, starting second, lost a spot to his ROAL Chevrolet teammate Tom Coronel into the first corner, while Michelisz kept the lead into the first turn.
Further back, the scrambling pack of Citroens had contact between them, with Yvan Muller and Ma Qing Hua touching on the exit of Turn 1. Ma spun around and into the rear of Rob Huff, with the Lada Vesta taking terminal damage while both Citroens were able to continue.
From then on, Michelisz began to build his lead ahead of the battling duo of Coronel and Chilton, while the Citroens were caged up behind the factory Honda of Tiago Monteiro in fourth.
Sebastien Loeb was the best placed of the Citroens in fifth, and reduces his gap to points leader Jose Maria Lopez to 33 points, with Yvan Muller just 10 points behind.
Lopez crossed the line sixth ahead of Muller, while Campos Racing's Hugo Valente finished eighth ahead of Ma and Craft-Bamboo Chevrolet driver Gregoire Demoustier.
Michelisz’s victory was the first for a Honda driver since Suzuka last October, when Gabriele Tarquini took the chequered flag in the second race, and stops Citroen's winning streak after five races this year.
Neil Hudson / TouringCarTimes
Pos | Driver | Car | Time | Gap |
1 | Norbert Michelisz | Honda | 26m00.367 | |
2 | Tom Coronel | Chevrolet | 26m07.470 | 7.103 |
3 | Tom Chilton | Chevrolet | 26m09.682 | 9.315 |
4 | Tiago Monteiro | Honda | 26m10.543 | 10.176 |
5 | Sebastien Loeb | Citroen | 26m11.602 | 11.235 |
6 | Jose Maria Lopez | Citroen | 26m12.407 | 12.040 |
7 | Yvan Muller | Citroen | 26m13.432 | 13.065 |
8 | Hugo Valente | Chevrolet | 26m19.006 | 18.639 |
9 | Ma Qing Hua | Citroen | 26m20.193 | 19.826 |
10 | Gregoire Demoustier | Chevrolet | 26m30.388 | 30.021 |
11 | John Filippi | Chevrolet | 26m39.027 | 38.660 |
12 | Stefano D'Aste | Chevrolet | 26m42.397 | 42.030 |
13 | Gabriele Tarquini | Honda | 27m11.651 | 1m11.284 |
R | Mikhail Kozlovskiy | Lada | – | |
R | Mehdi Bennani | Citroen | – | |
R | Rob Huff | Lada | – |
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