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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

Norbert Michelisz, Honda Civic WTCC, Zengo Motorsport

FIA WTCC

Norbert Michelisz, Honda Civic WTCC, Zengo Motorsport
Jose Maria Lopez, Citroën World Touring Car Team C-Elysée
Rob Huff, Lada Vesta WTCC , Lada Sport Rosneft
Yvan Muller, Citroën World Touring Car Team C-Elysée
Gabriele Tarquini, Honda Civic WTCC, Honda Racing Team JAS
Norbert Michelisz, Zengo Motorsport Honda Civic 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
Norbert Michelisz Honda 26m00.367  
Tom Coronel Chevrolet 26m07.470 7.103
Tom Chilton Chevrolet 26m09.682 9.315
Tiago Monteiro Honda 26m10.543 10.176
Sebastien Loeb Citroen 26m11.602 11.235
Jose Maria Lopez Citroen 26m12.407 12.040
Yvan Muller Citroen 26m13.432 13.065
Hugo Valente Chevrolet 26m19.006 18.639
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
Mikhail Kozlovskiy Lada  
Mehdi Bennani Citroen  
Rob Huff Lada

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