Step world Turing on the narrow street circuit Vila Real was exactly as one would expect it. Blocking some other participants during qualifying, numerous accidents and «tram» race by holders of the first row on the grid.
Qualifying was under the control of the four racers factory team Citroen. Moreover, the French team used the «scorched earth» — two riders battled for first and second place (that is, the first row of the first race), and two more — in ninth and tenth place (the first row of the second race). And all four have successfully coped with the task — Jose Maria Lopez and Sebastien Loeb showed the first and second time, and Yvan Muller and Ma Qing Hua ninth and tenth.
Curiously, the first eight in qualifying kept within three seconds, but Mueller Ma lost the pole position holder 41 seconds and 1 minute 18 seconds, respectively. Obviously, in order to «bring» times like these, the French and the Chinese had to go on the road very slowly.
It's not like rivals, decided that the behavior is not just a sports Citroen, Honda and the team on behalf of its pilots protested. But the judges left it unattended, believing that everything is within the rules. Indeed, the letter of the law complied with, but the spirit of...
In the first segment of the slowness of Ma Qin Hua almost led to a fight! He blocked Tom Coronel, who after the race in the pits rushed to the location of the Citroen team and made «showdown» with the Chinese racer. However, and here no sanctions against the Chinese are not followed.
Tactics Citroen led to unexpected results in the top 10. The third time on the basis of qualifications showed South Valente. Also in the top five were two Honda —Norbert Mihelits the fourth, fifth and Gabriele Tarquini.
Tiago Monteiro — sixth, and behind him were two Lada Vesta Nicky Katsburga and Jaap van lagena. This neighborhood has played a cruel joke with the drivers of the Russian team, but more on that later. The third rider Lada Rob Huff finished qualification with 13 results.
After retiring from the start of the first race from the first row Jose Maria Lopez and Sebastien Loeb without any incidents we reach the finish line in first and second place. Behind them, the situation developed quite calmly. The only «troublemaker» was launched the third South Valente.
He failed start, conceding first one and then the other two pilots Honda. Then he immediately began to attack the two Citroen — Yvan Muller and Ma Qing Hua has had to deal with both Lada.
Chinese pilot managed to pass Valente, but he went to the counter and their cars collided. But if Ma went on, then he went south because of the broken suspension. He became the second driver to not reach the finish line — the first even at the start due to a problem with the oil pressure came Nestor Girolami.
After leaving the peloton Valente safely reached the finish of the race in the same order — in front of the two Citroen Jose Maria Lopez and Sebastien Loeb, followed by three Honda Norbert Mihelitsa, Gabriele Tarquini and Tiago Monteiro, then two more Citroen Ma Qing Hua and Yvan Muller, and the last three positions in the top 10 three Lada — Jaap van Lagen, Katsburg Nicky and Rob Huff.
If the first race was relatively calm, the second on the contrary has been overloaded by various incidents — in the end run was stopped four laps to go.
Again, as in the first race, the two Citroen gone from the start without any problems — this time the leader of the race was Ma Qing Hua and his rear covered Yvan Muller. But then...
Right at the start line Tiago Monteiro tried again to pass two Lada Vesta and climbed between Nicky Katsburgom Jaap van Lagen and. But the drivers of the Russian team took him «in a box» and with a torn Honda wheel flew off the track. However, along with Tiago grabbed and van accident lagena — gathering.
After starting on the twists and turns in the race for a while calm has. Two Citroen in the lead, was third Katsburg, repel the attacks rivals — the closest of which was experienced Gabriele Tarquini.
But the experience was more youth — the Italian was able to find a loophole, and the pilot was Lada. Then, the same maneuver at the same time attempted to Sebastien Loeb and Norbert Mihelits. As a result, there was contact between the car and the Frenchman's Citroen flew to bump. A little later dropped out of the race and Katsburg — Lada hit his right rear part of the rail safety and literally fell apart on the details.
To finish the race was only four laps and the judge made the decision to stop the race.
Take the lead in this moment Ma Qing Hua won the first of the season and second in career stage win WTCC. His Citroen teammate Yvan Muller was second, and closed the top three winners Gabriele Tarquini.
Norbert Mihelits and Jose Maria Lopez rounded out the top five, ahead of Nicky Katsburga (Lada), South Valente (Chevrolet), Nestor Girolami (Honda), Rob Huff (Lada) and Mehdi Bennani (private Citroen).
The next round of the WTCC will take place on September 13 in Japan.
