Slovakia WTCR: Vervisch wins Race 1 from ninth

Vervisch benefited from a rapid getaway and emerged from a hectic opening lap in second place, chasing the fast-starting Alfa Romeo Giulietta of Ma Qing Hua.

The Belgian kept the pressure on and swept by after a mistake under braking cost Ma the lead on lap four of 11.

Vervisch was untroubled for the remainder of the race on his way to sealing Audi’s first win of the year by 2.8s, while Ma took his first podium in second.

Spots of rain threatened before the race just as it did in Friday qualifying, but it was not enough for drivers to opt for wet tyres as the first 11-lap race got underway.

Ma inherited the lead while polesitter Nicky Catsburg slid wide in the slippery conditions in his efforts to sweep around the outside of the Alfa heading through Turn 1.

After surrendering the lead, Ma came under attack from Norbert Michelisz in the best of the BRC Racing Hyundais, but the Chinese driver held on for second despite an attempted lunge around the outside from Michelisz in the closing laps of the race.

Jean-Karl Vernay (WRT Audi) finished a lonely fourth, having survived a tag in the rear under braking heading into the tight third corner during the opening lap fall-out in tricky conditions.

A hectic tussle for fifth place eventually went the way of Augusto Farfus (BRC Hyundai), who charged through the pack methodically from a lowly 19th place on the grid.

Another Hyundai finished sixth as reigning champion Gabriele Tarquini fought his way from 13th, disposing of Catsburg, who fell back to seventh having also clipped a tyre stack.

Tom Coronel (Comtoyou Cupra) was eighth ahead of Mikel Azcona (PWR Cupra), while Luca Engstler’s  wildcard Hyundai was 10th ahead of the best of the Cyan Racing Lynk & Co cars of Yvan Muller.

Points leader Nestor Girolami failed to finish, after the Munnich Motorsport Honda driver made contact with the second Comtoyou Audi of Niels Langeveld during a frenetic first lap.

Report by Dan Mason

Race results:

Cla	#	Driver	Chassis	Laps	Gap
1	22	Frederic Vervisch	Audi	11
2	55	Ma Qing Hua	Alfa Romeo	11	2.834
3	5	Norbert Michelisz	Hyundai	11	3.243
4	69	Jean-Karl Vernay	Audi	11	7.503
5	8	Augusto Farfus	Hyundai	11	13.949
6	1	Gabriele Tarquini	Hyundai	11	14.426
7	88	Nick Catsburg	Hyundai	11	20.055
8	50	Tom Coronel	CUPRA	11	20.274
9	96	Mikel Azcona	CUPRA	11	20.463
10	6	Luca Engstler	Hyundai	11	21.657
11	100	Yvan Muller	Lynk & Co	11	22.328
12	52	Gordon Shedden	Audi	11	22.532
13	12	Rob Huff	Volkswagen	11	24.017
14	33	Benjamin Leuchter	Volkswagen	11	24.373
15	86	Esteban Guerrieri	Honda	11	25.407
16	10	Niels Langeveld	Audi	11	26.665
17	18	Tiago Monteiro	Honda	11	26.870
18	9	Attila Tassi	Honda	11	28.405
19	37	Daniel Haglof	CUPRA	11	29.471
20	14	Johan Kristoffersson	Volkswagen	11	29.757
21	111	Andy Priaulx	Lynk & Co	11	30.061
22	68	Yann Ehrlacher	Lynk & Co	11	31.896
23	11	Thed Björk	Lynk & Co	11	32.145
	21	Aurelien Panis	CUPRA	9	2 Laps
	25	Mehdi Bennani	Volkswagen	9	2 Laps
	31	Kevin Ceccon	Alfa Romeo
	29	Nestor Girolami	Honda
View full results